too much whirlfloc

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zodiak3000

zodiak3000

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anybody ever had a problem with adding too much? ive been adding 1 tab per 5 gallon at 15 min left in boil. after reading something today it looks like 1 tab is good for 10-15 gallons. i really dont like the aroma i get when i add it to the kettle and thought about dropping it all together. anybody get that seaweed/fishy flavor or other off flavor and decided to ditch whirlfloc?
 
zodiak3000 said:
anybody ever had a problem with adding too much? ive been adding 1 tab per 5 gallon at 15 min left in boil. after reading something today it looks like 1 tab is good for 10-15 gallons. i really dont like the aroma i get when i add it to the kettle and thought about dropping it all together. anybody get that seaweed/fishy flavor or other off flavor and decided to ditch whirlfloc?
Click to expand...

This is what my whirlfloc says.....

IMG_0854.jpg

I do 3gal boils so according to the instructions you should be fine. I've never smelled anything weird when I add it to the boil. The only thing that happens is the boil tends to get crazy so i have to watch for a boil over.
 
BansheeRider said:
This is what my whirlfloc says.....

View attachment 116777

I do 3gal boils so according to the instructions you should be fine. I've never smelled anything weird when I add it to the boil. The only thing that happens is the boil tends to get crazy so i have to watch for a boil over.
Click to expand...

Those must be extra small tablets. The typical ones, as zodiak3000 mentioned, are good for 10-15 gallons. Most of us use 1/2 a tab for 5 gallons batches. Using a whole tab won't hurt anything, but it just saves you money to use half. I've never noticed any flavor/smell from using whirfloc. Sometimes I don't use it and can't say I see any real big difference in the final product, although it makes your wort look a lot different in carboy with a lot more density gradient until fermentation kicks in and stirs the whole mess up.
 
brewit2it said:
Those must be extra small tablets. The typical ones, as zodiak3000 mentioned, are good for 10-15 gallons. Most of us use 1/2 a tab for 5 gallons batches. Using a whole tab won't hurt anything, but it just saves you money to use half. I've never noticed any flavor/smell from using whirfloc. Sometimes I don't use it and can't say I see any real big difference in the final product, although it makes your wort look a lot different in carboy with a lot more density gradient until fermentation kicks in and stirs the whole mess up.
Click to expand...

The ones I have are the size of a nickel. How big are your tablets?
 
BansheeRider said:
The ones I have are the size of a nickel. How big are your tablets?
Click to expand...

I buy these ones. I guess they are about the size of a nickle but much thicker obviously.

http://morebeer.com/products/whirlfloc-qty-10-tablets.html

edit: Actually I've never seen those ones you have. From looking closer at the pic they look much thinner than the usual ones and contain sodium bicarb and no carrageenan which I assume helps they dissolve on their own. Looks like you get a lot more in a bag as well. The ones I posted require you to crush them otherwise they take quite a while to dissolve. They're super easy to crush though.
 
brewit2it said:
These must be extra small tablets. The typical ones as zodiak3000 mentioned are good for 10-15 gallons. Typically most use 1/2 a tab for 5 gallons batches. Using a whole tab won't hurt anything but just saves money to use half. I've never noticed and flavor/smell from it. SOmetimes I don't use it and can't say I see any real big difference in the final product although it makes your wort look a lot different in carboy with a lot more density gradient until fermentation kicks in and stirs the whole mess up.
Click to expand...

yes i cant say i notice much in the final product i guess, but the aroma when adding to the kettle at 15 min left isnt that good. i might stop using it to see if there is a difference in clarity as well as if my beer flavor improves.
 
zodiak3000 said:
yes i cant say i notice much in the final product i guess, but the aroma when adding to the kettle at 15 min left isnt that good. i might stop using it to see if there is a difference in clarity as well as if my beer flavor improves.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I honestly don't see a big difference in clarity in the long run so may stop using them once I run out of my current batch. But they are so cheap and easy to use that I have been just tossing it in out of habit.
 
brewit2it said:
I buy these ones. I guess they are about the size of a nickle but much thicker obviously.

http://morebeer.com/products/whirlfloc-qty-10-tablets.html

edit: Actually I've never seen those ones you have. From looking closer at the pic they look much thinner than the usual ones and contain sodium bicarb and no carrageenan which I assume helps they dissolve on their own. Looks like you get a lot more in a bag as well. The ones I posted require you to crush them otherwise they take quite a while to dissolve. They're super easy to crush though.
Click to expand...

Yeah mine dissolve pretty quick on their own. Not sure how much they improve my beer because I still always get chill haze. However when I siphon to my keg or bottling bucket I notice how clear the beer is.
 
brewit2it said:
Yeah, I honestly don't see a big difference in clarity in the long run so may stop using them once I run out of my current batch.
Click to expand...

+1. I'm not entering any contests, so I will try my next batch without one and see what happens.
 
A Whirlfloc tab was included in an ESB batch kit I had gotten a while back, so I decided to try it (I had been using Irish Moss). Since then the Irish Moss has sat unused and each batch gets 1/2 a Whirlfloc tab at 10 min. I really like what it does.

There are some practices which will certainly compliment the Whirlfloc and provide a nicer, clear result. Chill quickly. After removing the wort chiller, whirlpool the wort and then give it a full 15 min to settle before transferring to the bucket. Cold crashing helps as well as being extra careful while moving the fermenter just before racking to keg or bottling bucket.
 
BigFloyd said:
A Whirlfloc tab was included in an ESB batch kit I had gotten a while back, so I decided to try it (I had been using Irish Moss). Since then the Irish Moss has sat unused and each batch gets 1/2 a Whirlfloc tab at 10 min. I really like what it does.

There are some practices which will certainly compliment the Whirlfloc and provide a nicer, clear result. Chill quickly. After removing the wort chiller, whirlpool the wort and then give it a full 15 min to settle before transferring to the bucket. Cold crashing helps as well as being extra careful while moving the fermenter just before racking to keg or bottling bucket.
Click to expand...

irish moss and whirlfloc are the same thing.
 
MotorcycleMatt said:
irish moss and whirlfloc are the same thing.
Click to expand...

Whirlfloc is irish moss blended with carrageenan. Not quite the same. I think the question comes down to is it close enough and does the carrageenan addition help all that much. I personally can't tell if it does or not, but that's just me
 
It's the carrageenan in the seaweed that does the job. I too first encountered Whirlfloc in the two kits I got from morebeer. I mistakenly used the whole thing in the boil & got a huge amount of break material,etc. So from now on, I'll use half a tab after getting a bottle of them & reading the label.
 
StaticEmbrace said:
Whirlfloc is irish moss blended with carrageenan. Not quite the same. I think the question comes down to is it close enough and does the carrageenan addition help all that much. I personally can't tell if it does or not, but that's just me
Click to expand...

Carrageen should be more effective than Irish moss, it's a refined version of it. That said, I've only used Irish moss, so I can't really say for sure.
 

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