BIAB Kettle Draining Challenges

I did another BIAB, No-Chill batch this weekend, a Kolsch with a 10 lb grain bill, 2 lb of which was wheat. After the boil, the amount of break material was so great that it clogged my dip tube when draining the hot wort into the Winpak.

I have only done two batches since adding the dip tube, and the prior one had a similar problem, but not so bad as to keep the line from draining. My plan was to try to whirlpool and leave much of the break and hops in the kettle. Well, my whirlpooling was ineffective, to say the least.

Before adding the dip tube, I was just draining directly through the 1/2" weldless fitting and ball valve. I have had similar amounts of break material before, but it never clogged the line so much that I could not drain the kettle.

I think my options are to either remove the dip tube, try a chore boy at the end of it, or figure out how to effectively whirlpool. In truth, I really do not care whether or not the break material makes it into the Winpak.

Any suggestions? I want to avoid this problem in the future, as pouring off hot wort through a funnel is an accident waiting to happen.

how about rotating the dip tube a bit so its not directly in the center and at the lowest point? You would lose some wort, but it might solve the problem (assuming you get atleast some whirlpool action).

alcibiades said:

how about rotating the dip tube a bit so its not directly in the center and at the lowest point? You would lose some wort, but it might solve the problem (assuming you get atleast some whirlpool action).

Click to expand...

It is a "side pickup" tube, so the intake is out at the edge of the kettle. The ironic thing is that before installing the dip tube, I had been getting a decent whirlpool, but to get all the wort out I had to tilt the kettle and upset the cone.