Whirlpool - The big How-To

[bradsul]

Here is what I get from whirlpooling. I find the key is to let the whirlpool coast to a stop.

 

[BierMuncher]

Here is what I get from whirlpooling. I find the key is to let the whirlpool coast to a stop.

Your pot is cleaner than mine....and I'm not talking "stems & seeds".

 

[bradsul]

Your pot is cleaner than mine....and I'm not talking "stems & seeds".

I wasn't going to comment... but have you actually cleaned that thing before?

 

[Orfy]

I wasn't going to comment... but have you actually cleaned that thing before?

Would you?

THAT THING BITES!!!!!!!!

 

[bradsul]

Would you?

THAT THING BITES!!!!!!!!

Put that way... no I don't suppose I would. Maybe with a pressure washer so I wouldn't have to get too close.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Here was my last attempt.

Turned out great but I could have let it sit another 15-20 minutes.

I'll probably employ this method instead of my paint-strainer-around-the-immersion-chiller method. Much less fuss and clean up afterwards:

View attachment 3342

Good lord, what have you been feeding the ugly keggle?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Why the siphons? After you let it set for 20-30 minutes couldn't you just open up the ball valve (if you have one)?

Just want to make sure that I'm not missing something.

 

[bradsul]

Why the siphons? After you let it set for 20-30 minutes couldn't you just open up the ball valve (if you have one)?

Just want to make sure that I'm not missing something.

I don't have a valve on my kettle so that's why I use a syphon. If you did then you would just use that.

 

[gwood]

So what is the consensus in terms of time after whirlpooling? 20 minutes give or take?

 

[bradsul]

Not sure what the consensus is but for me, I get the whirlpool going really well and then let it coast to a stop on it's own. From that I get the result you see in the picture, I think it takes about 10 minutes for the wort to actually stop spinning.

 

[Brewpastor]

Here is a link to a really cool idea/set-up.

http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php

 

[jdoiv]

Here is a link to a really cool idea/set-up.

http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php

That is basically what I set up, though mine is much uglier. Works pretty well too.

 

[BierMuncher]

Would you?

THAT THING BITES!!!!!!!!

You have talent my friend.

 

[gwood]

Here is a link to a really cool idea/set-up.

http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php

That is most certainly the way to go but a bit much for me at this point.

 

[Ryanh1801]

Would you?

THAT THING BITES!!!!!!!!

Ok, that does it.. Nominated for post of the year. I can not stop laughing.

 

[Tripod]

Make sure you only stir cold wort vigerously since it could cause hot side aeration in hot wort. But I don't think anybody here pland to use whirlpooling with hot wort.

Kai

First: Great write up!

Second: As a noob, I would not have realized stirring the wort hot or cold made any differnce if you had not mentioned it here. That is why these threads are so good! You can read a book cover-to-cover and still not pick up every detail.

I do remember reading about hot side aeration but I can't say I fully understand it...but I now know not to stir hot wort! Thanks.

-Tripod

 

[smizak]

Have any of you guys had success using this method with whole hops? Specifically a large hop bill?

So far I've only seen this method used with pellet hops. I've been straining my wort through a stainless mesh colander and it's a PITA, not to mention a sanitation risk.

 

[BeerPressure]

where did the pics go?

 

[WBC]

I do not see KAI's pictures, they are all red X's.

 

[Kaiser]

I'm not sure what happened, but the info is also available on my site and on the HBT wiki.

Kai

 

[WBC]

Thanks Kai. I guess servers drop the links to the pictures?

 

[Kaiser]

Some of the pictures are still in my gallery, but some are missing. Unsure what happened, but the wiki is more likely to be up to date.

Kai

 

[davidstark]

What is wrong with the pictures? deleted? :O

 

[Kaiser]

Check here: Whirlpooling - German Brewing Techniques

Kai

 

[isleofman]

nice! Thanks for the info. I have "whirlpooled" my last two AG batches, but I was unaware that you had to let it sit for 20 - 30 minutes. clearer beer, here I come.

 

[SamBrewer]

thanks Kai!! now I know what went wrong the first time i tried to whirpool !!

 

[BioBeing]

I had a big Eureka! moment on my last batch when I realised it was so much easier to take the IC out before trying to whirlpool! And time helps too - Stokes law ftw!

