I have been using 1/2 of a whirlfloc tablet in my 5 gallon batches for a year or so. There is a ton of conflicting information about when to add it. 5-10 minutes before knockout, 15 minutes before knockout, 20 minutes, or even at the professional level, in a whirlpool.
I came across a thread on the NB forum that referrenced an email that someone received from Brewers Supply Group responding to some questions.
1. Whirlfoc is refined kappa carrageenan with some talcs to help in tabulation.
2. pre-hydrating whirlfloc does nothing at all to increase effectiveness. In fact it's not even water soluable at lower temperatures so all you'd be doing is getting it wet.
3. most interesting: do NOT add whirlfloc any earlier than 10 minutes before end of boil. It acts immediately and at most only really needs 5 minutes in the boil. If you add it earlier you will denature the carrageenan (not quite sure what that means - anyone?).
4. The manufacturer recently has done some google searching and was surprised that it has become so popular amongst homebrewers. Their target is large breweries and they only sell it through large distribution chains so wasn't aware it was going out to LHBS suppliers in the current volume.
5. if you are adding any more than one tablet for 5 gallon batch, don't bother. One tablet is 2.5 times the dosage they recommend. For record: one tablet is 2.5 grams. They recommend 5 grams per hectoliter (2 tablets to about 25 gallons).
I checked the brewers supply group site myself and found the following.
Whirlfloc Tablets
This is a semi-refined kettle fining agent similar in formulation to Whirlfloc BWS although in a convenient rapidly dissolving tablet form. The tabletization eliminates the need for hydration and makes it particularly convenient for smaller kettle sizes.
Whirlfloc BWS
This is a powdered formulated kettle fining agent to improve trub compaction, enhance beer clarity and ultimately provide longer filter runs. It is added 15 minutes prior to the end of the boil and must be hydrated prior to addition to the kettle. Use 20-50 ppm; an optimization is recommended to determine the proper rate of use.
The little bit about If you add it earlier you will denature the carrageenan is what really caught my eye. In truth, I do not even know what that means, but generally "denature" can't be good.
On some beers, like a Dry Stout or an Oktoberfest, I turn on the chiller portion of my Jamil-o-Chiller (whirlpool immersion chiller) as soon as my boil is over. On other beers, like a West Coast Pale Ale, I make a huge flameout hop addition, and allow it to hot whirlpool for 20 minutes after flameout before I turn the chiller on. However, I still followed my rule of whirlfloc at 10minutes left in the boil. In those cases of long hot whirlpools, the whirlfloc would have been in +200F wort for almost 30 minutes.
So my thought; if according to the manufacturer, whirlfloc starts to denature if left in a hot solution (+200F) for more than 10 minutes, shouldn't you really calculate its addition based on how long it will be sitting hot instead of just at a set point in the boil?
If I am correct in my reasoning, it may explain why so many brewers have different suggestions about when it needs to be added. 10 minutes to someone using an immersion chiller vs. someone using a counterflow vs. someone using a whirlpool vs someone using an ice bath are all very different things.
Thoughts? Experiences?
Joe
I came across a thread on the NB forum that referrenced an email that someone received from Brewers Supply Group responding to some questions.
1. Whirlfoc is refined kappa carrageenan with some talcs to help in tabulation.
2. pre-hydrating whirlfloc does nothing at all to increase effectiveness. In fact it's not even water soluable at lower temperatures so all you'd be doing is getting it wet.
3. most interesting: do NOT add whirlfloc any earlier than 10 minutes before end of boil. It acts immediately and at most only really needs 5 minutes in the boil. If you add it earlier you will denature the carrageenan (not quite sure what that means - anyone?).
4. The manufacturer recently has done some google searching and was surprised that it has become so popular amongst homebrewers. Their target is large breweries and they only sell it through large distribution chains so wasn't aware it was going out to LHBS suppliers in the current volume.
5. if you are adding any more than one tablet for 5 gallon batch, don't bother. One tablet is 2.5 times the dosage they recommend. For record: one tablet is 2.5 grams. They recommend 5 grams per hectoliter (2 tablets to about 25 gallons).
I checked the brewers supply group site myself and found the following.
Whirlfloc Tablets
This is a semi-refined kettle fining agent similar in formulation to Whirlfloc BWS although in a convenient rapidly dissolving tablet form. The tabletization eliminates the need for hydration and makes it particularly convenient for smaller kettle sizes.
Whirlfloc BWS
This is a powdered formulated kettle fining agent to improve trub compaction, enhance beer clarity and ultimately provide longer filter runs. It is added 15 minutes prior to the end of the boil and must be hydrated prior to addition to the kettle. Use 20-50 ppm; an optimization is recommended to determine the proper rate of use.
The little bit about If you add it earlier you will denature the carrageenan is what really caught my eye. In truth, I do not even know what that means, but generally "denature" can't be good.
On some beers, like a Dry Stout or an Oktoberfest, I turn on the chiller portion of my Jamil-o-Chiller (whirlpool immersion chiller) as soon as my boil is over. On other beers, like a West Coast Pale Ale, I make a huge flameout hop addition, and allow it to hot whirlpool for 20 minutes after flameout before I turn the chiller on. However, I still followed my rule of whirlfloc at 10minutes left in the boil. In those cases of long hot whirlpools, the whirlfloc would have been in +200F wort for almost 30 minutes.
So my thought; if according to the manufacturer, whirlfloc starts to denature if left in a hot solution (+200F) for more than 10 minutes, shouldn't you really calculate its addition based on how long it will be sitting hot instead of just at a set point in the boil?
If I am correct in my reasoning, it may explain why so many brewers have different suggestions about when it needs to be added. 10 minutes to someone using an immersion chiller vs. someone using a counterflow vs. someone using a whirlpool vs someone using an ice bath are all very different things.
Thoughts? Experiences?
Joe
