What is the consensus on whirlfloc

[Randar]

SuperMoss? Never heard of it - I'll have to look for it!

My LHBS carries it and it is also sold online at places like NB, Midwest supplies, and Williams Brewing to name a few

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/brewing-ingredients/salts-finings/clarifiers/supermoss-hb.html

 

[ed_brews_now]

I am relatively new to this, why would having the cold break drop out make you lose more wort?

I haven't measured exactly, but I estimate that my loss to break and hop material if about half a gallon or so.

 

[ed_brews_now]

Also would whirlfoc make you beer have less body and perhaps poor foam retention?

 

[Randar]

I am relatively new to this, why would having the cold break drop out make you lose more wort?

There is more sedimentation to avoid "collecting". When using irish Moss or Whirlfloc, this includes the gelatinous goo created by the irish moss, which can be significant enough to affect final wort collection volume.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I am relatively new to this, why would having the cold break drop out make you lose more wort?

After whirlpooling, the bottom of the kettle will be full of hop matter and cold break. Many people don't like transferring that gunk into their fermentor, so they transfer as much clear wort as feasible and leaving most of the gunk (and with it, some wort) behind.

 

[Randar]

Also would whirlfoc make you beer have less body and perhaps poor foam retention?

I do not believe so.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Also would whirlfoc make you beer have less body and perhaps poor foam retention?

Never had that problem, and I use that stuff religiously. But I usually also add a small amount of wheat malt to my beers.

 

[ed_brews_now]

In this picture:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/result-whirlfloc-56392/

it seems like the brewer dumped wort before the final settling of whirlfloc induced matter into the fermenter. If you were to follow this example, when should you pitch the yeast? Would the yeast would get dragged down with the precipitation matter?

 

[Golddiggie]

Not had mine look like THAT yet... Usually, I'm putting most of what's in the kettle into the fermenter. So, I've had a decent amount of break going into it. But, that usually settles in the carboy before I pitch the yeast in (at the bottom most of the time)... Once fermentation kicks off, it's getting mixed up throughout the brew. Come the end of fermentation, it's pretty much gone, with only some left as trub.

I plan on putting a bit less into the pot moving forward, leaving most of the crap in the bottom of the kettle. Since I've fitted the kettle with a ball valve, it will be easier to drain into the fermenter. I won't need to use my auto-siphon anymore. So, that shoudl also make it easier to not pull the last inch (or so) out of the kettle...

 

[android]

I love Whirlfloc. I get great cold break with it, and great clarity. It's the only finings I use.

ditto.

 

[boo boo]

I have super moss and will try it in my next brew, but I have been using whirfloc for years with indifferent results. I say indifferent because I use it in every brew and wouldn't know what it was I was supposed to look for if I didn't use it.

Whirfloc don't hurt the medium protiens nesessary for beer body and according the the manufacturer 1/2 a tablet in the last 5 minutes is good. It isn't meant to be boiled very long and the manufacturer intended it for commercial use in the whirpool, thus the name.

 

[BigBlueDog]

Has anyone come across Koppakleer tablets? Essentially another carrageenan type fining. My LHBS ran out of Whirlfloc and was selling this as a substitute. Seemed to work the same.

 

[Yooper]

I wish some of the Whirlfloccers would try SuperMoss. I don't care if Five Star makes money on it or not, but it is a superior product. The chemistry does not lie. Seems most are happy with the blob of goo and call it cold break. Clear beer is the goal, not making gelatin.

I don't see any gelatin here in this IPA!:

I might try SuperMoss next time I buy. But saying that I am "happy with the blob of goo and call it cold break. Clear beer is the goal, not making gelatin." is rather insulting and arrogant, don't you think? I know cold break, and I know hot break. My beer is clear. It works for me. No need to be condescending to people who don't worship SuperMoss.

 

[Brewham]

That's a nice looking beer. Wish I could get mine that clear.

 

[Randar]

I might try SuperMoss next time I buy. But saying that I am "happy with the blob of goo and call it cold break. Clear beer is the goal, not making gelatin." is rather insulting and arrogant, don't you think? I know cold break, and I know hot break. My beer is clear. It works for me. No need to be condescending to people who don't worship SuperMoss.

They both make clear beer and nobody said anything about gelatin being in the finished product. . One makes additional gelatin and kettle losses and the other doesn't. If you don't like the science of it, I have no reason to apologize. All those pictures of "cold break" are gelatin, not cold break.

