I can't get it up.........(trub)

My Trub pile that is........
I just finished brewing an extract version of Midwest's Ferocious IPA. 3 oz of hop pellets, 2 oz of which added across the last 20 min. Ive been having trouble siphoning my beer off the trub/break material since I started. For this batch I used only 1/2 of a whirlfloc tab, I cooled the batch in 12 min using my IC, Whirlpooled very vigorously (2 min) with a really nice vortex. let sit for 15 min, looked really clear and the rotation had stopped so I started siphoning. I got about 3 gal through the 5.5 gal when I started sucking trub. I pulled the siphon and repeated, waited about 15 min again and was able to get another gallon, I could see the trub, and there was no pile (mound or pyramid) just flat liquidy goo. Tried one last time, stirred 3 min, vortex to bottom of pot, waited 20 min until no activity, but still no pile, just a small amount of clear beer over flat break material. I Could not leave 1.5 gallons of this sweet necter behind, plus I figured that some of that material I was trying to leave behind was my hop aroma/flavor and some yeast goodies. I ended up compromising by sccoping 3-4 pints of the top layer out and into the carboy. So....
1. What is the secret to a good pile (i've searched the board and read the wiki) - some people suggest waiting longer, but there was no more rotation when I siphoned.
2. Or skip the whirlpool and filter with a paint filter bag (over IC, or into ferm, etc).
3. To trub or not to trub - I usually rack after 1 week. I know that many just empty the kettle into the fermentor, but I'm a little OCD about the gunk. I'm thinking this might be the easiest but I'll need some convincing.


Ohh merciless gods of trub, what have I done to offend thee

Somebody please help, and I'll praise you with every pour of my my next batch.
Thanks
Jason

Break material is actually good for your yeast and gives you a healthy fermentation. You just don't want ALL of it in there. Whirlpool, leave behind what you can and know what gets through into your primary isn't a bad thing

yeah, thats what part of my brain is telling me, but how much? I had 1 1/2 gal of the stuff. It is kinda of all or none. I mean the beer is very clear until I hit the trub/break material then its thick with goo. So take 1/2, 1/4, or just what little I suck up getting that last of the clear wort?
I am starting to like the idea of draining into or siphoning from a filter bag. May here use 5gal paint strainer bags, but I bet the larger nylon hop bags would work as well.
My last beer, I ended up saying f&%*k it, and drained the entire kettle in. One week in primary and 4 weeks in the secondary and it was completly clear going into the keg.
It is so frustrating to get hung up on such a minor step. My equipment, partial mash, kegging, and full boils have all gone so well (so far). This seems like such a trivial thing.
Failure to whirlpool, Its my shame - the homebrewer's equivalent of bed wetting.
jason

I'm with you in that my whirlpool attempts did not work either. My pot has a flat bottom but I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I line a 3 gallon sanitized bucket with a paint strainer and pour the last gallon into the bucket, raise the bag and let it drain off. It works pretty well and there is still a fair bit of trub left in the fermentor.

I stopped using a hop bag, so after I cool my wort the whole thing just gets poured through a strainer. So for me, big chunks of goop get stopped and small bits of goop pass through. It all settles out in the fermenter anyway.

ChshreCat said:

I stopped using a hop bag, so after I cool my wort the whole thing just gets poured through a strainer. So for me, big chunks of goop get stopped and small bits of goop pass through. It all settles out in the fermenter anyway.

Click to expand...

I used to do that too, using either a a big strainer in a large funnel for carboys and a 5 gallon nylon/elastic paint strainer bag for buckets.

But since I got my wort chiller (which I use both outdoors and for my stovetop brewing) and can get my temps really low, quite quickly, now I just use my autosiphon to move it to the fermenter. I usually rest the bottom of the AS on the first ring of the IC, which lifts it up above the layer of break and trub.

Works great.