whirlpoooooling

[lost identity]

i dont understand how a whirlpool woorks. i looked at the articles on byo but i have a few questions. once the hot break and hops collect in the center, do you remove them? if not, how does one ensure these particles do not get transfered with the luscious wort? is this something that i just have to see to believe?

i transferred 11 gallons of wort into 2 6.5 gln carboys last night, and there is way too much trub in the bottom. i would like to prevent this in the future and i understand whirlpooling is the way to go.

on another note, i am starting to worry that my yeast is sinking to the bottom with the trub and is having a difficult time getting started. ever since i started all-grain brewing, my lag times have been rather long. is this possible?

[dparsons]

Some trub is good for your beer. It carries nutrients for the yeast. I didn't got the whirlpool to work for me (tried all of once). I use whole hops and put them in hop bags. They come out much easier that way. Everything else goes in the carboy. I rack to secondary after a week. The trub has settled and is easy to leave behind at this point.

As for the lag times, there are a number of possibilities. Different yeast type, not a big enough count at pitch, temperature off, the yeast are in a bad mood ... What yeast are you using? Have you changed yeast? What process do you use before pitching? I make a starter and have it going before I brew and going strong before I pitch. I haven't had any long lag times since I started doing this.

[lost identity]

in response to lag times, i pitch one vial of white labs per 5.5 gallon batch. i buy only the freshest yeast possible as i work at the LHBS and have access to the freshest around. i pump oxygen into my wort via an oxygen stone and a canister of pure oxygen.

as for the yeast type, i almost always switch it up. this time around i split the batch, german ale and a frisco lager. (never used them before) as you probably know, these yeasts both work in the mid sixties so i figured, perhaps wrongly, to pitch the yeast around 167/168.

this is my first go at a lager yeast, and i decided to try and ferment it around 55 degrees in my refigerator. soooo, i put the primary in my fridge and when i woke up this morning it was down to 48 with no signs of fermentation. im guessing i went wrong here.

as for the german ale, it went into the basement (60-62 degrees). also to cold to start fermentation??

as this didnt work for either of them, i decided to play it safe and bring them both in my room where the temp is around 68 to help facilitate fermentation. the altbier is going as we speak but the frisco lager is still stagnant. its been just over 24 hours. ill wait til the morning and then bring the altbier in the basement where it can ferment under ideal conditions. as for the frisco lager, i hope it starts up soon.

hopefully i answered your question.

making a starter is always a safe way to go. but normally i just dont have the extra time.

[Mad Scientist]

Yeah, a starter would have helped.
How long do you aerate for? I usually just use an aquarium pump, and let it go for an hour or so.... Lager yeast have longer lag times, and pitching in the upper sixties should have been OK. Did you let the yeast tubes warm up after you took them out of the fridge?

As for you process of removing the wort from the kettle, are you using a immersion or a plate/CFC? Spin the wort for a good two minutes or so--really get it moving. And you can do this without splashing. After you whirlpool, do not move the kettle--at all. Also, once the whirlpool is finished, you need to let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes (or more), I usually use the time to maker sure my chiller and primary are properly sanitized. If you use an immersion, whirlpool after you remove the chiller, or with the chiller in, but do not remove it. I get cold break material in my fermenter, but nothing that racking at the end of primary won't take care of. As far as preventing trub and hop debris, use a stainless steel chore boy scrubber or buy a bazooka tube. If you are having to pour your wort out of the kettle, you can strain it, but it will not help that much--or at least as much as you like, but a whirlpool beofre doing this will get a bunch of the crud to collect in the center such that it stays in the kettle.

It really does collect in the center if you do it right!

[lost identity]

thanks for the reply,

in response to the yeast question, next time ill be sure to make a starter . this was my first go at a lager and i forgot a starter is highly recommended.
i aerate for about a minute with pure oxygen.
as for the vials, they were both out the fridge for 4 or 5 hours.
i pitched another vial of frisco lager this morning. i havent been home yet. hopefully, fermentation comenced.

as for the whirlpool question, im using an immersion chiller. will a whirlpool work with the immersion chiller in the kettle? the coils are wrapped tightly around one another and i dont see the trub/hot break/hops (whatever that stuff is composed of) as being able to collect in the center. so i think i will try to whirlpool after the wort is chilled and the chiller is out. tomorrow, weather im brewing so ill post how the whirlpool technique went for me.

also, is a bazooka tube effective if i am using pellets or is it only good for leafs?

thanks again, this clarifies the whole whirlpool thing quite a bit.
ill keep you posted on the lager.

[Mad Scientist]

My understanding is that it will work, but I don't know, as I do not use one.....