keggle questions

davis119 · Jun 26, 2011

so what exactly does a pick up tube do? do i need one?
do i want the hops to stay in the kettle ? or do i need them for flavor in the primary ?
i know you get most flavor/bittering/aroma out durring the boil but , if i were to add some at 0mins dont i want them to go into the primary?

jlaureanti · Jun 26, 2011

a pickup tube get any liquid lower than the level of your ball valve... you dont need one if you dont mind wasting a gallon or two every brewday...

I personally whirlpool after flameout, to collect proteins (as well as hop debris) in the middle of the keggle. Hops wont hurt your beer in the primary but the cleaner you can make your beer in the beginning the process the better it will be. Especially if you are using a plate chiller. Hop matter will kill a plate chiller flow.

davis119 · Jun 26, 2011

ok but how does it work do i have to siphon through the ball valve ?
and about the hops at 0 mins do i get the aroma instantly when i add them or do i need them in the primary ?

flexbrew · Jun 26, 2011

When he says ball valve, i belive he is refering to a brew kettle that has a ball valve in it at the bottom and then when he wants to transfer to primary just opens it up, hence the need for the tube as you cant get all the liquid out. Imagine a bottling bucket, theres always some left at the bottom, unless you tip it.

I wouldnt add hops to the primary, only at 0, the hops at 0 min add aroma and it is quick.

davis119 · Jun 26, 2011

Right that is what I mean. I just don't get how a pick up tube would help unless you use suction to sip the liquid left in the kettle.

And so if I add hops at 5mins. They did their job in that 5 mins there is no need for them to go through the ballvalve into the primary?

JuanMoore · Jun 26, 2011

davis119 said:
Right that is what I mean. I just don't get how a pick up tube would help unless you use suction to sip the liquid left in the kettle.

You need to use a piece of transfer tubing attached to the ball valve on your kettle for the diptube to work properly. As the wort drains out, the wort flowing through the tubing below the level of the kettle creates a siphon which pulls the wort down to the level of the bottom of your pick-up tube. A diptube is useless without transfer tubing on the other side.

davis119 said:
And so if I add hops at 5mins. They did their job in that 5 mins there is no need for them to go through the ballvalve into the primary?

Correct. Even if you're only using pellet hops, trying to get them to drain through the ball valve would be an exercise in frustration. Late addition hops are primarily used to impart aroma which comes from the volatile hop oils. These oils get stripped off of the hop cones and into solution very quickly, and also evaporate out of solution fairly quickly, which is why they aren't boiled for long if at all.