Splitting up a 10 gallon batch

[bd2xu]

I recently started doing 10 gallon batches (all grain) and am wondering how people go about splitting into fermenters. My boil kettle has a side pickup, and I use an immersion chiller to cool. During the chilling, I recirculate the boil kettle through a Chugger pump, going out the side pickup/ball valve and returning into the top of the kettle with the hose positioned to attempt a whirlpool. It swirls and keeps the wort moving against the chiller coils but I don't think I'm getting a real whirpool with the "cone" of trub developing.

After chilling I let the wort settle 15 minutes then transfer to two better bottles or buckets, from the side pickup. I start letting gravity do its thing then switch the pump on.

What I've noticed is that in my fermenters, the one I fill first is pretty clear with very little trub. The second one ends up getting a ton of trub as the volume in the kettle gets close to the bottom.

Does anyone have a method (or bother to) for making the two batches "trub equal"? The last batch I did I tested the OG of both and they were the same, even though one had a ton of trub (in suspension after shaking fermenter to aerate) the other was very clear.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

Never cared or bothered to notice. Trub falls out in the first few days if not immediately anyway.

 

[Mtn_Brewer]

I have a RIMS system and collect 2 running (initial running plys one batch sparge). My initial running yields 6 gallons and the batch sparge yields 10 gallons. The second running is always between 1.020 and 1.030. I collect them into 2 separate containers. I like variety, so I use the dilution tool on beersmith to tell me how to combine them to make 2 different starting gravities and will often steep a specialty grain on the side for one or the other. It's fun to come up with combinations of beer styles that this works with.

 

[bd2xu]

I have a RIMS system and collect 2 running (initial running plys one batch sparge). My initial running yields 6 gallons and the batch sparge yields 10 gallons. The second running is always between 1.020 and 1.030. I collect them into 2 separate containers. I like variety, so I use the dilution tool on beersmith to tell me how to combine them to make 2 different starting gravities and will often steep a specialty grain on the side for one or the other. It's fun to come up with combinations of beer styles that this works with.

That is a good idea, I've been thinking of experimenting with that method for something simple like doing 5 gallons of IIPA and another 5 of "session" IPA or a hoppy pale ale.

 

[TomRep]

I made a hop blocker "taco" to use on my center pick up boil kettle. Both carboys are pretty clean with very minimal trub, if any. That is except for last night. Forgot to install said hop taco.

 

[bd2xu]

I made a hop blocker "taco" to use on my center pick up boil kettle. Both carboys are pretty clean with very minimal trub, if any. That is except for last night. Forgot to install said hop taco.

Have a pic of this? I have tried using a funnel with a built in screen on the fermenter but it clogs up immediately. I plan on adding either a whirlpool port or a whirlpool tube onto my immersion chiller, hoping I can get the whirlpool action to help build up the cone. FOr my pickup I'm using a 90 degree eblow inside the kettle with a hose barb attached.

Another thought is to make the batches more "equal" I could use a third bucket and pour half into each in a circle before pitching to mix them up, that would also help to aerate.

 

[TomRep]

Here ya go: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/hop-quesadilla-305073/
That's my buddies thread who basically did the same thing as me. I recently started using a hop bag as well which helps. I found with just the screen on the diptube, my flow was very slow. I use the hop bag for my pellet hops and it helped my flow tremendously. I don't have any thread for the bag I made up. I just basically used a 4"PVC pipe slip to male pipe adapter. I but 4 stainless screw in hooks on the top and attached a paint strainer bag to the bottom. Doing a heavily hopped IPA will probably fill the bag so I plan to make one or two more to hang on as needed.

 

[ThreeSheetsBrewing]

Do you use hop bags or a spider?

 

[bd2xu]

Do you use hop bags or a spider?

Note to the spider, because I use the immersion chiller, and put it in the boil at 15 minutes to sterilize it. I have used hop bags before, however if you are doing a batch with a lot of additions, that ends up being a lot of bags.