Whirlfloc question

So after using Irish moss off and on for years I tried Whirlfloc for my last two 10 gallon brews (2 tablets per batch). The first batch I stired for about 4 minutes to get a good whirlpool going then ran the near boiling beer through a counterflow chiller. I got a huge amount of trub and hop material (lots of pellet hops; 7oz for an IPA) I attributed the large amount of sediment due to the large hop load. I let the beer settle in the fermenter and transfered the wort off this sediment into a new fermenter. Now batch 2 was a Kolsch with the hops in hop bags and I still got a large amount of trub in the bottom of the fermenter this time I didn't whirlpool prior to transfer from the boil kettle and left the trub in the fermenter when I pitched the yeast. Will all this trub cause a problem with the finished beer? More important what methods prove most effective for whirlpooling to leave trub in the boil kettle.

Gregg

I don't mind having cold break in my fermenter. Hop sludge is a different matter altogether and I use bags or screens to keep it out of the fermenter. Some say it doesn't make a difference but I've found that when I left it in my beers turned out too bitter.

I don't whirlpool so can't help you with that.

What is the Whirlfloc question?

I have never seen so much trub prior to using Whirlfloc. That stuf really works but now I have to come up with a new strategy for leaving it behind in the boil kettle. I am thinking I will turn my pick up tube 90 degrees and recirculate while stirring for the last 10 minutes. I have never had much luck creating a trub cone at the bottom with a whirlpool. I think some people are actually cooling the wort through a CFC by circulating it back into the boil kettle and getting the whole kettle to pitch temps. I wonder if that helps witht the creation of a trub cone.

Did you let everything settle for 20 minutes or so after you finished whirlpooling? If you didn't you never gave the suspended particles time to settle on the bottom of the pot in the cone.

John

johnodon said:

Did you let everything settle for 20 minutes or so after you finished whirlpooling? If you didn't you never gave the suspended particles time to settle on the bottom of the pot in the cone.

John

Click to expand...

+1 -- you need to let it settle out. However, I think most people who whirlpool in the kettle are using an immersion chiller, not a CFC. Personally, as soon as I flame out, I immediately push it through my CFC, I dont like luke-warm wort sitting in my kettle, so I don't whirlpool before going through my CFC.

I am interested, however, to see how other people filter out trub while still using a CFC. I usually just leave the cold break in the fermenter and haven't had any real complaints, but I'm always open to adjusting my methods...

Use one tab per ten gallons for a solid sturdy trub cone. Two makes it "soggy" and it won't whirlpool into a cone. That's the secret.

Ive never been a big fan of whirlfloc because of that. It only ever ends up spread out over the bottom and gets sucked up everywhere. For shiggles I added a tablet to the 11 gallon batch I made on Sunday even though I havent used it in a long time. Same thing. I whirlpooled with a pump for 15 minutes, then let settle for 30. No cone and a bottom full of slop. Luckily I pull from the side of the keggle, so not too much ended up in it.

So Brew Ninja do you use Irish moss or nothing. I kinda like that all that trub/protien falls to the bottom of my kettle and my wort is super clear but like you said it doesn't stay behind in the kettle. Gonna try it one more time Friday and whirlpool hard then rest for 20 minutes to see if that helps.

I use nothing. Once I cold crash almost everything falls out of suspension anyways, just thought it would be nice to have less junk in the carboy.

http://***********/stories/techniqu...-clarity/647-fining-agents-tips-from-the-pros


Good article about Whirlfloc, etc. - I have found that my beer will clear up with cold crashing but never attain the same clarity in the same time as it does if I use Whirlfloc.

Time will clear the beer eventually, but with hoppy American IPA's you are then sacrificing flavor for clarity. By using Whirlfloc I get to clarity faster and still have the hop flavors.