HSA and whirlpool question

[daveoshomebrews]

When adding hops for whirlpool Ive been targeting 120 degrees to help with aroma.

I start a whirlpool immediately after boil and use immersion chiller to get to 120 degrees. I then stop pump on immersion chiller and add my hops to steep for 30 min while whirlpool continues.

I'm starting to worry more on hot side aeration with starting the whirlpool right after boil. Should I just slowly move the IC around in wort vs whirlpool to get to 120? Trying to reduce oxygen, but maybe being paranoid? Any tips people use?

 

[Schlenkerla]

When adding hops for whirlpool Ive been targeting 120 degrees to help with aroma.

I start a whirlpool immediately after boil and use immersion chiller to get to 120 degrees. I then stop pump on immersion chiller and add my hops to steep for 30 min while whirlpool continues.

I'm starting to worry more on hot side aeration with starting the whirlpool right after boil. Should I just slowly move the IC around in wort vs whirlpool to get to 120? Trying to reduce oxygen, but maybe being paranoid? Any tips people use?

I think you'll find there's some people who are on different sides of the fence here. Some stir some don't. The rationale is whether you want to keep the cold break in big chunks or pull the to cold break to the center. However using a pick up off the bottom that will limit how much gets sucked up.

I'm in the don't stir crowd. Both reasons; trying to avoid HSA and the dispersion of cold break.

I use float balls in my boil. Lots of them. It's acts as a mash cap that can vent. I drop in the coil, balls move around the coil. When the boil is done I start the chiller. Drop my hops in SS tea balls. Partially filled for expansion. I don't stir. I let it chill. (Grab a beer) It's happens fast without stirring. I'm at 120F with 58F water in about 6-7 minutes, if I keep the water flowing. The drop from 120 to 70 is another 8 minutes. However with the float balls on there I can kill the chiller if I want more time in a given heat zone. I've done, three additions 180F, 150F, 120F. I've done 10-15 minutes per zone.

BTW - If you have sulfites in your beer from mashing, you still have that protection.

Hope this helps.

 

[daveoshomebrews]

Oh wow interesting, so do the float balls reduce the surface area for o2 exposure? Have you found them to help vs not using?

 

[Dustin_J]

Consider incorporating a stainless pan as a cap when chilling/whirlpooling, same concept as a mash cap. If you wait to add it until you get below 140 or so, that can help remedy concerns with the cap keeping DMS from blowing off

 

[Schlenkerla]

Oh wow interesting, so do the float balls reduce the surface area for o2 exposure? Have you found them to help vs not using?

Yeah it helps. No DMS either. It can evaporate. I noticed very little change after being idle or undisturbed for 7 days. Starting under 1ppm went up to 2.68 ppm after a week. Probe was in the water. Lid was on top of the HLT.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Remember years ago when people were saying HSA is bunk?
Ahh, the good old days when ignorance was bliss...

 

[RPh_Guy]

@daveoshomebrews
I'm wondering... Are you following the Low Oxygen Brewing process or are you just worried about the effects of whirlpool on a "normal" process?

 

[Schlenkerla]

Remember years ago when people were saying HSA is bunk?
Ahh, the good old days when ignorance was bliss...

There's still people who are ignorant to this. They just think beer changes as it ages. They don't know it's oxidized. They know it's different, but it's not cardboard like, so they don't make the connection.

 

[daveoshomebrews]

Nice! I like this idea. I've always just used aluminum foil sanitized over the top with small opening around the IC to allow DMS to escape. This looks to reduce o2 much more

 

[Schlenkerla]

Nice! I like this idea. I've always just used aluminum foil sanitized over the top with small opening around the IC to allow DMS to escape. This looks to reduce o2 much more

The balls allow for easy plumbing, use of spoons, or mash paddles. The balls just part ways and regroup naturally. They rise and fall with sparging. They are also good heat insulators. I typically held a boil at #7 on my large stove top burner. I can now hold it on #3. It's got much less surface heat at the kettle bottom. So, if lower SRMs are desired, it's more likely to prevent those darkening maillard reactions.

https://eccllc.us/features/

I use polypropylene 20mm balls. They are pharmacy grade polypropylene. Good up to 230F. 1000 can cover my HLT, MLT, and BK. I bought my 1000 for $75 but I think they are running $58 now.

Keith Stuck At ECC (910) 799-4411
[email protected]

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Yeah it helps. No DMS either. It can evaporate. I noticed very little change after being idle or undisturbed for 7 days. Starting under 1ppm went up to 2.68 ppm after a week. Probe was in the water. Lid was on top of the HLT.

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very cool! what is your procedure for cleaning them?

 

[Schlenkerla]

very cool! what is your procedure for cleaning them?

You can use Oxy Clean, Powdered Brewery Wash, or nuke with Sodium Hydroxide.

OxyClean leaves a smell that needs a lot of rinsing.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

You can use Oxy Clean, Powdered Brewery Wash, or nuke with Sodium Hydroxide.

OxyClean leaves a smell that needs a lot of rinsing.

I ended up purchasing these and they worked unbelievably well on my first LODO brew. Per my DO meter they kept it between .6ppm & .7ppm the entire hotside. Seems so much better than a floating mash cap as the balls hug the top of the wort in three dimensions no matter how it moves. Also it doesn't get in the way of my whirlpool arm or vorlauf arm.

I ended up cleaning them by shaking them around in a fermonster with alkaline brewery wash. Feel like the require agitation to clean since they float. They still smelled a little funny afterwards though, so I soaked them in iodophor for a few hours. Now they smell totally clean.

Here's some pics of the process & final product

Thanks for the suggestion and your ingenuity! Cheers!