BIAB makes cloudy wort...proof!

[CascadesBrewer]

Look at this cloudy mess!!! I am playing with a lighter malt bill for a Pale Ale (8 lbs Pale, 2 lbs Munich 15L, 0.5 lbs White Wheat). I also recently started using Whirlfloc tablets vs using Irish Moss, and wow does that clear up the wort! I am still not sure if clear wort (or Whirlfloc/Irish Moss) really results in more clear beer.

I might actually have a unexpected exbeeriment going. I have been splitting my 5 gal batches into two 3 gal fermenters (because my 6.5 gal carboy does not fit into my fermentation chamber, but two of these do). I started filling the one and picked up trub from the bottom, then the second was getting crystal clear wort, so I went ahead and filled that fully and more trub from the end of the transfer went into the first carboy. I am not sure if I will actually keg these separately (planned to combine them at kegging time).

 

[Blazinlow86]

Clear wort won't necessarily make a clearer end product it just does it faster in my experience. Depending on your brewing schedule it may or may not be relevant. Cheers

 

[applescrap]

Cool! Cant wait to see the results. Did you squeeze your sack and if so, how hard?

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Cool! Cant wait to see the results. Did you squeeze your sack and if so, how hard?

Sorry, did not take any pics of the sack squeeze!

I have been playing with my BeerSmith numbers so that with gravity and a light squeeze I can get 73% efficiency...it seemed to work today as my calculated gravity was 1.050 and I measured 1.051.

 

[Ninoid]

My Weissbier, BIAB, no sparge, no chill without any clarity agent is very clear.

FG=1.003, 15IBU, only dark wheat malt.

 

[camonick]

Munich Helles wort... BIAB, fine grind, sack squeeze & 1/2 whirlfloc tablet.

I too end up with some of the whirlfloc goop in my fermenter but compacts nicely with the yeast cake.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Just kegged the beers Saturday night after cold crashing for 2 days. The beers are remarkably clear for a dry hopped beer that has been kegged for 2 days. Some initial taste (when the beers are not even fully carbed) show that 1) this might be a very good beer and 2) I do not think I could tell these apart in a triangle test. I was feeling like the batch with lots of trub had a slightly higher bitterness, and the clear batch highlighted some hop flavors more...but I will let them carb and do some more tastings. If there is a difference it is VERY subtle and I would expect any difference to lessen with age.


I am not sure what separates a Hoppy Pale Ale and a Session IPA...but here is the recipe...I am trying to create a light bodied grain bill that I can use to showcase single hops or duo hop combos:

• 8 lbs (76.2%) Pale Malt
• 2 lbs (19%) Munich Malt 15L
• 8 oz (4.8%) White Wheat Malt
• 0.6 oz Columbus (16.6%/35.7 IBU) 60 min
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (13%/13.3 IBU) 15 min
• 0.5 oz Amarillo (7.7%/7.9 IBU) 15 min
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (13%/4.7 IBU) Flameout
• 0.5 oz Amarillo (7.7%/2.8 IBU) Flameout
• 1 oz Simcoe Dry Hop 3 days
• 1 oz Amarillo Dry Hop 3 days
• WLP001 California Ale
• Mash 152F, Ferment 66F to 70F
• OG: 1.052, FG 1.010, ABV 5.5%, IBU 49.8, SRM 6.3

The "clear" is on left and "trub" on right. If you tell a difference it is just the lighting, as these look identical. Much of the haze is from condensation on the glasses.

 

[kh54s10]

Looks to me like the messy one you sucked in a LOT of trub. After the trub settled I would expect very little difference in the beer.

AFAIK, Whirlfloc and Irish Moss is the same thing, the Whirlfloc being Irish Moss that is compressed into a tablet.

Keep us informed as to any differences you detect between the two. Or if you cannot detect any differences.

My experience on cloudiness, it changes with each batch. Some of mine are crystal clear - whatever method of brewing - and others are somewhat cloudy even with similar recipes. I have yet to figure out why the difference..

As long as the beer tastes good, I don't worry too much about clarity.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

AFAIK, Whirlfloc and Irish Moss is the same thing, the Whirlfloc being Irish Moss that is compressed into a tablet.

I have only used Whirlfloc once (this batch...I used a similar tablet in my prior beer) and I saw a massive difference in the clarity of the wort with both of those batches vs using Irish Moss. I have not figured out if I like using Whirlfloc. It seems to make it harder to tell hop debris from the break material and separate them into the fermenter. I feel like I don't want boil hops in my fermenter (though I am not positive that it makes a difference other than volume), and I don't care as much about break material (though again, I am not sure if it helps or hurts).

As long as the beer tastes good, I don't worry too much about clarity.

I am 100% there. Most of my IPAs/Pale Ales tend to drop crystal clear just as I pull the final pint. I don't brew stuff like Pilsners.

 

[kh54s10]

From what I know about Whirlfloc and Irish Moss is that it makes the proteins and other stuff clump and fall out of solution. And that it will do the same in any that is transferred from the boil kettle to the fermenter. I transfer all but the very thickest gunk in the BK to my fermenter. I tried straining when I began, what a PITA. I tried leaving all the trub in the BK - lost too much beer. I cannot detect any differences made in the final beer as to how much trub went from the BK to the fermenter.

 

[LittleRiver]

I've tried whirlpooling/waiting then carefully transferring from the kettle, and I've tried dumping everything that was in kettle into the fermenter. Both dropped clear, both were delicious with no off flavors.

