Can't hit post boil volume - help with trub/whirlpooling?

[mcfire12]

So I did my second all grain brew today, I've added a ball valve, dip tube, and thermometer/ site glass to my keggle which was nice today! But... I cut off my last 1/2- 1 gallon at the end because I was just sucking up trub that I didn't want in my fermenter.

Brew day went like this, hit my temps for mash perfectly, pre boil volume perfect, gravity perfect, then I boil down to what beer smith is advising me which looked like it would have been perfect but I had to shut off the drain due to sucking up junk. I attempted to whirlpool with a spoon after I used my immersion chiller to get it to pitching temp. Stirred it up and let it rest for 15 mins. I attached a pic of what it looked like after. I can't get all the junk to just settle in the middle, it just evens out and I have a flat layer of junk at the bottom. Not sure what to do to correct this. Collecting only 4.75 gallon when I wanted 5.5 brings my efficiency way down. Any advice? I did use a whirlfloc tablet with 10 mins left to go in the boil. This was a super light grain bill 8.75 pounds and only a total of 1 oz hops.

Also, I don't seem to be getting clear wort from my mash tun even after I vorloauf several time ( i batch sparge) any advice on that?

 

[Hammy71]

I brew 5 gallon batches (or 10), but I always scale the recipe to 6 gallons (or 11). While this is seen as a waste to some, it allows me to leave roughly a gallon in the kettle and leave it out of my fermenters. I tend to make pretty hoppy brews also. So, the extra gallon accounts for some absorption from the hops as well.

 

[dzlater]

I'd say you have two choices.
Measure how much you have left in the kettle after racking to the fermenter and add that into beersmith equipment profile as "loss to trub and chiller".
Or don't worry about getting some trub in the fermenter and just keep draining the kettle till you hit the volume.

 

[Bellybuster]

I'd say you have two choices.
Measure how much you have left in the kettle after racking to the fermenter and add that into beersmith equipment profile as "loss to trub and chiller".
Or don't worry about getting some trub in the fermenter and just keep draining the kettle till you hit the volume.

Pretty much sums it up right there. I'd go with the trub and all in the fermenter instead of wasting that sweet nectar of the Gods

 

[TheBigLebrewsk1]

I'd say you have two choices.
Measure how much you have left in the kettle after racking to the fermenter and add that into beersmith equipment profile as "loss to trub and chiller".
Or don't worry about getting some trub in the fermenter and just keep draining the kettle till you hit the volume.

I second this. Add .75 gallons as dead space in kettle. Or just live with it, you don't get points for brew house efficiency.

 

[funnelweb]

Pretty much sums it up right there. I'd go with the trub and all in the fermenter instead of wasting that sweet nectar of the Gods

+1 - I leave nothing behind in my BK. Everything that leaves the BK and join my fermenter (on a volountary basis) goes in there (i.e trub from proteins as i do my hopping in mesh bags) I've had no off flavors using this method.

 

[markvale5]

I strain my wart through a mesh bag before it goes into the fermenter...I don't like wasting a drop.

 

[uphillbrewer]

Adjust your batch size to 6.5 gallons, and you'll wind up with 5 post fermentation to either bottle or keg

 

[eric19312]

I use a flat bottom kettle and try as I might have minimal success getting a tight trub cone. I can whirlpool after chilling and let the wort rest 30 min the siphon from top with auto siphon to get clear wort into fermenters.

Or I can drain from bottom (pickup at pot corner) and take between half and 75% of hops and trub to the fermenters.

I've done side by side fermentation so with a high trub and clear wort and found no difference that favored clear wort in the final product.

I do double batches most brew days. The extra time to get clear wort to the fermenters just doesn't seem to be worth it. Once I hit chill target temp I pump high speed into the fermenters and get on with brew day.