Trying to get more beer out of my wort and less trub\hops!

[DrummoRC]

I 40L pot with false bottom to keep the bag off the bottom and it came with a stainless steel screen tube that screws to the ball valve. The screen tube is my problem it clogs up and I have to siphon the wort out - leaving almost 2 gallons I the bottom of the kettle!

I would love to hear others have dealt with this issue!
I know the first thing I need to do is start putting my hops into hop bag instead of dumping the pellets into the boil directly.

Any thought or suggests would be appreciated


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[RM-MN]

Wait! What? 2 gallons left in a 40 qt pot? Pick it up and dump it. I do that with 5 1/2 gallons left in a 30 qt pot but that gets a little heavy.

 

[jmh286]

Wait! What? 2 gallons left in a 40 qt pot? Pick it up and dump it. I do that with 5 1/2 gallons left in a 30 qt pot but that gets a little heavy.

Yea just pick it up and dump it in. Or use something to tilt the kettle while you siphon it. I used to use a sanitized pitcher to get my wort from kettle to carboy, but have since upgraded to a bigger kettle with a ball valve.


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[DrummoRC]

Sorry that is 40 Liter not quart - I know the ratio is not too bad but still hate to waste.

 

[The_Bishop]

Take the screen tube off.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Take the screen tube off.

Yes, that kettle screen is more for mashing, that doesn't really work for trub unless you have enough filter bed with whole hops.

You don't need the false bottom either IMHO. If you need to add heat, do it gently and stir.

I wouldn't worry about the trub and hop pellets, let it ferment and settle w gravity in the fermenter.

 

[DrummoRC]

I assume you move your fermentation after a say 5 days as the sediment must be thick? I like the idea myself no waste I would just be prone to move it to secondary after 3-5 days if I brought that much particulates into the fermenter.

Otherwise I don't always move my batches to secondary vessels. Mostly - primary two weeks to-> keg two weeks to-> belly two weeks! I love how that works!

 

[wilserbrewer]

I assume you move your fermentation after a say 5 days as the sediment must be thick?
!

I'm a little unorthodox, I chill or sometimes "no chill" in the kettle, then pitch yeast directly to the kettle, seal the kettle and ferment 7-12 days, then keg and let that condition at cellar temps for a week or two pipeline dependent, then move it to the kegerator and let it cold condition and carb for another week or so.

Seems to work fine for the mid gravity ales I prefer.

 

[DrummoRC]

That is a little different then most! Interesting concept!




RC Drummond
In fermentation
Saison
Small batch hop test (Nelson Sauvin - new hop for me)
German Ale
In Keg aging - Vienna Lager
On Tap - Amarillo Brillo

 

[DonH]

Well, why not snag some hop bags? I have not noticed any difference in flavor from a bag or not... Also are you whirl pooling to build a nice trub cone??

 

[DrummoRC]

Yeah a hop bag might
Help some - I have also seen some interesting stainless screen strainers that might achieve what I hope to accomplish



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[Clarke]

I have more than one paint strainer bag and I put one of the 5 gallon bags in my fermenting bucket and just dump my cooled wart into the bucket, pull the bag out and squeeze the liquid out of the bag leaving all the trub and hops behind in the bag, I don't even worry about hop bags any more, works like a charm.

 

[glockspeed31]

I just started straining my wort as it goes into the fermenter. This takes care of two things at once. Straining out the trub and aerating the wort prior to yeast pitching. Seems to work OK.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I used to pour all my wort through a strainer as it went into the fermenter but its not the way to go about it now that I know better. Why ensure a good hot break, cold break, use irish moss, etc to separate the proteins just to dump it all back in the fermenter? The strainer just won't get all the break material, it'll get all the hops, but not all the break material.
Get a good whirlpool going and it will get most of everything into the center of the kettle, even with an IC in the kettle. To save time I do it while the wort is cooling. When your done, leave your chiller there and use your siphon to rack the wort through a strainer into the fermenter. I usually take the extra step to let the fermenter sit for another 20 mins and rack the wort over into another fermenter leaving all the trub behind.
You should only be leaving 1/4-1/2 gal behind through the whole process. To me this is the most efficient way of doing this and the least amount of work physically if you use your siphon.

