I have a catalyst fermenter, and I pour off the supernatant after it settles, which leaves the yeast relatively free of hops etc. I don't wash yeast.
Exactly what I do, and am preparing to do after I finish this post. I have a West Coast IPA that's been crashing for about seven days in the Unitank, now fully carbed with virtually no trub and/or yeast in the settled, degassed sample taken yesterday.
For this beer I transferred out of the boil vessel (after whirlpool and :45 min. settling) into the sealed fermenter. I crashed down to 45F (2 psi head pressure), waited overnight, dumped 1 1/2 L of gunk till I saw clear wort in the bottom sight glass, and then pitched approximately 800 ml of decanted slurry with one of Jaybird's yeast brinks. Oxygenated through the carb stone and set temperature to free-rise to 62F.
It took almost 3 days before seeing sustained activity through the blow-off line, but within the next three days it had reached -5 points of a FFT-predicted final gravity. Attached the spunding valve set to 1 atm and raised the temperature to 69F.
It took about 4 days to reach 15 psig and another three days of stabilized FG readings to confirm completion. Yeast was already collecting in the sight glass, so I started a 3F/day temperature reduction down to 38F. One more test sample yesterday confirmed the FG, clarity, carb level and absence of diacetyl. Tasted darn good as well.
You'll have to excuse me now as I have some beer to keg and a liter or two of trub-free yeast to harvest. This batch went as smoothly as any I have ever done, soup to nuts. I hit every one of my numbers and feel like I've finally got my system, process and procedures dialed in. It's been worth the investment of time and $$$$ to get here, after 30+ years of trying.
Brooo Brother