Now I just don't worry about it. I don't whirlpool. When the wort gets to pitching temp I drain it into the fermenter and don't fret about any solids that go along for the ride.

I always do a cold crash (38F for 3-7 days) at the end of fermentation. Only a few times have I experimented with fining agents (Irish Moss, gelatin). I'm convinced they have an effect. However I'm not convinced that I need them in my process, when cold and time will do just as well.

Regarding concerns about having boil hops in the fermenter, I don't suspect that anything will be extracted from them during a 60-70F fermentation that was not already extracted during a 212F boil.

 

[brewbama]

Munich Helles wort... BIAB, fine grind, sack squeeze & 1/2 whirlfloc tablet.

View attachment 631557

I too end up with some of the whirlfloc goop in my fermenter but compacts nicely with the yeast cake.

Beautiful.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Beautiful.

No way that was done on a biab system. It would be cloudy as can be. If you look closely in the reflection you can clearly see he's running a 5v Herms with a rims system that's also plugged into a brewie on propane with a inline filter before the centurfuge. It takes a ton of blingy stainless to make wort that clear. Cheers

 

[Mer-man]

Munich Helles wort... BIAB, fine grind, sack squeeze & 1/2 whirlfloc tablet.

View attachment 631557

I too end up with some of the whirlfloc goop in my fermenter but compacts nicely with the yeast cake.

What’s your grainbill there? Seems a bit dark for a Helles

 

[Comfort_Zone]

My Weissbier, BIAB, no sparge, no chill without any clarity agent is very clear.

View attachment 630409

FG=1.003, 15IBU, only dark wheat malt.

How's the flavor on that? Every time I've used 100% wheat malt I end up a little lacking in the flavor department.

 

[Ninoid]

How's the flavor on that? Every time I've used 100% wheat malt I end up a little lacking in the flavor department.

Very simple refreshing beer. Yeast clove flavor is in front.

 

[Comfort_Zone]

Very simple refreshing beer. Yeast clove flavor is in front.

Good to know! I've been experimenting with 100% wheat beers and trying to dial in the flavor I like from them.

 

[camonick]

What’s your grainbill there? Seems a bit dark for a Helles

It’s BierMuncher’s Helles Belles recipe.
5 gallon batch—

8 lbs Pilsner
.5 lbs Munich
.5 lbs Vienna
.25 lbs dextrin

 

[Ninoid]

Good to know! I've been experimenting with 100% wheat beers and trying to dial in the flavor I like from them.

This beer is with WB-06. This yeast have greater influence on the characteristics of beer.

 

[dwhite60]

I've tried whirlpooling/waiting then carefully transferring from the kettle, and I've tried dumping everything that was in kettle into the fermenter. Both dropped clear, both were delicious with no off flavors.

Right there with you. Anymore I just dump the whole kettle in when it's at pitching temp. Over many years of brewing did not notice any difference on any level from whirlpooling and carefully siphoning to my current method.

It works for me. YMMV.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[Smellyglove]

Just kegged the beers Saturday night after cold crashing for 2 days. The beers are remarkably clear for a dry hopped beer that has been kegged for 2 days. Some initial taste (when the beers are not even fully carbed) show that 1) this might be a very good beer and 2) I do not think I could tell these apart in a triangle test. I was feeling like the batch with lots of trub had a slightly higher bitterness, and the clear batch highlighted some hop flavors more...but I will let them carb and do some more tastings. If there is a difference it is VERY subtle and I would expect any difference to lessen with age.


I am not sure what separates a Hoppy Pale Ale and a Session IPA...but here is the recipe...I am trying to create a light bodied grain bill that I can use to showcase single hops or duo hop combos:

• 8 lbs (76.2%) Pale Malt
• 2 lbs (19%) Munich Malt 15L
• 8 oz (4.8%) White Wheat Malt
• 0.6 oz Columbus (16.6%/35.7 IBU) 60 min
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (13%/13.3 IBU) 15 min
• 0.5 oz Amarillo (7.7%/7.9 IBU) 15 min
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (13%/4.7 IBU) Flameout
• 0.5 oz Amarillo (7.7%/2.8 IBU) Flameout
• 1 oz Simcoe Dry Hop 3 days
• 1 oz Amarillo Dry Hop 3 days
• WLP001 California Ale
• Mash 152F, Ferment 66F to 70F
• OG: 1.052, FG 1.010, ABV 5.5%, IBU 49.8, SRM 6.3

View attachment 632536 View attachment 632537

The "clear" is on left and "trub" on right. If you tell a difference it is just the lighting, as these look identical. Much of the haze is from condensation on the glasses.

View attachment 632538

You say that the beer with lots of trub had slightly more bitterness. How I read it is that it might be polyphenols. I read that a lot of people judge trub/no trub by clarity. I judge them by taste. A low trub beer to me at least has always tasted better, more clean, less polyphenos / tannins etc than a trub beer, more smooth quicker out of the pit.

It might be placebo, but I don't think so. Done some experiments with trub and no trub, and at least samples during fermentation I'd toss out the trub-beer if I didn't know better comparing to the no-trub. They are very different, probably because of the trub being stirred up because of yeast activity. Smaller difference after fermentation and some cold period. After prolonged time I guess there's minor differences, but at least one get a massive head start without much trub, that's my experience at least.