Note if you use whole cones you'll want to tie a strainer around the end of the siphon otherwise they can get stuck in your siphon.

 

[DrummoRC]

I have more than one paint strainer bag and I put one of the 5 gallon bags in my fermenting bucket and just dump my cooled wart into the bucket, pull the bag out and squeeze the liquid out of the bag leaving all the trub and hops behind in the bag, I don't even worry about hop bags any more, works like a charm.

So simple - why didn't I think of it! :-0) I was looking right thru that approach! Will try this idea next brew day! thanks!



RC Drummond
In fermentation
Saison
Small batch hop test (Nelson Sauvin - new hop for me)
German Ale
In Keg aging - Vienna Lager
On Tap - Amarillo Brillo

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

So simple - why didn't I think of it! :-0) I was looking right thru that approach! Will try this idea next brew day! thanks!



RC Drummond
In fermentation
Saison
Small batch hop test (Nelson Sauvin - new hop for me)
German Ale
In Keg aging - Vienna Lager
On Tap - Amarillo Brillo

This is still going to leave you a ton of trub at the bottom of your fermenter. Its also going to take an equal amount of time or longer than siphoning and be more labor intensive. I prefer to work smart not hard but that's just me.

 

[Oberon]

I'm a little unorthodox, I chill or sometimes "no chill" in the kettle, then pitch yeast directly to the kettle, seal the kettle and ferment 7-12 days, then keg and let that condition at cellar temps for a week or two pipeline dependent, then move it to the kegerator and let it cold condition and carb for another week or so.

Seems to work fine for the mid gravity ales I prefer.

Do you have more than one kettle? I've thought about doing this but I often have more than one thing fermenting at once. I guess you use a shorter fermentation than I do...

 

[wilserbrewer]

Yes, I do have more than one kettle, I also have a B/C 44 qt that I'm using as a waste basket for fabric scraps in the shop, I'm a kettleaholic

Like puppies, if I see one at a good price, I can't help myself and bring it home.

 

[Clarke]

So simple - why didn't I think of it! :-0) I was looking right thru that approach! Will try this idea next brew day! thanks!



RC Drummond
In fermentation
Saison
Small batch hop test (Nelson Sauvin - new hop for me)
German Ale
In Keg aging - Vienna Lager
On Tap - Amarillo Brillo

Sanitize your bag first, as if you didn't already know... I boil mine on the stove for a few minutes.

 

[Clarke]

This is still going to leave you a ton of trub at the bottom of your fermenter. Its also going to take an equal amount of time or longer than siphoning and be more labor intensive. I prefer to work smart not hard but that's just me.

I have not a clue to how you are doing it, but you are wrong sir.

It only takes a few seconds and done, all I have at the bottom of my fermenter is yeast...

 

[jnacey]

I usually siphon into my carboy/buckets straight out of my kettle. I don't use any bags for my pellet hops and I use whirlfloc during the boil. My experience has been that, yes, you will transfer some trub to the primary and it does get thrown around during fermentation, but afterwards when the yeast floc they pull all of this down onto the cake. I also toss a vial of ClarityFerm into my wort at pitch time (I don't have a dedicated fridge to cold crash) and I can always get great tasting, high clarity beers. So in summary, pull a little trub with your siphon and don't worry about it.

 

[kharper6]

Thanks to Wilser I have a few voile hop bags I brew with. Haven't had any lacking hop profile since I started using those and zero trub in the boil kettle.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I have not a clue to how you are doing it, but you are wrong sir.

It only takes a few seconds and done, all I have at the bottom of my fermenter is yeast...

