One fifth of the volume in the fermenter after fermentation is trub!

[kiwipen]

It's a big beer. OG 1.085, FG 1.017, ABV 9%. 70 grams of hops. I used 4 packs of S04, not quite enough for this beer according to brewers friend with a pitch rate of 1 million cells/ml/degree plato. I've used the same amount of different dry yeast before, just not in such a strong beer.

The mash and sparge got stuck, resulting in me stirring a lot in the grain to try to fix it.

One fifth (1,3 gallons of 6,6 gallons) of the volume in the fermenter is trub.

The fermenter is a white bucket that's opaque enough for me to see how much is in it and how much trub is up against the walls, but not any more.

Is this because of all the yeast and the OG? Because of the stuck mash and sparge? Could it just be trub sticking to the wall making it look like it's more than it really is?

 

[RM-MN]

Most often the huge trub is from break material and a week or so after fermentation has completed will be just a small layer on the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[IslandLizard]

Most often the huge trub is from break material and a week or so after fermentation has completed will be just a small layer on the bottom of the fermenter.

That! ^

It's fluffy now, it will compact into a nice, solid layer on the bottom, over time.

 

[balrog]

I'm a whole-kettle-in-dumper to fermenter and pretty typically have 1/2gal in 5gal as trub at the end of ferment.

Just a data point.

 

[kiwipen]

It has fully fermented and is over a week old now.

This is after fermentation!

 

[IslandLizard]

It has fully fermented and is over a week old now.

This is after fermentation!

Krausen sticks to the fermenter walls, above the beer line. Is that what you're seeing and talking about?

That stuck-on krausen is a mixture of some yeast and some of the trub (cold break, hot break, hop matter, grain dust, proteins, etc.) that was transferred to the fermenter with the chilled wort. It's brown or greenish depending on how much hops it contains., and whether you dry hopped.

There's also a trub layer on the bottom, that's the one that compacts over time. When you package it, it's best to leave it behind, so siphon the beer from above the trub on the bottom. Use an inverter tippy and don't stick that siphon all the way on the bottom soen in the trub. The krausen that sticks to the walls on the top, is pretty firm and sticky, it's gonna stay there. Don't scrape it off.

 

[kiwipen]

It's the layer on the bottom. I've never seen it this big before.

 

[IslandLizard]

It's the layer on the bottom. I've never seen it this big before.

Once fermentation has finished it should settle out with the yeast. Cold crashing may help with that, but I'd let it condition out first for a few weeks. Keep air out of it. Oxidation is bad for beer, moreso for hoppier ones.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, two packs of S04 would have been plenty for that beer.
I do a 1.107 stout and only use two packs per 5.5 gallons, never fail to hit a respectable FG (25-28 points for ~11% abv)...

Cheers!

 

[Beermeister32]

Try increasing your batch volume by a gallon. Run off the first 5 gallons of clear wort into the fermenting carboy or bucket. Run the last gallon of heavier trub and break material to ferment separately. Alternately you can chill this, decant the clear wort and use it for starter.

 

[Jeff Kroosz]

It's a big beer. OG 1.085, FG 1.017, ABV 9%. 70 grams of hops. I used 4 packs of S04, not quite enough for this beer according to brewers friend with a pitch rate of 1 million cells/ml/degree plato. I've used the same amount of different dry yeast before, just not in such a strong beer.

The mash and sparge got stuck, resulting in me stirring a lot in the grain to try to fix it.

One fifth (1,3 gallons of 6,6 gallons) of the volume in the fermenter is trub.

The fermenter is a white bucket that's opaque enough for me to see how much is in it and how much trub is up against the walls, but not any more.

Is this because of all the yeast and the OG? Because of the stuck mash and sparge? Could it just be trub sticking to the wall making it look like it's more than it really is?

Try to leave as much kettle trub behind. Hot side clarifiers will help when used properly.

 

[Tancred the Brewer]

I am guessing you had a lot of protein come over from the mash into your kettle, that then transferred to your fermenter. I had a big barleywine that stuck in the mash. Ended up with a lot of protein in the kettle and then fermenter. Ended up with almost 2 gallons of trub on a 5 gallon batch. The remaining beer when I transferred to secondary fit nicely in my 3 gallon carboy, right to the neck. My vote would be that try to get a clearer run from your mashtun next time and you will have much less trub.