First AG Brew - Resting Comfortably

Please take a look at the picture linked below (not sure how to embed on this forum).

I just finished my first AG batch and I'm exhausted and...should I say...empowered? :rockin:

It was great. Sticky, but great. My wort chiller worked out great. It took my boiling brew down to 72 degrees in less than 20 minutes. My preboil gravity was 1044 at 6 gallons and my post boil, 5 gallon gravity was 1062. What a difference boiling off a gallon made.

I'd like anyones opinion of the seperation I already see in my batch (hence the link). I noticed a "ton" of coagulation in the brew. Is this due to the rapid temp decrease from the chiller...?

So many questions were answered this afternoon. So many more I must now investigate. I cannot wait until this Kolsch is drinkable.


Click Here

KalvinEddie said:

I'd like anyones opinion of the seperation I already see in my batch (hence the link). I noticed a "ton" of coagulation in the brew. Is this due to the rapid temp decrease from the chiller...?

Click to expand...

The link didn't work for me, but I'm sure what you're seeing is the cold break separation. Some people whirlpool after cooling to keep it out of the primary, but I personally don't think it really matters. I use a CFC, so I get it all in there.

Lil' Sparky said:

The link didn't work for me, but I'm sure what you're seeing is the cold break separation. Some people whirlpool after cooling to keep it out of the primary, but I personally don't think it really matters. I use a CFC, so I get it all in there.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but what's a CFC?

Should I plan racking to a secondary and bottling in the same manner as for an extract? ANy other way (or need) to try and filter out the "stuff"?

CFC is a different kind of chiller. If you do a search for 'counter flow chiller' you'll find lots of information. As for process, AG is exactly the same as extract once you've got the wort into the boil pot. Most people around here use the 1-2-3 method. I just did my first AG a couple of weeks ago and I used the whirlpool method to keep a lot of that cold break out of the primary.

To get it out, when you rack from primary to secondary just keep the siphon pick-up off the bottom to leave as much behind as you can manage.

That might be a trick. It looks like I have (1 hour post cool down) about 5 inches of that "snow" at the bottom of the primary. Will it compact? Is there anyother method (what is this whirlpool thing?) for leaving the the stuff behind?

I'm not sure how much it will compact as I've never had that much in my primary. I'm sure someone with more experience can help you out with that part.

As for whirlpooling it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Once your wort is chilled to pitching temp, use your sanitized spoon to stir the wort in the kettle into a big whirlpool. Once it's going pretty good let it come to a stop on its own, then you will have a nice pile of cold break and hops right in the center. You can then siphon from the side of the kettle and leave most of it behind.

I siphon into a strainer on my primary (pail) to catch some of the larger bits that are inevitable. This has the added benefit of helping with aeration.

Hmmm. So if I have a bunch of cold-break already in my primary, what becomes of the batch?

Will the break make its way into my bottles? If so, one more reason not to share.

This cold break is new to me...

The trub should compact to at least 1/2 of its size. Don't be to worried about it. As long as you are doing grain brews make the batch size at 5.5 then you will have some room to siphon off the clearer wort and have a nice 5 gallons. Here is a nice thread on whirlpooling. I never has much success but a lot of people seem to > https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7682

Well done on the first AG.



That looks like a large amount of trub. What type of kettle are you using, what type of pick up, what type of strainer, what type of hops?


If you are only putting 5 gallon in primary with that amount of trub you may end up with <4 galoon in seconday. At 1062 that's quite a big beer, you could of topped off the boiler with maybe an extra half gallon+ of water. That way you'd end up with still a nice ABV but more beer in the end.

Keep us updated.

Well done!

I do as Brad does, whirpool. This leaves most of the trub in the kettle before racking to primary. I even have let the trub settle in a carboy overnight before racking to my primary and pitching my yeast. On that brew I wanted a clean lager.

When I rack from my kettle to my primary I use my auto siphon and can see when it turns cloudy. I then stop. Now the part I hated. This left too much beer in my kettle. So I have been just sticking my auto siphon into the trub and the whole hops I use act as a filter to remove a lot of the trub going to my fermenter. So far this is working out and not leaving much beer behind in my kettle.

boo boo said:

...This left too much beer in my kettle. So I have been just sticking my auto siphon into the trub and the whole hops I use act as a filter to remove a lot of the trub going to my fermenter...

Click to expand...

Have you thought about getting one of those nylon grain bags to try as a filter? I read an interesting idea here that I plan to try. If it's finally stopped snowing I plan to make the 45 minute trip to my LHBS and shop for a new toy.