Going partial all grain, how much trub ends up in the fermenter?

[stz]

Hello!

Since going partial grain, I get an ungodly amount of trub in the fermenter. Or maybe this is normal?

Basically, I have a heating element in the pot, an immersion chiller, I've taken to bagging hops to prevent so much wastage, I have a tap fitted to my boiler and it drains from the bottom but I installed it about 1.5" off the bottom to leave a little dead space for the trub, I've got on order a stainless mesh hose which I'm going to fashion a strainer from so I can go back to free hops, but yeah. I basically, chill, it settles. I pull off from the bottom and I get this. I tap it through a filter funnel with a couple of nylon screens and I still get this. Maybe this is ok. Maybe this is a technique problem/area to refine? What say you?

 

[homebrewdad]

I don't see an issue, here. Different recipes and yeasts yield different amounts of trub.

 

[stz]

This is chilled and straight out of the boiler, no yeast as of yet. Obviously it'll compact down a little but just at that point I looked at it and thought 'urp...' I see people taking OG readings with crystal clear wort, where as mine is leaving sediment in the trial jar. After a week or so and I'll usually rack it to secondary and hit it with some gelatine which helps?

 

[duboman]

You should install a bazooka screen and learn how to whirlpool after chilling so the trub makes a cone in the center of the kettle.

Also, how are you sparging? If you batch sparge you can vorleuf first to set the grain bed and less grain will wind up in the kettle.

In the end though, the trub will just settle at the bottom of the primary of FV so it's really not a huge issue.

 

[stpug]

In the end though, the trub will just settle at the bottom of the primary of FV so it's really not a huge issue.

^This is my philosophy on it. I've wasted gallons trying for really clear wort into the fermenter and I've dumped entire BKs into fermenters; doesn't seem to make a difference in the final outcome besides a bit more beer with entire BKs pours. You will get a slightly larger yeastcake with entire BK pours but it falls out over time. I've settled on an inbetween approach where I collect all but about 1-2 quarts from the BK (the thickest of the settled break material).

My interpretation of what is in that picture is: fine particles of hop matter intermixed with good cold break proteins that made it into the fermenter. I have to read any influencing literature on coagulated cold break being bad for beer or yeast; in fact, some cold break material might actually be beneficial for yeast.

But in the end, "the trub will just settle at the bottom of the primary of FV so it's really not a huge issue."

 

[stz]

I've whirlpooled in the past on smaller batches in a 5gal pot, but my new 10gal boiler has so much stuff in it that I've not got space to really work it with a paddle. Also I used to siphon from the sides in the 5gal, this is tapped so it drains from close to the base rendering it fairly ineffective as a technique.

I have ordered a metre of flexible mesh tube which I'm going to use to make a 'bazooka' type screen, though this is for a hop strainer. I've been hanging a 5gal paint straining bag into the boiler the last couple of brews, but I'm really paranoid about underutilisation and would rather have the hops loose. I figure with leaf, correct flow rate when draining the boiler, will act as a mini filter bed anyway.

I don't have a grain bed so to speak of, but I use a bit of a british method, mashing and draining though a filter bag inside a bucket, performing a second mash and draining again, sometimes a third with slightly acidified water. Basically unless the wort gets really low OG I pretty much mash again and again until I've used the entire boil volume.

I could get fussy I suppose and install a second fine nylon screen in my launter tun/bucket system to catch anything big coming through the medium mesh. But you've all hit the nail on the head basically. Don't sweat it, just siphon off it when bottling or transferring to secondary if appropriate with dry hopping, fining etc. It isn't the end of the world, I either lose it to the trub in the boiler, or I lose it to the primary when bottling, makes no difference either way and boosting a recipe 1-2 litres is only a 5% on the grain bill if I must compensate.

 

[hops2it]

It'd be interesting to see how much the trub level settles in the next few weeks. It does seem like a fair amount of trub in that pic but as long as you siphon above it, really no big deal as others have said.

 

[stz]

I'll try to remember to take a picture. I'm going to be ruthlessly accessing it because if it leads to massive losses I'm going to have to rethink my techniques.

 

[daksin]

Just be aware of the volume loss so you can calculate recipes in the future, but seriously it's no big deal. I brew in a bag and loose about a gallon to trub. I don't filter it it out or anything- everything goes right into the bucket and it's never a problem.

 

[unionrdr]

I do partial boil/partial mash biab in my 5 gallon kettle. I also use fivestar super moss. so after chilling/whirlpooling the wort,I pour it through a dual layer fine mesh strainer on top of the fermenter. I get the grainy hoppy gunk out this way. I usually end up with 1/2" or less compacted trub on the bottom of the fermenter by bottling day.