20 replies to this topic

[VirginiaBeach]

Hello all,I have a 30 quart brewpot and plan to do any extract brew here real soon. I also have an immersion chiller. So here's my question:I plan on using the whirlpool method to remove most of the trub. I also plan on using irish moss to help settle out the hot break. Everything I've read on whirlpooling suggests stirring at a good speed for 1-2 minutes immediately after the boil and then letting it sit for 10-20 minutes to let the cone of trub build up, and then carefully putting in the immersion chiller. Finally I'll siphon the cooled wort off around the cone of trub.Will letting the hot wort sit for 10-20 minutes (whirlpooling) allow too much DMS to develop? Especially since it will have to sit for another 20 minutes or so with the chiller in it to cool down?Also I'm thinking the immersion chiller would work best if I was able to stir the wort a bit when it's cooling down, but since doing that will disturb the cone of trub I won't. Will this affect the amount of time it takes to cool, or is that pretty negligible?Thanks.

[VirginiaBeach]

Or maybe all my problems could be solved by simply whirlpooling after I chill the wort?

[MtnBrewer]

Or maybe all my problems could be solved by simply whirlpooling after I chill the wort?

LOL...yep. Don't forget to take out the chiller first.

[Stout_fan]

...Will letting the hot wort sit for 10-20 minutes (whirlpooling) allow too much DMS to develop?...

IIRC the ROT is to get your wort to 140°F in less than 10 minutes.Naturally this really depends upon the malt type and boil time.But like I said it's a ROT.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I always put my IC in the boiling keggle 15 minutes before flameout to make sure it is sanitized. The wort also chills faster if you whirlpool while chilling.

[MakeMeHoppy]

I notice a significant increase in the temp of the water exiting the chiller if I stir while it is in use so I'm confident stirring is the way to go. I always put the chiller in the wort the last 15 monutes to sanitize and then start chilling right after flame out. I stir the wort for about 20 minutes with the chiller running and when I get down to about 80 degrees I pack ice around my kettle and give it a good whirlpool and cover. I remove the chiller and start cleaning up and in about another 20 minutes the wort is ready to rack to the carboy. I use one of those plastic keg buckets to put the kettle in and put ice that I froze in tupperware containers around the kettle with some water and it works well.

[tag]

DMS is only a concern when brewing with very pale pilsner malts. And even then, most of it is removed with a 90 minute boil.

[Big Nake]

I would recommend Whirfloc or Supermoss if you have access to it. These products have been described as Irish Moss on steroids and they work MUCH better at getting things to settle. After the boil I will use my IC and stir constantly... it takes about 10 minutes to get the wort from boiling down to around 70° or so (depending on the season). Because I'm stirring, the wort is whirlpooled and a cone forms. Then I usually place the brewpot in an ice bath for 20-30 minutes to get the temp lower and to allow things to settle further. Then I rack from brewpot to primary getting about 4 gallons of ultra-clear wort before I begin to suck up some of the particulate in the brewpot. Some of that lands in a strainer on top of the primary and some gets through to the primary. It will all settle out later in secondary anyway. Good luck & cheers.

[CaptRon]

This has me thinking that there could be something very simple devised that is like a lid that you can put on your brewpot that has notches for the IC to stick out of, but has a motor on top, a stem and stir paddle that you could just turn on during the chilling so it did the whirlpooling for you. I did the whirlpool thing last time I brewed and I quickly got tired of stirring the wort (Yep, I'm that lazy sometimes )

[Big Nake]

This has me thinking that there could be something very simple devised that is like a lid that you can put on your brewpot that has notches for the IC to stick out of, but has a motor on top, a stem and stir paddle that you could just turn on during the chilling so it did the whirlpooling for you. I did the whirlpool thing last time I brewed and I quickly got tired of stirring the wort (Yep, I'm that lazy sometimes )

I will say right now that chilling is one of the things I look forward to the least. I really don't like it. The IC is clunky and awkward, you need to constantly stir, I'm always concerned about a gust of wind blowing nastiness into the brewpot, etc. Baddog, maybe you could invent something that would rid us all of this tiresome chore!

[VirginiaBeach]

When you guys stir during the chilling, do you worry about the pot being uncovered? Any way around this?

[CoastieSteve]

When you guys stir during the chilling, do you worry about the pot being uncovered? Any way around this?

Yes, but it's worth it. The way around it is to waste a great deal of time and water while you keep the lid on without stirring. My tap water is 81 degrees so once the wort is down to about 85 or so (open stirring of 5.5+ gals of wort with the immersion cooler in place), I transfer to a carboy that I immerse in ice water. I then stir until the wort is down to 68 to 72 degrees.

[Big Nake]

I chill in the garage and my overhead door is open about 1 foot and the backdoor is slightly open because the hose is coming in from back there. If the wind blows that back door open and I get a gust of wind, I am generally paranoid that the wort could get some bacteria in it. But I have been doing this for a very long time and it doesn't seem to be an issue. I have the brewpot open and I'm stirring the whole time & I don't get bad batches from this. I was at a bud's house for a brewday once and when the boil was done, we placed the brewpot in a snowbank for about an hour while everyone stood around and drank each other's homebrew. I kept saying... Are we asking for an infection just leaving that there like that? but no one seemed concerned and the beer ended up fine.

[DubbelEntendre]

Once I get my pump, I am going to upgrade my chiller to this set-up for easy whirlpooling. No Stirring necessary. https://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php

[MakeMeHoppy]

If you are worried about having the lid off you can put foil over the kettle and just constantly move the chiller up and down to keep the wort moving around the coils. Probably not as effective as stirring, but can be done. I should also note that I chill in the house so I'm less worried about wind blowing bacteria into the kettle while I'm stirring.

[jayb151]

You know, I can't remember where but I heard of someone using one of those paint stirers to creat a whirlpool. Sounds like a neat idea, but I'd also be worried about the "wind" from the drill throwing in nasties.

[Big Nake]

Matt: Yeah, it does seem to make a difference and if you were to make some gold lagers, you need all the help you can get to keep things clean. My guess is that keeping all of that stuff out of the brewpot has a number of benefits... your yeast sample will be cleaner if you decide to reuse it, the beer will be cleaner looking and possibly cleaner-tasting, and I think that getting all of that stuff to settle out will reduce chill haze too. My hunch is that most of the Schputz® at the bottom of the brewpot is hops and some of it is break material, but if tannins and proteins cause chill haze by reacting, I wonder of getting the clearest possible wort into the brewpot would greatly reduce the chance of hazy beer. I'm not a scientist, clearly... just a brewer! Cheers!

[Big Nake]

yes,siphoning off of the "Schputz®" as you call it,has resulted in the clearest beer I have ever made before...and I have been repitching the same lager yeast as well.(no need to waste ALL that good slurry!) It is as clear as any commercial beer I've ever seen no question,with no filtering of course. Just cold lagering,whirlfoc, and kettle siphoning.Works great!

Agreed. I think that the resulting beer is cleaner, clearer and just better. The harvested yeast usually looks very white and smooth, with no chunks in it. I agree, I have had some brilliantly clear beers using this method and once you make it part of your normal process, it doesn't seem like that much extra work. Cheers!