So i just finished my first all grain…went for a roughly 3.5 gallon batch using biab. I say rougly as I lost alot due to boilover
I haven’t stepped up to using a wort chiller, so this was chilled with an ice bath. The extract batches I’m used to have left considerable amounts of trub in the kettle, which settled fairly well, and I could manage to dump most of my wort while leaving the trub in the kettle.
This biab batch had almost no settled trub compared to what i’m used to. I’d say the ice bath cooled to aroun 75 in about 30 minutes…which is about usual. Most of my bittering hops were shot out of the kettle in the boilover…so that could be the reason for at least a bit less.
Is there a considerable difference between extract / all grain and kettle trub??
I think i may have found part of the answer. My brewing assistant for the day decided he would stir the wort as it cooled…this happened while I ran 3 blocks down the road to get ice. Perhaps the stirring kept everything in suspension. Funny how this things come “up” when you ask pointed questions on the lack of trub in the kettle :evil:
Next time…sober assistant and don’t run out of ice!
I think you are definitely right though that the loss of a lot of your hops to the boilover would also play a part in the low amount of trub. Letting the wort settle for a bit after the stirring would have dropped most of them out of suspension.
When I did ice bath cooling I stirred constantly but gently to get the fastest cooling then a couple of spins to get a whirlpool going and 5 minutes for it to settle.
If your hops got tossed out during the lead up to hot break (the foaming part) then you might not have any/much stuff left in the bottom. Careful heat control up to hot break will prevent boil over.
Just a tip for cooling down your wort in a sink and saving a little money. Don’t use any ice until you get the wort down to at least 100F. It’s very easy to get it down that far with some light stirring and draining the water and refilling every 5-10mintues. I can usually get it down to 100F in about 10-15min. The last 30-40˚ is tough. That’s when I add fresh cold water and ice and let it sit for a little while.
I’ve been cooling this way for a little over a year, somewhere around 30 batches. I’ve tried no ice, ice early, just ice late… etc. I’ve found adding ice early is a big waste. It melts away right away. Adding it once the temp gets down around 100F, it will last until your wort is at pitching temp. I now only buy 1 large bag of ice and don’t use it till nearly the end. Draining and refilling the water early and frequently is key.
So dumb question…the whole whirlpool thing. Is that just constant stirring to center the trub in your kettle?
Hypothetically if my unsober assistant would have stirred more vigorously it would have worked better?
Thanks for the ice tip, dobe12. That’ll save a bit of ice next time!!
[quote=“dsidab81”]So dumb question…the whole whirlpool thing. Is that just constant stirring to center the trub in your kettle?
Hypothetically if my unsober assistant would have stirred more vigorously it would have worked better?
Thanks for the ice tip, dobe12. That’ll save a bit of ice next time!![/quote]
It helps concentrate the break material in the center of the pot. It also helps cool the wort quicker. If you give it a good stir while cooling and then let it sit for in a cold ice bath for maybe 15-30min, the break material will all collect at the bottom and near the center of your pot. I then siphon off the cooled wort form the top down. This helps siphon quicker and keep most of the break material in the pot.
[quote=“dsidab81”]So dumb question…the whole whirlpool thing. Is that just constant stirring to center the trub in your kettle?
Hypothetically if my unsober assistant would have stirred more vigorously it would have worked better?
Thanks for the ice tip, dobe12. That’ll save a bit of ice next time!![/quote]
I just give it a few turns with my mash paddle so it is going round and round, then don’t disturb it till it stops moving and the trub moves to the middle of the mass as it is heavier than the wort.
+1 on water in the sink till you get to 80-100F or so then add the ice. When your wort is 200F and the tap water is 70F there is a huge temperature difference so the heat moves faster the larger the temperature difference.
