Wort Chiller Strainer - I Admit It. I Stole This Great Idea.

[MacBruver]

As I've begun my AG research I came across this topic of using paint strainers to filter wort. Someone else posted this question a few topics up and it hasn't been answered. Could a paint strainer also be used as a giant grain bag for doing AG brewing? Could this eleminate the need for a bottom manifold? Just wondering.

Yup, there's tons of stuff about that. Just do a search for paint strainer bags. I'm going to be using one to do an almost all grain batch pretty soon here, with the BIAB method. Look that up too

 

[foxtrot]

I'm guilty of stealing this idea from BierMuncher about a year ago!

I've gotten fairly good results with my chiller-strainer as well, although I do encounter some batch to batch efficiency variation, by which I mean wort remaining after the siphoning. Maybe its the amount of hop pellets from one batch to another, or maybe the cone that is formed after whirlpooling is not always the same.

BierMuncher- are you whirlpooling before the chiller-strainer?

I guess I need to start straining the remaining "sludge" to maximize my gravity points!

Thanks again, BierMuncher!

 

[stevehaun]

Why do you fear the trub?? All the break protein and yeast form sediment at the bottom of the fermenter and you can siphon clear beer off the top. Interesting ideas but do they really make better beer?

 

[BierMuncher]

Why do you fear the trub?? All the break protein and yeast form sediment at the bottom of the fermenter and you can siphon clear beer off the top. Interesting ideas but do they really make better beer?

Yes................

 

[matpat]

Could the same thing be accomplished by using a smaller 4"x6" nylon hop bag clamped or zip tied to the racking cane or would there simply be too much hot break volume for a smaller bag to handle? It seems like using a smaller bag clamped or zip tied around the racking cane would be a lot easier to get into the BK than fitting a paint strainer bag around my IC and dropping them both in. I have been thinking of trying this when I transfer from primary to secondary and figured the same process might work for the transfer from BK to primary.

I know I'll be accused of "Threadus Resurrectus" for reviving this since it is almost two years old but that is what happens when you use the search function and have a question

 

[CidahMastah]

Hey BierMuncher,

Are you speaking from anecdotal experience? Or is there actual scientific proof out there to support that straining the wort will make a better beer?

Sounds like other posters believe straining it could potentially make the beer not as good as unstrained.

Just curious, becuase I get wicked cold breaks, and my fermenter looks much more cloudy than yours did, but of course it settles out w/in 12 hours after pitching.

 

[samc]

I like to leave the cold break in the fermenter.

see http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue2.2/barchet.html

 

[JNish]

Could the same thing be accomplished by using a smaller 4"x6" nylon hop bag clamped or zip tied to the racking cane or would there simply be too much hot break volume for a smaller bag to handle?:

I thought of this my last brew session and it went splendid. Probably the clearest and easiest method that I've done so far. I just sanitize the hop bag by putting it into the wort during the last few minutes of the boil. Then when I'm ready to transfer, just slid my racking cane into the bag and tied it off. The brew only had 1.5oz of hops, so I'm not sure how it would perform with IPAs.

 

[xxsn0blindxx]

Could the same thing be accomplished by using a smaller 4"x6" nylon hop bag clamped or zip tied to the racking cane or would there simply be too much hot break volume for a smaller bag to handle? It seems like using a smaller bag clamped or zip tied around the racking cane would be a lot easier to get into the BK than fitting a paint strainer bag around my IC and dropping them both in. I have been thinking of trying this when I transfer from primary to secondary and figured the same process might work for the transfer from BK to primary.

This is what I have always done, but when the wort level in the kettle gets low the gunk gets pretty thick and you have to keep moving the cane around inside the hops bag to free up the flow. I have been wanting to make a tent out of copper or SS wire to attach to the end of my auto siphon to keep the flow going, but this looks like a better option to me. I personally hate having trub at the bottom of my fermenter and do everything I can to minimize. That's used up space that could be a couple extra beers instead Using this method I get under 2 inches of trub and yeast on the bottom of a 6 gallon carboy by the end of my brews. I will definitely try this method on my next brew since I have a couple paint bags that I used to use for partial mashes.

 

[shutupjojo]

I have a false bottom in my boil kettle and before i place it in the kettle I put a stainless scrubbie in the center so the dip tube sits in the middle of the scrubbie and false bottom on top. Filters everything except cold break. I do this in my mash tun also and it filters out every little piece of grain that may get through.

 

[millsware]

I just stick a strainer bag over the tip of my auto-siphon.

Also, that is a ridiculous amount of trub in the first picture. How much beer did you actually get out of that batch?