Whirlpool and cone...

[centex99]

So... just upgraded pots and put in a whirlpool and got a pump and the first brew went pretty good... I skimmed some of hot break at first break, then didn't do anything else...
At end of boil, we let it sit for ~20 minutes for hops, removed hops (in bags), whirlpooled and cooled with imersion chiller, after chilled we whirlpooled for another 20 minutes or so and let it sit for another 20 minutes...
then slowly drained pot.
This was a 10g batch in a 20g pot... about 1.5-2" of the bottom was completely covered edge to edge in trub... there was no cone at all... pickup is just a 90 at the side of pot... which ended up working fine with the slow pull... had a bit of gunk in first few seconds but after that pulled clean wort until it got down to the ~2" mark.
The rest of it wasn't super solid as it disolved when sloshing it around, but ended up dumping it obviously. I've put tons of break/trub into the fermenter before this batch, so wasn't worried about it, but decided against it to see if it helps with clear beer... sometimes seems to take a month in the keg before the beer is very clear...

So any suggestions to changes in the process to help promote more of a cone to not leave the ~2 gallons behind? Or just account for the 2G of loss and go from there? Though a cone would still help it drain easier/less likely of getting trub in fermenter...

 

[mjohnson]

In my experience, the cone isn't all that solid. As the level of wort drops, it kind of spreads. Most of it still ends up in the center, but it will creep out to the edge. I tend to just plan for a little loss and don't stress if trub gets in (I too, just dump it all in sometimes).

An idea to try: After whirlpooling while chilling, I don't think you need to keep it going for another 20 minutes. Maybe 5 or so to just spin what got kicked up when you removed the chiller. Then wait for 30-40 minutes. For some reason, 20 doesn't always do it for me.

If that doesn't work, I'd just plan for the loss.

 

[billl]

Did you take the chiller out? Irish moss?

 

[zwiller]

I never had much luck with whirlpooling... With the exception of lagers, it all goes into the fermenter and I have no issues with clarity. That said, I use whirfloc and it does a better job than irish or super moss IMO. I use gelatine for those beers where I want the clarity to be exceptional. Make sure you are getting mash into proper pH too.

 

[centex99]

Use whirlock... and the trub was even throughout the entire bottom of the kettle after the 20 minutes... I'm not sure waiting 30-40 would magically let it be in the center... perhaps waiting less would? I'm not sure.
I took the chiller out after it was chilled and whirlpooled for 20 more minutes, then let it sit for another 20-30. I believe the pH is good...

 

[fmr_army]

When I use too much Irish moss, I get a lot of fluffily brain-like stuff that doesn't cone very well. When I use the appropriate amount (1/4 tsp), I get a good cone.

Just checking your technique here: my method for whirl pooling is to stir like crazy to get a good rotation in my wort, and then let it sit for 20-30 minutes to allow the vortex to stop. Whenever I do that (with the right amount of IM), I get a nice cone in the center. I also drain slowly because I use a gravity-fed CFC.

 

[centex99]

Maybe we used it too early or too much... we used whrilflock at 15 minutes if I remember correctly... but two tablets, reading up it seems 1 is good for a 11g batch...

 

[mswebb]

I throw in the whirlfloc at 10 minutes to end of boil. Then whirlpool for 15 minutes (tangential inlet with pump). When running over to chiller I watch and stop the pump when the cone is too exposed and starts to break toward the outlet. There will always be some level of wort left in there, account for it when planning.

 

[centex99]

Yeah, there didn't appear to ever be a cone at all... just break material across the entire bottom of pot... it stayed firm enough though that only the first bit around the pickup came out at first and it all stayed in place until the wort was down to the same level as the trub...