cooling, cold break and my beer...

[Teej]

Question on cooling, hopping, trub etc....

OK, so my next brew is going to be my first time out with an "external chiller"....(Shirron plate) instead of an immersion (or ice bath on my first runs)

Obviously I'd like to prevent as much hop junk & hot break as possible from reaching the chiller. To this end, the hops will probably be in a hop bag hung into the boiling brew.

1. Should I, in addition, whirlpool the wort in the kettle? If so, how...vigorous...should the whirlpooling be? Obviously HSA is to be avoided, but should it be "whirling" fast enough to look like a waterspout is forming, or....

2. Hop times....If I throw aroma hops in 5 minutes before shutting off the heat and let a whirlpool settle for 10 minutes, will this not pretty much turn my 'finishing' hops into 'flavor' hops?

3. Cold break. I'm planning to pump (venturi pump) the wort through the chiller into a sanitized, CO2ed corny keg. I expect the extremely rapid cooling will make far more cold break than I'm used to. I realize "some" cold break provides good yeast nutrient...but it is probably not the greatest to leave ALL of the CB in the fermentor...right? Since the exposure to atmosphere will be extremely limited...should I let this settle for a few (2? 8? 12?) hours and then separate the wort from most of the trub before oxygenating and pitching....or just "RDWHAHB"?

I haven't made a firm committment yet, but I believe the beer will be a lagered (another first for me) doppelbocktoberfest.



T

[corkybstewart]

I never worry about cold break in my fermenters, I use a CFC. I whirlpool my wort for a minute or two, but I don't take the paddle out of the wort while I'm doing it. I then let it sit while I go turn the water on for the chiller and pour the starters into the fermenters.So it sits about 5-10 minutes before I pump it through the chiller into the fermenters. But I don't CO2 the fermenters, the yeast need a little air to get going. Also how are you fermenting in a corny? There's no headspace unless you are only brewing 3-3.5 gallons. I use my cornies for secondary all the time, but there's no krausen to wory about.

[Teej]

Oh I fully intend to oxygenate before pitching. The corny would be full of CO2 because it will be the HLT during the sparge. Just making sure I don't splash the beer through anything that could infect it.

I know (anecdotally) that bunches of people have fermented plenty in cornies using only one of the QDs as a blowoff/airlock hole.

I'm not firmly committed to that, but I am reasonably committed to not moving a full carboy around. I figure worst case I can pull the beer into the corny to settle....set a carboy up in a desired fermentation location (ie my beer fridge...) and push the beer in there, off the cold break.

I've broken one carboy already...fortunately it was only full of water. Breaking one full of beer is NOT something I'm looking to risk.

T

[corkybstewart]

[ I figure worst case I can pull the beer into the corny to settle....set a carboy up in a desired fermentation location (ie my beer fridge...) and push the beer in there, off the cold break.

That makes sense.

[HarkJohnny]

duh! why amd i not doing this!

i've been carrying carboys full of sweet wort from the garage (unattached) at least 50 feet to the house, down the steps and into the basement for the past year or so... cornys... so much easier and then just push into a carboy once into the basement!

i have seen the light... hallelujah! :D

[Teej]

Yeah, well, I only just thought of it this week. Not like I've been doing it for years. :)

Be careful if you push it back out of the carboy with CO2 as well (as I intend to do). I suspect it would not be wise to put more than a coupla PSI inside unless you relish the idea of an overpressure carboy explosion.

Sure, it looks like nice thick strong glass...but just think about the tiny tap on the outside it takes to blow one up when it's full....

[mookow]

Originally posted by HarkJohnny
duh! why amd i not doing this!

i've been carrying carboys full of sweet wort from the garage (unattached) at least 50 feet to the house, down the steps and into the basement for the past year or so... cornys... so much easier and then just push into a carboy once into the basement!

i have seen the light... hallelujah!

I used to transport my kettle up the garage steps, down the main steps to the basement, across the full legnth basement to the utility sink... but now I just walk the kettle to the side of the house, hook up my CFC to the hose outlet, and siphon through the window. It is SO much easier, faster, and there are no more burns in the carpet where I had to set the kettle down :p .
Oh, and the siphon works much better with a 10' drop between kettle and carboy.
Seriously.
Think before you brew.

[Mad Scientist]

Teej,

Use some irish moss or whirlfloc in the last part of your boil, so that you get good settling and coagulation in the kellte. Whrilpool for about two minutes like Corky said. you should see good movement, and an ALMOST cone forming (mine usually gets the depression in the center), and do not take the spoon out. I use one of those cheap metal scrubbers that are available at wally world. I have been using the copper ones (use once and toss), but in chatting with corky, he says that the stainless variety will last for a long time. I am thinking I'll a trip to home depot and look for a stainless braid that will likely need no replacement.

As far as using a Shirron, I do not reccomend letting it get clogged. I have one, and having to blast it clean with the water hose and re-sanitize on the fly is no fun. it does on the other hand cool like a champ, and the compactness of it is great.