Filtering Wort during Transfer to Fermentor

[corypedia]

After discussing with some other folks about skimming the hot break during their boil, I had an idea that I wanted to put out there to see if others have done it, tried, are doing it, or if there is a good reason not to do it...

I've been considering adding a SS braid to my tangential inlet on my boil kettle, similar to the one i use in my igloo cooler mashtun. I figured this would help to help filter the wort during the transfer to my fermentor and keep some of the trub behind, outside of whirlpooling.

anyone have experience with this?

 

[d3track]

Everything I've tried to use gets clogged, just not worth it

 

[thekraken]

Most have at least tried it I think.

It can be argued that the amount of trub in the fermenter doesn't matter, or the more the better: http://brulosophy.com/2014/06/02/the-great-trub-exbeeriment-results-are-in/

You could take a 5 gallon paint strainer and put it over your bucket (or inside your carboy) and catch a lot of the trub that way without worrying about clogging a filter inside a kettle.

 

[corypedia]

Thx for the feedback

 

[ba-brewer]

Most have at least tried it I think.

It can be argued that the amount of trub in the fermenter doesn't matter, or the more the better: http://brulosophy.com/2014/06/02/the-great-trub-exbeeriment-results-are-in/

You could take a 5 gallon paint strainer and put it over your bucket (or inside your carboy) and catch a lot of the trub that way without worrying about clogging a filter inside a kettle.

Have you tried the paint strainer, does it filter the break and hops or just mainly the hops?

I allow the wort to cool for a hour or two and siphon off just the clear wort, if it removed the break that would speed thing up a bit.

How about the trub experiment, have you tried that too, how did it turn out? How much volume do you account for the trub? I have left the kettle trub sit overnight separate and looks like there is about 50% wort to junk ratio for a gallon of trub.

 

[thekraken]

Have you tried the paint strainer, does it filter the break and hops or just mainly the hops?

I have, I think it mainly just gets the hops.

How about the trub experiment, have you tried that too, how did it turn out? How much volume do you account for the trub? I have left the kettle trub sit overnight separate and looks like there is about 50% wort to junk ratio for a gallon of trub.

No I haven't personally done that experiment side by side. I have done brews where I just throw the whole boil kettle into the fermenter, including the hop matter, and I've tried separating all the trub and keeping out of the fermenter. Both ways make beer, it good.

 

[Bellybuster]

I have done the trub experiment.
1/2 the beer was siphoned off the top, no grub and half was just let loose from the kettle. Trub and all.
The beer with the trub fermented quicker but blind taste tests showed no difference.
Of course this was a non scientific experiment. Regardless, I now ferment trub and all

 

[Darth_Malt]

I've had good results filtering trub with a fine mesh strainer. I set it in a funnel going into my carboy and just drain through that from the kettle. Not sure how well it works for hot break, but it keeps the hop flakes and such out of my carboy.

 

[ba-brewer]

Thanks everyone for their feedback on the use of strainers and the addition of trub to the fermentor. I knew there are a lot of people doing both it was just never too clear how well they worked.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

I just won't allow my kettle trub to get anywhere near my fermentors if I can help it. I like my kegs to be filled completely with 5 gallons very clear beer when I fill them. I keep my beer clear using a combination of kettle finings, whir pooling and cold crashing.

This method has worked at least a hundred times better for me than any type of mechanical filtration. If kettle trub was dry it would blow around like talcum powder and a sieve fine enough to block it is likely to get plugged easily.

 

[JonM]

I was chit-chatting with a guy at Northern Brewer who mentioned that a hopback full of rice hulls works really well to filter a non-hoppy beer. I'd imagine hops do the same thing. Haven't tried it myself, but it sounds good.