is 0.8 gallon a lot of trub in a 6.4 gallons batch?

[Elysium]

I am wondering if it is..but I brew hoppy beers so I think that is totally normal. I find quiet a lot of hop particles at the bottom and I dont siphon that into the fermentor. So...I end up with 0.8 gallon trub on almost all the batches.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[fartinmartin]

That's normal, on my last I got 23 litre in the FV and 3 litre of trub to go down the pan.

 

[torque2k]

It sucks, but that's often normal. It really depends on a few factors, including the type of hop used (as in, pellets vs. leaf) and the yeast used.

I've been buying my hops from HopsDirect.com, and the pellets tend to really "bloom" in the fermenter, even if I leave behind most of it in the kettle.

If I'm using a really flocculant yeast (like White Labs WLP001 California Ale), it tends to churn up the hops. If I'm using a less flocculant one (WLP028 for Scottish Ales), it tends to flatten out the trub more, allowing me to leave behind less beer.

You mentioned brewing hoppy beers... are you dry-hopping? That REALLY does a number on my production rate. Great taste and aroma, but I end up leaving behind quite a bit more beer than if I did all of my hopping in the kettle.

 

[Elysium]

It sucks, but that's often normal. It really depends on a few factors, including the type of hop used (as in, pellets vs. leaf) and the yeast used.

I've been buying my hops from HopsDirect.com, and the pellets tend to really "bloom" in the fermenter, even if I leave behind most of it in the kettle.

If I'm using a really flocculant yeast (like White Labs WLP001 California Ale), it tends to churn up the hops. If I'm using a less flocculant one (WLP028 for Scottish Ales), it tends to flatten out the trub more, allowing me to leave behind less beer.

You mentioned brewing hoppy beers... are you dry-hopping? That REALLY does a number on my production rate. Great taste and aroma, but I end up leaving behind quite a bit more beer than if I did all of my hopping in the kettle.

I am talking about trub in the brew kettle. The fermentor part that I leave behind is mainly the yeast cake and I dont have any control over that, but I thought I might be doing something wrong leave that much trub in the brew kettle.

 

[bajaedition]

I screen to get past loss due to that
I have a bazooka in the pot and use a screen in the funnel
on some beers I need to stop the pour and clear the screen in the funnel a few times it gets so bad but I get clearer beers going into my fermetor than before and the end product is much improved

do you a hop sock? I know that a lot of pelleted hops get lose from them but they do contain the majority of the hops

 

[fearwig]

I put the last gallon of every boil in a jug and fridge it 24-48 hours. It will separate and you will reclaim as much as 2-3qts, which you can add to the fermenter or use for your next starter.

You can do the same to squeeze an extra bottle or bomber out when bottling, especially if you're saving your cake anyway.

I used to use a $7 5um poly filter but after a dozen uses it felts and starts to clog on the trub too easily. Fridge separation is way better.

 

[MindenMan]

I basically "crash" my wort before straining, and most of the trub has flocked out. I can't afford to wreck my back on brew day by lifting a full BK up and down repeatedly, so I lift it once off the burner, and into the cooling tub. I can run water in/out of the tub w/o lifting the BK again, so when the wort is cool enough, I put the BK on a low stand, and move the fermenter bucket next to it. I then use a sanitized bowl to scoop it out. On top of my fermentation bucket, is a "U" shaped strainer, with three paint filters on it. There is always a little silt that gets through, and I cold crash that out later. Anyway, the filters start catching trub, and by the bottom of the pot, I am scooping crud, but at that point, the crud has become it's own filter, and the wort coming through into the fermenter is crystal clear, and well oxygenated. My patience is rewarded by almost no loss into the fermenter, and what little is left I screen into a glass jar, to be used to build the starter for the next batch. Sorry for the long post, I though it would be beneficial to someone at one point or another.

 

[torque2k]

I am talking about trub in the brew kettle. The fermentor part that I leave behind is mainly the yeast cake and I dont have any control over that, but I thought I might be doing something wrong leave that much trub in the brew kettle.

That'll teach me to answer posts before lunch!

I do see that in the kettle, as well, with the pelleted hops (even with a nylon hopsack). Even "whirlpooling" doesn't get rid of it. I REALLY like the idea of fridging the last gallon for a day and using it as a starter for my next yeast, though; that's brilliant! Thanks, fearwig! :rockin:

 

[fearwig]

Yeah, I just started doing it two brews ago, it was like a holy revelation or something. Works great with pellets.

I've also started skimming leaf off after dry hopping and running it through a french press (sanitized, boiling water), I think you get some extra punch that way, along with reclaiming your volume.

 

[Elysium]

I put the last gallon of every boil in a jug and fridge it 24-48 hours. It will separate and you will reclaim as much as 2-3qts, which you can add to the fermenter or use for your next starter.

You can do the same to squeeze an extra bottle or bomber out when bottling, especially if you're saving your cake anyway.

I used to use a $7 5um poly filter but after a dozen uses it felts and starts to clog on the trub too easily. Fridge separation is way better.

Brilliant idea to use it for a starter. How long can you keep it in the fridge without it going off?

 

[fearwig]

Brilliant idea to use it for a starter. How long can you keep it in the fridge without it going off?

Last time after like 3 days I didn't feel I'd get any more separation so I decanted and added the 2qt+ I got from it to fermenter (it's a cold/slow ferment so I don't think it affected yeast activity dramatically), but you can pressure can or freeze a jar of wort for starter no problem and it should last "forever". I pressure can concentrated wort sometimes for starters since my wife is already sick of our chest freezer being completely full of hops and I'm too cheap to buy DME when I have a basement full of malt.

I'll post a thread with pics and stuff after next brew day, I think when people see all that clear wort that appears on the top of the trub they'll have a hard time resisting.