 

[greenbirds]

I have only gotten my whirlpool to work once. I have tried it with many beers and tend to to get a flat layer of trub on the pot bottom that comprises about 20% of the wort -- too much for me to sacrifice. I am wondering if I actually do get the cone of hot break, but the cold break settling on top of it obscures my view.

The only time it worked was with a hefeweizen where I did not add a whirlfloc tablet. My theory was that I did not get a get cold break due to this, so even after whirlpool + 30 minutes, the cold break was still suspended, allowing me to see the hot break cone once the wort/suspended cold break had been siphoned away.

Any thoughts?

 

[millstone]

I have never gotten my whirlpool to work. I have tried it with many beers and I also get a flat layer of trub on the pot bottom. After reading through all of this, I wonder if I'm letting it sit to long, I let it go for an hour + while I have lunch or cleanup. I'll have to try the 20-30 minutes routine and see how that works

thanks

tom

 

[Brew-boy]

I have tried this on my system and never seem to get it to work. All of the kettle pictures I have seen do not have anything sticking inside them like a probe or weldless fitting. When I try the whirlpool my probe seems to cut the vortex from forming. Any one else have this problem?

 

[annasdadhockey]

This is what my trub cone looks like when I use the whirlpool method.

 

[isleofman]

I just did this for the first time with my pumpkin ale and it worked like a charm! Thanks kai, the pictures helped tremendously.

 

[pompeiisneaks]

so I do have a question... I've got a keggle w/ a dip tube and a false bottom. This means my drain is out the bottom center... which to me means that the whirlpooling technique won't help because I'm draining out the bottom. Does that mean my only option is to then do some form of cold trub removal? (I usually leave my trub in primary fermentation anyway, but wouldn't mind finding a way to remove it for cleaner fermentation results)

 

[Maltose]

can anyone compare the advantages of Kai's whirlpooling technique to Jamil's whirlpool IC? I'm thinking of making the whirlpool IC. I have a keggle that I'm going to put a false bottom in and i'm wondering if the trub pile will settle into a nice cone or will the FB disturb it?

 

[Pilgarlic]

I never get good results from whirlpooling and I believe it's a result of what my Whirlfloc does to the trub. Anyone else using Whirlfloc getting good whirlpooling results?

 

[xxsn0blindxx]

Excellent thread. I will have to give this a try on my next brew. I've never had good luck with whirlpooling in the past most likely because I wasn't waiting 20-30 minutes after swirling. What I have done that has worked well is always put hops in a bag and then cover the inlet to my autosiphon with a clean hops bag which then pours into a screened funnel. The hops bag over the siphon prevents anything from getting in the funnel screen until the very bottom where it gets pretty murky and the funnel screen never gets plugged.

 

[Homercidal]

I use a CFC. I start my whirpool going fairly gently, then start setting up the CFC. By the time I get the connections made and the cold water started to prechill the chiller, I can start siphoning from the top of the kettle. I just run the siphon down the side and lower it a bit every couple of minutes until I start getting near the bottom. Then I work on slowly tipping the kettle to try and get as much of the wort to the siphon as possible.

 

[danweasel]

When whirlpooling should I use irish moss or no?

 

[scone]

I tried the whirlpool method and it didn't work for me either. I can think of two possible reasons (1) I used whirlfloc, and maybe it's better not to if whirlpooling? and (2) the temperature was around 75. Is this not cool enough to get the trub to settle?

Anyone have insight into the whirlfloc/irish moss question?
Should I have let the chiller run for longer? I recently bought 20 ft. of copper tubing just to make a prechiller since my tap water comes out ~80F, but it wasn't working as good as I expected it to so I gave up at 75F.

 

[Budzu]

Scone: Whirlfloc is good for whirlpooling, but watch the dosage. Using too much can make the break material too fluffy and it will more easily separate from the trub pile. That said I whirlpool and use whirlfloc, and I still get some break material into my fermenters (but not hops), and I like it better that way.
A good dosage for 5 gallons is a half tab. There will still be some variation for each setup so try some different amounts, you should be able to get some good results with some experimentation.
I wouldn't worry too much about getting out ALL break though, and after side-by-side evidence, break material does indeed help yeast activity in my experience.