That's not being arrogant and that is a sad way to characterize my statement. Nearly everyone in brewing is looking for better ways to do things. Why sit on your laurels because it's what your used to? That's disingenuous.

Yoop, IIRC you also cold crash your beers, but I guess it doesn't suit your point to talk about that with your clear beer braggin and using it as some sort of bass ackwards justification for whirlfloc being better than supermoss?

 

[muse435]

I just ordered a bunch of stuff the other day and i decided to get some whirlfloc, because why not. I do 5 gal batches with a 3 gal boil. I have read that you should use 1 tab and i've read 1/2 a tab, also i have read to add it at 15 min and at 5 min. As a first time user of the product, what is the recommended time and amount to be used?

Also how long does it take to settle out? I use a bucket so I can't see inside and don;t like to open the lid any more than it needs to be.

 

[RobbyBeers]

As long as we're comparing these products...

Any thoughts on which one drops the most sediment, most quickly? I use a boil kettle with a whirlpool and a side pickup tube...I'd like to go with whichever product would drop the most sediment in the boil kettle so that I can transfer the clearest wort possible.

 

[MikeinCT]

It works. It's cheap. Why wouldn't you use it?

 

[SoonerDoc]

I just ordered a bunch of stuff the other day and i decided to get some whirlfloc, because why not. I do 5 gal batches with a 3 gal boil. I have read that you should use 1 tab and i've read 1/2 a tab, also i have read to add it at 15 min and at 5 min. As a first time user of the product, what is the recommended time and amount to be used?

Also how long does it take to settle out? I use a bucket so I can't see inside and don;t like to open the lid any more than it needs to be.

Most frequently I hear 1/2 tab per 5 gallon batch at 5 minutes.
I've got some Whirlfloc on the way and not used any yet (used Irish Moss previously). I look forward to trying it.

 

[muse435]

can you wash yeast if you use Whirlfloc

 

[Golddiggie]

can you wash yeast if you use Whirlfloc

I haven't had any issues doing it. Don't see how using one seaweed over another would impacting being able to wash your yeast.

 

[Yooper]

Yoop, IIRC you also cold crash your beers, but I guess it doesn't suit your point to talk about that with your clear beer braggin and using it as some sort of bass ackwards justification for whirlfloc being better than supermoss?

I didn't say whirlfloc was better! I said that it worked well for me and I was happy with the product. That's it.

I also said that I didn't "make gelatin" by coagulating proteins. I have many friends who are vegetarians, so I'm careful to never use finings such as gelatin. Saying that I don't know what cold break looks like, that I was confusing "gelatin blobs" with cold break is what I took issue with.

 

[Yooper]

can you wash yeast if you use Whirlfloc

Of course. Remember, whirlfloc (irish moss, etc) are only helping to coagulate proteins so they drop out of suspension. They dont' stick around- they fall out as cold break and/or hot break. You will have hot break and cold break whenever you brew, even if you don't use any kettle finings. It's just that the kettle fining helps it coagulate better and faster. It will still all end up in the trub.

Washing the yeast is fine.

 

[mhenry41h]

LOVE it!

Coming soon...to a fridge near you.

 

[ed_brews_now]

OP update.

So I used it on the last batch. I got very clear wort after the trub settle.

However, as mentioned on this thread there is a lot more trub soaking up wort. I had to make a decision: at what point to stop pouing into the ferementer.
I did get trub into the fermenter wanting to maximize wort.

I then poured of the trub with a lot of wort mixed in into a narrow jar. I covered the jar and let the trub settle from the wort. I then was able to salvage about 2 pints of wort and pitched it into the main fermenter.
I am certain I got open air into it during the settling period ( about hour), but I am taking the guess that risk of infection is minimal -- since I required aeration anyways, and that a fast and furious fermentation would allow the yeast to beat out other bugs. I might just mean that I have to drink the beer a little faster.

 

[WPStrassburg]

I've used whirlfloc in just about all of my brews and love it. Great cold break, clarity, and no noticable detriments to the beer.

I run through a plate chiller with minimal cooling in the kettle and get massive break formation in the fermenter, but loose no additional beer out of the primary since it compacts down pretty good and is under the yeast cake.

The break stays together too in the fermenter as you can see by the chunks swirling around here.

Click these guys for the videos

 

[HolidayIF1488]

I also use whirlfloc or koppakleer(almost the same in my experience)and personally I enjoy watching my yeasties toss around the break. Loss of quantity dose not = loss of quality. I will try super moss in my next batch though because I do want to try it,but there is no problem with the clarity of my beer to date.