In my experience Ive gotten way cleaner cakes when I stopped doing that. Ive used paint strainers and cheese clothes. I've tried using more than one and even folding them to make a thicker filter. Changing out of that routine has given me better results. So I have no clue how your doing what your doing..... but I won't sit here and say your wrong. If it works for you great for you.
Id just like to point out your response is unnecessarily rude. Not sure why you can't say you've had different experiences in a more mannered tone. Being a ******* defeats the purpose of a forum and I'd hope you don't talk to new members that way or you'll just run them out of here.

 

[wilserbrewer]

This is still going to leave you a ton of trub at the bottom of your fermenter. Its also going to take an equal amount of time or longer than siphoning and be more labor intensive. I prefer to work smart not hard but that's just me.

KWB,

I think you inferred here that someone was not working smart? Perhaps that is part of the issue here....

You guys need a group hug, but count me out!

FWIW, on the topic, I am more prone to siphon off the solids, rather than filter.

 

[smizak]

I cover the end of my Autosiphon with a boiled stainless steel pot scrubber. I siphon until it stops, because no way I'm picking up 6 gallons of wort. When it stops, I strain the rest through a stainless wire colander.

Don't worry about the trub/floc/hops. The Whirlfloc/irish moss makes it insoluble and will get pulled down with the yeast like the other posters suggest.

 

[Oberon]

View attachment 188641

Yes, I do have more than one kettle, I also have a B/C 44 qt that I'm using as a waste basket for fabric scraps in the shop, I'm a kettleaholic

Like puppies, if I see one at a good price, I can't help myself and bring it home.

You have a problem! Come to think of it I have two kettles...maybe I'll try an experimental batch with my nine gallon pot. Cool idea.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

KWB,

I think you inferred here that someone was not working smart? Perhaps that is part of the issue here....

You guys need a group hug, but count me out!

FWIW, on the topic, I am more prone to siphon off the solids, rather than filter.

Perhaps I could have used a better choice of words. What I mean by it is I'd rather pump a siphon twice and let it run than lift a kettle full of wort or using a smaller container to do it bit by bit. I used to do it that way and one day I stopped and asked myself... "Why am I doing it this way when a siphon is so much easier? I should be working smart not hard." That's when I noticed I was getting cleaner cakes leaving it in the kettle.

 

[lowelldw]

I have more than one paint strainer bag and I put one of the 5 gallon bags in my fermenting bucket and just dump my cooled wart into the bucket, pull the bag out and squeeze the liquid out of the bag leaving all the trub and hops behind in the bag, I don't even worry about hop bags any more, works like a charm.

I did his with my last batch and it seemed to work very good!!

 

[Clarke]

In my experience Ive gotten way cleaner cakes when I stopped doing that. Ive used paint strainers and cheese clothes. I've tried using more than one and even folding them to make a thicker filter. Changing out of that routine has given me better results. So I have no clue how your doing what your doing..... but I won't sit here and say your wrong. If it works for you great for you.
Id just like to point out your response is unnecessarily rude. Not sure why you can't say you've had different experiences in a more mannered tone. Being a ******* defeats the purpose of a forum and I'd hope you don't talk to new members that way or you'll just run them out of here.

I am very sorry for offending you, I was very direct with my response, but in all fairness you basically implied that my technique would still leave “tons of trub” and would “take just as long if not longer”, when you could have just said “well in my experience” as you just implied to me. My experience is much different to yours and I am only trying to share my experience, And yes you did imply that you are “smarter” so when rude comes around it goes around… I am not wanting to upset anyone, I am a new guy to this forum and I don’t imply I am smarter than anyone as you just did to me.

but if we can start fresh, I apologize...

 

[wilserbrewer]

Come to think of it I have two kettles...maybe I'll try an experimental batch with my nine gallon pot. Cool idea.

I started kettle fermenting around the time that the Brewing Network did a fairly involved study on the impact of hops and trub left in the fermenter. If I recall correctly, their results showed little if any impact on the final brew.

Another side benefit, it is very easy to collect the yeast at the bottom of the kettle / fermenter. Sometimes I brew in another pot, and rack a fermented beer at the same time, then just scoop up some yeast and transfer it to the unfermented wort....easy...easy!