Leave the Chiller IN when you run off

[BrewinInPA]

I know for some of you this is dead obvious, but after chilling the last BIAB batch I did ( A nice Dunkelweizen ), I pulled out the immersion chiller before running off my wort into the fermenter through my kettle ball valve.

As soon as I pulled up the chiller, clouds of kettle trub that had settled at the bottom were stirred up again, and as a result, I had to wait an extra 30-40 minutes for it to settle back down.

I immediately realized that I am dumb and that there is no reason I cannot run off the wort with the chiller undisturbed and avoid all that trub getting stirred up.

Hope this helps someone make clearer beer!

 

[Jayjay1976]

I know for some of you this is dead obvious, but after chilling the last BIAB batch I did ( A nice Dunkelweizen ), I pulled out the immersion chiller before running off my wort into the fermenter through my kettle ball valve.

As soon as I pulled up the chiller, clouds of kettle trub that had settled at the bottom were stirred up again, and as a result, I had to wait an extra 30-40 minutes for it to settle back down.

I immediately realized that I am dumb and that there is no reason I cannot run off the wort with the chiller undisturbed and avoid all that trub getting stirred up.

Hope this helps someone make clearer beer!

Once the wort cools below 150 I don't remove the lid for any reason, to avoid possible contamination.

 

[RM-MN]

You might be surprised but I dump everything into the fermenter. That way I'm not leaving behind any of the wort. When the fermentation is over, I can siphon above the settled trub and get clear beer and a little more of it.

 

[EDF713]

I usually remove it once my wort is chilled, then let it sit for a while with the lid on to let the trub settle out.

 

[BrewinInPA]

You might be surprised but I dump everything into the fermenter. That way I'm not leaving behind any of the wort. When the fermentation is over, I can siphon above the settled trub and get clear beer and a little more of it.

I siphon off too just like you but I find that the amount of kettle trub that goes into the fermenter makes a big difference in clarity for me. Are you using finings afterward to clarify? I just started experimenting with BioFine.

 

[hotbeer]

I remove the chiller. I strain my wort through a coarse strainer mostly just to get the citrus peel or other coarse things out. Usually most all that stuff from the cold break is at the bottom of my fermenter soon after the krausen stops and by the time I bottle it's all on the bottom.

I don't think it makes much difference for "clearer" beers unless perhaps you are the impatient type. Mine are clear. At least the styles that are supposed to be clear. Those that are supposed to be hazy might not be hazy enough. But I like them.

 

[RM-MN]

I siphon off too just like you but I find that the amount of kettle trub that goes into the fermenter makes a big difference in clarity for me. Are you using finings afterward to clarify? I just started experimenting with BioFine.

All I use is time. I have lots of bottles so I can make a batch and shelve it for weeks before opening one.

 

[BrewinInPA]

Ah..I keg. Perhaps I should get another keg and prime in it.

 

[MaxStout]

Once I reach pitching temp, I remove the chiller, so I can put the lid on the kettle while I'm racking to the fermenter. If removing the IC stirs up some trub, so be it. It'll settle during fermentation and I can carefully rack when it's time to bottle.

 

[Bobby_M]

I take the chiller out the moment that I hit the temperature I'm looking for, whirlpool the wort for about a minute, then put the lid on and let it settle for about 30 minutes. That's how I get the cleanest wort.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

As soon as I pulled up the chiller, clouds of kettle trub that had settled at the bottom were stirred up again, and as a result, I had to wait an extra 30-40 minutes for it to settle back down.

Are you not stirring your wort while the immersion chiller is going? While I usually don't care too much about getting trub in my fermenter, I usually stir the wort while chilling, remove the chiller, and then let the trub settle a bit while I start cleaning up gear.

I just got a Hydra that I have not had a chance to try yet. I am not sure how much time it will save me this time of year when my tap water is close to 75F, but it should be awesome in the winter and spring months!

 

[crazyjake19]

I remove the chiller when I hit temp and start transferring after however long it takes to wash my chiller (1-2 minutes probably). I don't wait for much to settle, the heaviest trub will settle below the ball valve while transferring anyway. I transfer all but the last bit of trub in the kettle.

Everything will drop out in the fermenter, don't waste time waiting. Cloudy wort does not automatically result in cloudy beer.

 

[Bobby_M]

Everything will drop out in the fermenter, don't waste time waiting. Cloudy wort does not automatically result in cloudy beer.

I don't think the primary reason brewers want to leaves trub in the kettle is because they think that it's going to make the end beer cloudy though excess cold break can lead to chill haze. It's typically done for fear of flavor contribution. I want to keep as much hop plant material out of the fermenter as I can to avoid those excess grassy flavors. A side reason would be if the brewer plans to harvest yeast.

 

[crazyjake19]

I don't think the primary reason brewers want to leaves trub in the kettle is because they think that it's going to make the end beer cloudy though excess cold break can lead to chill haze. It's typically done for fear of flavor contribution. I want to keep as much hop plant material out of the fermenter as I can to avoid those excess grassy flavors. A side reason would be if the brewer plans to harvest yeast.

Hadn't thought of that. I've only ever harvested yeast from starters.

 

[bwible]

I can’t put the lid on my kettle with the chiller in. Do people have their lids cut somehow so the lid fits around the chiller? I have an Anvil brew kettle and really have no desire to cut that lid.

I remove my chiller and put the kettle lid on. I started spraying the lid with Star San out of a spray bottle not long ago trying to track down a source of contamination. As the lid sits and its not on during the boil or anything.

After chilling while the wort settles I use that time to drain the Star San out of my fermenter and get it ready for transfer. I wouldn’t want to leave my cooled kettle open all that time.

 

[AZ Maverick]

I used to leave the immersion chiller in the pot during runoff until the very end then I would pull it to dump the rest of the wort into the fermenter - yeah, every bit of the boil goes into the fermenter. These days I use an external counter flow chiller but still the whole boil still goes into the fermenter.
For me, I find that the grain and hops bags keep all but the very finest of the stuff out of the boil which is enough for me.
I always fine and cold crash at 30°F for four or five days before I keg and I always have perfectly clear beer.