34 replies to this topic

[davelew]

Staling, oxidation, maybe haze.

I recently brewed a tripel which sat on trub for 2 weeks before I racked it to a secondary for 6 weeks before bottling. I ran the beer through a fairly coarse screen when it went into the primary, in order to remove large chunks of break material that might clog my transfer hoses. I don't think the screen removes any starch/protein/polyphenol haze compounds. Here's a photo of the tripel. It doesn't look hazy to me...I still believe that whirlpooling is a waster of time. Trub in the fermenter leads to healthier yeast and better hop aroma, and hasn't caused any problems in my experience or in the experiences of anybody who has done side-by-side experiments that I've read about.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Right now I use the paint strainer bag but this thread has me thinking I might just switch to colander or maybe one of those mesh metal colander type things instead just for ease of cleanup.

[earthtone]

I used to rack religiously, whirlpool it and let it settle then rack off the top...... these days I just dump through a funnel. If I use whole hops I hold them back with a spoon. If I use pellets, I try and leave them in the bottom but some get in. I have experienced no loss of quality with this process, in fact now that I use gelatin and have my keg system dialed in my beer is clearer and tastes better than it did before. Funnel. it's easy if you don't have a spigot.

[BrewerGeorge]

so people that drain from a bulkhead - do you have a screen or something on the inside of the kettle to filter out hops that won't clog up?

If you use whole hops, you can use a screen or a FB. I don't use anything though, I just stop when it looks like it is getting a little thick in the tube.

There is really no substitute for a spigot. Oh, other methods work, but nothing works as easily and well as a spigot. I used a Denny-style braid for a long time, but switched to a Bazooka Tee when I got a good deal on it. I would say it works slightly better than the hose braid. I have the Tee set up so it draws from the very side of the keggle.Using the Bazooka or braid means that you have to use whole hops almost exclusively. I can get away with up to an ounce of pellets if I have an equal or greater amount of whole hops along with them. I would definitely not try to use pellets exclusively.If you want to use pellets, you need to set up some kind of diverter plate and whirlpool. There is some kind of device available for sale (can't remember the name right now) that supposedly allows the use of pellets from a central drain.

[Big Nake]

I still siphon with an SS racking cane with a clip on it. I get about 3½ to 4 gallons of ultra-clear wort but then I do get some schputz at the end. It seems like a good way to keep as much of the break material in the brewpot as possible. The problem I have with the Autosiphon is that it doesn't have a clip. So if you wanted to keep the bottom of the cane above the schputz in the brewpot, you'd have to hold it or fashion a clip of some kind. I just have a standard 10-gallon Polarware stainless pot that has no spigot. I also like to reuse yeast so I like to keep the schputz in the primary to a minimum. I think everyone does this their own way... not a bad thing. Cheers.

[tag]

Here are some good articles from the Brewing Techniques magazine on hot and cold break:https://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue1.4/barchet.htmlhttps://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue2.2/barchet.html

[MakeMeHoppy]

There is really no substitute for a spigot. Oh, other methods work, but nothing works as easily and well as a spigot. I used a Denny-style braid for a long time, but switched to a Bazooka Tee when I got a good deal on it. I would say it works slightly better than the hose braid. I have the Tee set up so it draws from the very side of the keggle.Using the Bazooka or braid means that you have to use whole hops almost exclusively. I can get away with up to an ounce of pellets if I have an equal or greater amount of whole hops along with them. I would definitely not try to use pellets exclusively.If you want to use pellets, you need to set up some kind of diverter plate and whirlpool. There is some kind of device available for sale (can't remember the name right now) that supposedly allows the use of pellets from a central drain.

I had pretty good luck using nylon hop bags for pellet hops. Some still gets through, but most of the hops mush is still in the bag at the end of the boil. Just pull them out before the transfer. For my transfers I am pretty happy with letting the wort settle for 15-20 minutes and then using an autosiphon.

[BrewerGeorge]

I had pretty good luck using nylon hop bags for pellet hops. Some still gets through, but most of the hops mush is still in the bag at the end of the boil. Just pull them out before the transfer. For my transfers I am pretty happy with letting the wort settle for 15-20 minutes and then using an autosiphon.

Absolutely right. I forgot to mention bagging pellet hops, but that works, too.

[Deerslyr]

Absolutely right. I forgot to mention bagging pellet hops, but that works, too.

I stopped bagging pellets when I perceived that I wasn't getting good utilization out of them. I don't discriminate the type of hops (Pellet or Leaf) based on the fact I've got the same offset Bazooka screen that you use. It seems to drain just fine. I have a March Pump putting it through the chiller. Again, my hop utilization was "perceived" to be low. I feel that it has gotten better now that even the pellets are allowed to float freely through the boil.

[nitroglycerin11]

the issue I have with just dumping in pellets is that they tend to come out of the wort and cling to the sides of the pot above the boiling wort so I hate to keep knocking that ring of hops down into the wort so I use bags.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I modified my own keggles with weldless fittings and a spigot. I bought a hose with a stainless braid on it to use as a filter for hops and such. Works great. I have Denny's Rye IPA in primary in the fridge right now and its clear as a bell.Cheers,Rich

[Spoon]

When I have to use pellets I use those nylon booties you get when you go to the shoe store. I will grab a handful when I follow the wife in. I can get about 4 oz of pellets in after a slight stretch. I fish them out when done and toss in garbage.

[Deerslyr]

I modified my own keggles with weldless fittings and a spigot. I bought a hose with a stainless braid on it to use as a filter for hops and such. Works great. I have Denny's Rye IPA in primary in the fridge right now and its clear as a bell.Cheers,Rich

I've got Denny's cold crashing right now... I'm thinking my next brew session will be Friday night, at which point I will transfer to a keg. We'll have to compare some notes.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I've got Denny's cold crashing right now... I'm thinking my next brew session will be Friday night, at which point I will transfer to a keg. We'll have to compare some notes.

I think I messed up my hop editions a little, and I never added anymore hops to the fermentor, so I think it won't have quite the presence that Denny would want.That and my pallet isn't that great. If something is strong enough I can probably describe it, but subtle flavors will likely be lost on me.Cheers,Rich

[Deerslyr]

I think I messed up my hop editions a little, and I never added anymore hops to the fermentor, so I think it won't have quite the presence that Denny would want.That and my pallet isn't that great. If something is strong enough I can probably describe it, but subtle flavors will likely be lost on me.Cheers,Rich

I need to go back and look at the recipe. I never dry hopped it! However... all is not lost. I can dry hop it in the keg prior to carbonating it... and at that point bottle some of it.