Whirlfloc Experiment

I've just put my Ruination clone into the carboy, and as I was doing it I realized I forgot to add the Whirlfloc. I've been using it since I started doing BIAB as this leaves a lot more trub than extract or sparged grain.

My plan had been to make the brew, make my yeast starter (didn't think I'd have time to brew today so I didn't make it in advance), and hold the wort in my smaller carboy (very little headspace), and then rack it to my larger carboy and add yeast, in the process leaving all the trub behind.

So what I did was boil up half a tab of whirlfloc and added it to the cooled wort. It fizzed when I added it. I'll see how it looks tomorrow and report back. Since I don't have a control I won't be able to compare with and without. I know a lot of people don't like the stuff as it leaves a lot of fluffy trub, but if you let it settle it does a great job of clarifying.

I did my second BIAB this weekend...first time using my MM2 and also used whirlfloc for the first time too. I followed MW instructions on only using 1/2 tablet at 5 minutes left in the boil. The cold break did not separate at all. I have a primary fermenter full of pureed oatmeal looking stuff. It is fermenting just fine....lots of trub...but absolutely no separation at all.
I usually leave beer in the primary for 3 weeks, so it still has plenty of time to clear up. But I think that 1/2 tab at 5 minutes was total garb.

That's the criticism of Whirlfloc, it leaves a very fluffy trub. It will however settle out quickly and leave very clear beer. If you add yeast though before it settles the yeast itself will keep the trub stirred in until the yeast is done and settles out. At that point you should be able to rack off the trub some clear beer.

Hmmmm.....maybe I'll go back to Irish moss. I'm still pretty low on the learning curve. I really don't need more challenges at the moment....maybe later.

I use 1/2 tab in the last 10 minutes of boiling and I get a very compact trub by bottling/racking time.

Hey,

New brewer here, too. I just made an all-grain cream ale and used Whirfloc at 5 min, and it separated a load of stuff out. I'm told that the Koelsch yeast I'm using is a bit powdery so it's still pretty hazy after primary, but I think it is clearer than it would have been without the Whirfloc.

Isn't Whirfloc just Irish Moss in a tablet form?

Scott

Scottie61 said:

Hey,

New brewer here, too. I just made an all-grain cream ale and used Whirfloc at 5 min, and it separated a load of stuff out. I'm told that the Koelsch yeast I'm using is a bit powdery so it's still pretty hazy after primary, but I think it is clearer than it would have been without the Whirfloc.

Isn't Whirfloc just Irish Moss in a tablet form?

Scott

Click to expand...

Moss mixed with carrageenan. Which Yeast? Wlp029?

m3n00b said:

Moss mixed with carrageenan. Which Yeast? Wlp029?

Click to expand...

Wyeast 2565 Kolsch

Scott

I transferred from my holding carboy into my primary last night after it had been in there for a day with the Whirlfloc. It had formed a gelatinous goo that got sucked into my siphon, rather than mixing into the wort as it turned out. I left almost 2 inches of crud behind, and that's after one day of rest.

I mixed the yeast in and shook to oxygenate, so maybe now it'll have some impact, but I'm not holding my breath. Now the yeast is active and it won't be clear again until fermentation is done, and probably not until the secondary.

zacster said:

I transferred from my holding carboy into my primary last night after it had been in there for a day with the Whirlfloc. It had formed a gelatinous goo that got sucked into my siphon, rather than mixing into the wort as it turned out. I left almost 2 inches of crud behind, and that's after one day of rest.

I mixed the yeast in and shook to oxygenate, so maybe now it'll have some impact, but I'm not holding my breath. Now the yeast is active and it won't be clear again until fermentation is done, and probably not until the secondary.

Click to expand...

Holding carboy? Why wait to primary? It takes about a week for the floc to settle.

You siphoned after a day? I agree, there was a lot of goo separating out, but like mentioned above, it settled out to about 1 inch of trub after a week of active fermentation with lotsa blowoff.

I can easily see your siphon plugging before that!

Scott

No, there wasn't any problem. The goo was the whirlfloc floating on top, and I also had a lot of trub. I had put it into my smaller carboy because my yeast wasn't ready. This batch was a rush job because of a rainy day opportunity to brew. I made the starter AFTER I made the wort, so I needed to put the wort somewhere, and I figured I'd let it settle. Then I also forgot the Whirlfloc. Normally it goes straight from my pot into my primary, with or without whirlpooling. I find it difficult to get a good whirlpool now because my pot has the thermometer and dip tube in it, and then the dip tube is right in the trub cone.

In any case it is happily fermenting in my basement right now.

I get the typical egg drop soup with it like everyone else. I use an IC to cool, pull that out, create a whirlpool with an oversized spoon, and let that sit for around 20-30 minutes covered before racking to the carboy. This is enough time for all the coagulated crap and hops to settle to the bottom so I can draw off a very clear beer. Granted, the trub cone is not as compact as it would be without the stuff but professional texts on the matter lead me to believe that keeping that out of the fermenter does make a better beer so I am willing to lose a little wort for better beer.

Egg drop soup -- good description, that's about it!

It's nice to know that others get their timing screwed up like me.

I'm gonna try this brew again soon, because of some DMS (I think) issues with the last one. A subject for another thread.

Scott

Yep, egg drop soup. I had checked the forecast for the weekend and they said occasional rain, but Sunday was steady rain. I had planned on at least a 50 mile bike ride for one day, but when Saturday came and went I was going to ride Sunday. Brewing just happened.

Bensiff said:

I get the typical egg drop soup with it like everyone else. I use an IC to cool, pull that out, create a whirlpool with an oversized spoon, and let that sit for around 20-30 minutes covered before racking to the carboy. This is enough time for all the coagulated crap and hops to settle to the bottom so I can draw off a very clear beer. Granted, the trub cone is not as compact as it would be without the stuff but professional texts on the matter lead me to believe that keeping that out of the fermenter does make a better beer so I am willing to lose a little wort for better beer.

Click to expand...

That 20-30 minutes must be what screwed me up. I used Irish moss in the past, and the cold break settled in as little as 5 minutes before...10 at the most. I was expecting the same times with whirlfloc. I ended up racking all of the cold break into the primary as it wasn't settling out. My then pureed oatmeal looking wort is starting to clear...but only slightly. It still lokks like a very cloudy Wit. Which is bad, cuz' it's a pale ale.