Operation Trub Reduction

[CBecksOSU1]

Brewers,

I'm going to brew the Pliny Clone from moorebeer.com shortly. I'm on the fence of methods of how to minimize trub loss.

I did a gallon batch of a similar recipe from my LHBS and only yielded approximately 64 oz. with cold crashing.

To get best results do I?

1. Use hop bags?
2. Leave the hops in, whirlpool then strain/aerate?

 

[kh54s10]

I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag to contain my hops in my 5 gallon batches.

Or you could add a little more malt so that the recipe stays the same and collect a bit more volume of wort so that you have what you want after the trub loss.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Definitely use hop bags. Other than that don't worry about it.

For minimum trub, use hop bag, transfer to fermenter, cold crash and gelatin, then transfer to another fermenter...

 

[Sailingeric]

I brew 5 gallon batches and I almost always get 27 22oz bottles out of my bottling. There is trub loss but since I know what I am getting I just accept it as so.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

Do you leave the 5 gallon bag in for the whole boil? It won't melt?

 

[AkBrew907]

Do you leave the 5 gallon bag in for the whole boil? It won't melt?

Nope not at all.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

So just line the pot and remove post boil. Seems like a no brainier.

 

[AkBrew907]

I created a little jig (think it's called a hop spider). Basically took a 4" chunk of PVC pipe, drilled a hole through it and inserted a wooden dowel through it so it can sit on top of my boil kettle. Then take a worm style clamp and attach the bag to the bottom of the PVC so it hangs into the pot. Make it easy to just dump my hops in at their addition times and when done I just pick it up from the wooden dowel and discard.

Can pick up the bags at lowes or home depot.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I created a little jig (think it's called a hop spider). Basically took a 4" chunk of PVC pipe, drilled a hole through it and inserted a wooden dowel through it so it can sit on top of my boil kettle. Then take a worm style clamp and attach the bag to the bottom of the PVC so it hangs into the pot. Make it easy to just dump my hops in at their addition times and when done I just pick it up from the wooden dowel and discard.

Can pick up the bags at lowes or home depot.

It's a hop spider and it's what I use. Here is a link on how to build one. Mine has a 5-gallon paint strainer bag attached. Last brew day, I used 12.5 oz of pellet hops (all after the 15 minute point, no less) and they all went in the spider. After the boil ended and my hop stand/whirlpool was finished, I lifted the spider from the brew kettle and let it drain as much wort back into the kettle as was feasible, then I threw the remaining hop gunk away.

That will take care of most of the hop debris. If you are using considerably less than 12.5 oz of hops, then you could use a hop sock to achieve the same effect (although you have to fish the sock out of the brew kettle after the boil). The other thing I usually do is whirlpool and then wait about 10 minutes for the debris to settle to the center of the kettle and drop out.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I don't use no stinkin' spider. I have zero trub loss, and I always get crystal clear beer. Here's how:

1. brew in a bag, pull bag after mash
2. boil, toss hops in kettle naked (I use pellets)
3. After boil, cool in kettle, the drop to fermenter through a sanitized stainless steel strainer affixed to the top with a binder clip. I use something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-American-Housewares-8-Food-Strainer/15042728 This removed the hops debris. I have noticed that when I use spices, I have to up the amount a bit.
4. After ferment, transfer to bottling bucket with an autosiphon with foot directly on bottom of fermenter. So long as yiou dont move the foot around, it will only suck a small amount of yeast sediment from that spot.

No whirlpool, no whirlflock, nuttin'.

 

[douglasbarbin]

I don't use no stinkin' spider. I have zero trub loss, and I always get crystal clear beer. Here's how:

1. brew in a bag, pull bag after mash
2. boil, toss hops in kettle naked (I use pellets)
3. After boil, cool in kettle, the drop to fermenter through a sanitized stainless steel strainer affixed to the top with a binder clip. I use something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-American-Housewares-8-Food-Strainer/15042728 This removed the hops debris. I have noticed that when I use spices, I have to up the amount a bit.
4. After ferment, transfer to bottling bucket with an autosiphon with foot directly on bottom of fermenter. So long as yiou dont move the foot around, it will only suck a small amount of yeast sediment from that spot.

No whirlpool, no whirlflock, nuttin'.

The strainer will work to an extent. If you have a very large amount of hops, you will need a very large strainer to avoid clogging.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Point taken. I don't care for IPAs, so the largest hops bill i usually do is 3 OZ for a 10 gallon batch. If the strainer were ever to become hoplessly clogged, I'd probably close the kettle valve and clean the strainer out.

 

[douglasbarbin]

Point taken. I don't care for IPAs, so the largest hops bill i usually do is 3 OZ for a 10 gallon batch. If the strainer were ever to become hoplessly clogged, I'd probably close the kettle valve and clean the strainer out.

Don't forget to sanitize it after you clean it!

A guy in my homebrew club does the same thing you are talking about and it seems to work for him pretty well as long as the fermenter he uses is wide enough to hold the strainer. For thin-necked carboys, he uses a funnel with a screen and it clogs much easier than the strainer.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

For those using counter flow or plate chillers letting all that kettle smutch go through them isn't recommended, unless you are trying to clog them on purpose.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

Next question. It's a 5 gallon batch with a 90 minute boil. I'm brewing on a pretty powerful stove top. How much should I start with in my kettle 6.5 gallons enough?

 

[pricelessbrewing]

I usually start with 6.75 as I boil off about a gallon in 1 hr. Everyone's pot and burners vary though so you could be good, or you could be short.

 

[CBecksOSU1]

I usually start with 6.75 as I boil off about a gallon in 1 hr. Everyone's pot and burners vary though so you could be good, or you could be short.

Thanks. Never done a full boil before. If I'm short can I top off or will that crush my og

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Just dilute to your targeted og. Use the boil and dilution calculator at brew united.