AG Brew And Grain Fines In Primary

I am on my 3rd AG brew and I have found although my wort runs clear out of the lauter tun i get a lot of sediment in my primary. Is this just the difference in AG vs extract? Does it hurt anything to have the extra sediment? It isn't coming from the hops because I used a hop bag on this batch.

Is this the title to your new book, or are you just a big fan of capital letters?

Parker36 said:

Is this the title to your new book, or are you just a big fan of capital letters?

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Ha! Funny...but here's a real answer: I don't know, nor have I ever heard about a "mash pad". However, I've heard about a "maxi pad", but that isn't something you want in your beer. I'm currently using a copper manifold in my MLT, but prior to that I used a SS braid and that worked fine. However, I would need to "vorlauf" or recycle the first few quarts of wort back into the MLT until my wort would be clear of husts and bits of grain. I think on average, I would need to recycle about 6-8 quarts befoer the runnings were clear enough for my liking.

How many quarts would you say you recycle, or are you doing a vorlauf at all?

I recycle three to four quarts or until it runs clear. I think what I am seeing is more grain dust than husk or fines. In a five gallon glass carboy I am seeing three inches of sediment. May be normal but to me it seems like a lot. Thanks for the response.

Wacorulz said:

I recycle three to four quarts or until it runs clear. I think what I am seeing is more grain dust than husk or fines. In a five gallon glass carboy I am seeing three inches of sediment. May be normal but to me it seems like a lot. Thanks for the response.

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That would likely be the cold break. It is just stuff falling out when you cool the beer. I think most of mine makes it into the fermenter and I could care less. You should be fine.

you could do a whirlpool and then rack from the edge to get rid of some of that

+1 to whirlpool. If you have a CFC, as soon as you turn off your flame, gently stir in a circular pattern, creating a small whirlpool in the middle of your kettle. Do this for 20-30 seconds, then let it rest.

If you use an IC, then you can whirlpool gently throughout chilling, and it should help improve your cooling times.

Then, just rack your wort from the side of the kettle, avoiding the "mound" you just created in the bottom of the kettle.

Also, remember a good portion of what you see dropping out in the primary is yeast. Some siphon off the trub, others just dump it in the fermenter. It's really just a matter of preference. Either technique will still yeild a great beer.

I've never worried about trub in the fermenter in 13 years of brewing, and never had a real issue. Even the lightest styles go into the glass perfectly clear, and in some cases, brilliant.