When should I whirlpool for a clearer beer?

[Beer Viking]

Someone said that they do a whirlpool at 15 mins to flameout. Do you just do one or keep stirring until flameout?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

That should probably be 15 minutes AFTER flameout, or atleast that's my opinion. You want to whirlpool as the wort cools to help the solids move to the middle if your kettle as they begin to dropout of suspension. Depending on how your chilling your wort. This will help the ability to transfer more clear wort to your fermenter.

 

[RM-MN]

Do you really want clear wort or do you want clear beer? Clear wort is not needed for clear beer. Dump it all into the fermenter and give it time to settle out after fermentation is over.

 

[DuncB]

I have a pump running through my CFC and back into kettle as whirlpool.
End of boil pump through CFC with no cooling water, I monitor temp at the return point to ensure the CFC gets hot enough.
A few minutes of this often brings kettle temp down to 80C.
If not a little cooling does the trick ( do turn off cooling).
Then add whirlpool hops with pump on.
End of whirlpool cooling back on chill for a few more minutes to drop bulk of kettle temp. Then pump off and let it settle for a few minutes and then cooling on and transfer into fermenter.

 

[Deadalus]

I have a pump running through my CFC and back into kettle as whirlpool.
End of boil pump through CFC with no cooling water, I monitor temp at the return point to ensure the CFC gets hot enough.
A few minutes of this often brings kettle temp down to 80C.
If not a little cooling does the trick ( do turn off cooling).
Then add whirlpool hops with pump on.
End of whirlpool cooling back on chill for a few more minutes to drop bulk of kettle temp. Then pump off and let it settle for a few minutes and then cooling on and transfer into fermenter.

OP was not asking about whirlpooling hops.

 

[DuncB]

Same whirlpool procedure but skip the hop addition and chill during the whirlpool time( after the sanitise phase ) Then stand and pump out through CFC.

 

[Kickass]

On my 5 gallon homebrew system, I have not found a correlation between clear wort and clear beer. Some even suggest some trub is actually beneficial to yeast health and fermentation.

If you want clear beer, time, temperature and gelatin are the ticket. At least, in my brewery.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Some trub, sure, but all of it.. no. Leave behind what you can but be stingy and get all your liquid out. I agree that time, temp control and finings are key to clear beer, but starting with clear er wort helps. So whirlpool for 15 minutes after flameout and leave the majority of the junk behind, it's good practice, but, don't get worked up if some of the trub makes it's way through.

 

[Barão]

whirlpool in Brewzilla gen 4 is not recommended due to the center hole in the pot ?

 

[Ninoid]

I pour the wort into the fermenter through a strainer and since then I have crystal clear beer and no problems with clogging when bottling. Of course, it also takes enough time for fermentation and yeast settling (usually two weeks with standard Ale yeasts). I have made a few beers with Whirpool hops (hand stirring), but I did not notice a difference in the clarity of the beer.

 

[DuncB]

What type of fermenter do you use?

 

[Ninoid]

What type of fermenter do you use?

Plastic bucket.

 

[DuncB]

Plastic bucket.

I use a clear PET fermenter and the cold break is visible at the bottom of the cone after an hour or so, no hops but the only way you would stop the cold break getting thru would be to use a paper filter. However the yeast metabolises it all.

 

[Ninoid]

I use a regular tea strainer. However, if you're dry hopping, a strainer won't help.

 

[DuncB]

Then you will be transferring some break across but don't worry about that at all.

 

[Willy]

After the boil or say, the last few minutes of the boil, I begin my whirlpool (Brewzilla, Gen 4 with HED bottom accessory) and let it do its thing while I cool the wort. Turn off the whirlpool after 10-15 min and give it a chance to settle, no whirlpool for 10+ min. By this time - my wort has usually dropped to below 95°F and the cooling rate slows. Whirlfloc tablet also helps clear it up by clumping stuff which sinks.

My hops form a thick paste on the HED bottom - not perfectly clear but mostly quite beautiful and lovely.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

I manually whirlpool. At flame out, I take my spoon and stir for 30 seconds then wait for about 20-minutes. The wort falls clear and a nice hop/trub cone is left on the bottom of the boil kettle. I do it because I use a plate chiller and want to minimize the debris that may go through it. Make sure you account for the extra IBU's in you recipe.

 

[Barão]

After the boil or say, the last few minutes of the boil, I begin my whirlpool (Brewzilla, Gen 4 with HED bottom accessory) and let it do its thing while I cool the wort. Turn off the whirlpool after 10-15 min and give it a chance to settle, no whirlpool for 10+ min. By this time - my wort has usually dropped to below 95°F and the cooling rate slows. Whirlfloc tablet also helps clear it up by clumping stuff which sinks.

My hops form a thick paste on the HED bottom - not perfectly clear but mostly quite beautiful and lovely.

thanks

 

[kohalajohn]

What type of fermenter do you use?

I use a corny.