I'm curious to know when you guys dump your trub. Do you wait for fermentation to stop? Or, do you do it when fermentation slows down?
If I’m using anything but a conical with a dump port. When fermentation is done and I’m ready to package. A conical I wait until fermentation is done as well, dump the trub then it becomes a secondary without disturbing the beverage.I'm curious to know when you guys dump your trub.
Is dumping trub beneficial if i do not plan to harvest yeast? I am debating between the fermzilla all rounder and tri-conical. With my fridge space, i only have room to cold crash in the all rounder.
All rounder: no dropping trub, can cold crash
Tri conical: can drop trub, cannot cold crash
Which is more important
I am trying to choose one or the other since i currently have no fermenters, and i do not want to buy 2, right now at least, which brings my post/question. 95% of my brews are NEIPA’s. Is the ability to drop trub more important than allowing cold crash, that decides my fermenter.Even if not reusing yeast, capability to do a trub dump is useful, especially if your brewing process puts a lot of hot break trub in the fermentor. Some say tons of solids sitting around at bottom does not matter, and perhaps that is true for some brews. But not in my experiance for what I brew.
One does not necessarily have to choose on over the other. I use an old conical with an exterior cooling coil for fermentation temp control, which is good enough for fermentation, but would be inefficient for cold crash. I rack to kegs and cold crash in them in keezer. That way I can also spund carbonate and D rest if needed before cold crash & conditioning.
I was not trying to suggest you buy two fermentors. I was saying you do not necessarily have to crash in primary fermentor if you rack to keg(s) and then cold crash in them. This is assuming that kegs will fit in your refrigerator.I am trying to choose one or the other since i currently have no fermenters, and i do not want to buy 2, right now at least, which brings my post/question. 95% of my brews are NEIPA’s. Is the ability to drop trub more important than allowing cold crash, that decides my fermenter.
Yes, exactly, ands that's where my head was at as well. I am hoping I see significant improvement by dropping yeast before dry hopping.You can't cold crash the Tri-conical because it won't fit in your fridge but the all rounder will?
So, it's more like:
A) The ability to temp control ferments and/or cold crash.
vs.
B) The ability to dump trub but NOT control temps.
I'd pick A without any hesitation if that's the situation. I suppose you can get away without cold crashing if you had to, but temp controlling fermentation is not something I'd ever suggest skipping over.
Assuming you don't want to harvest yeast, the best way to accommodate the undumpable trub is to leave as much of it in your boil kettle as possible. Chill and whirlpool in the kettle, allow for 40 minutes of settling time, then transfer to FV.
I've been toying with the idea of dumping trub before pitching, but haven't pulled the trigger yet as I'm usually scrambling to get brew day over with. I've done everything from dumping my entire kettle into my fermenter, to using a hop stopper (which took 5000 years), to now using a pump to transfer my wort (after whirlpooling). I will say, the beer I made with the hop stopper was by far the clearest wort into the fermenter, and it turned out stellar. Not sure if that was coincidental or not, but...it got the wheels turning.I'm assuming it's a conical because "dumping trub" is generally isolated to that. You should dump trub when you reach pitching temp but before pitching in the yeast. The next time you'd want to dump is just before a (post ferment) dry hop and/or a day or few hours before moving the beer to packaging. If you're dry hopping at peak fermentation for biotransformation then no you wouldn't dump.
You can't cold crash the Tri-conical because it won't fit in your fridge but the all rounder will?
So, it's more like:
A) The ability to temp control ferments and/or cold crash.
vs.
B) The ability to dump trub but NOT control temps.
I'd pick A without any hesitation if that's the situation. I suppose you can get away without cold crashing if you had to, but temp controlling fermentation is not something I'd ever suggest skipping over.
Assuming you don't want to harvest yeast, the best way to accommodate the undumpable trub is to leave as much of it in your boil kettle as possible. Chill and whirlpool in the kettle, allow for 40 minutes of settling time, then transfer to FV.
I've been toying with the idea of dumping trub before pitching, but haven't pulled the trigger yet as I'm usually scrambling to get brew day over with. I've done everything from dumping my entire kettle into my fermenter, to using a hop stopper (which took 5000 years), to now using a pump to transfer my wort (after whirlpooling). I will say, the beer I made with the hop stopper was by far the clearest wort into the fermenter, and it turned out stellar. Not sure if that was coincidental or not, but...it got the wheels turning.
I think for my next heavily hopped beer I might dump trub before pitching.
I basically doing the same thing from my Foundry, but not from the swirly arm. I use the pump and remove the hose from the swirly arm and straight into the fermenter. I actually like the idea of just using the swirly arm! BUT, by doing what we're doing we are not getting the clearest wort into the fermenter.Also want to add that I am not sure if I am transferring wort from my Anvil Foundry to fermenter the best way possible. What I do is have my whirlpool running, using the Anvil Swirly arm, with the pump on full speed throughout the cooling process. Once I reach the desired temp, I remove the immersion chiller, turn off the pump and get the fermenter ready for the transfer. Within 5 minutes I begin transferring to the fermenter, using the swirly arm as my means of getting the wort from kettle to fermenter; I lift the swirly arm out of the kettle and place it in my fermenter then turn the pump on, I keep it raised a bit to encourage O2 ingestion.
My whirlpool swirly arm is fed by the ball valve at the bottom of the Foundry, which its input opening is facing the bottom of the kettle. Is this ideal, or should I face it upward to avoid sucking up stuff that settled? Also considering letting the chilled wort settle for 10-15 minutes before transferring to the fermenter.
I'll take any recommendations others have for improving this process.
Why not just use the swirly arm attachment? It's still essentially just a hose connected to your pump, and assuming you use it while chilling, it's already connected to your pump, sanitized, and ready to go.I basically doing the same thing from my Foundry, but not from the swirly arm. I use the pump and remove the hose from the swirly arm and straight into the fermenter. I actually like the idea of just using the swirly arm! BUT, by doing what we're doing we are not getting the clearest wort into the fermenter.
It was only my second brew with the Foundry, so I'm still learning. Never occurred to me to use the swirly arm to transfer to the fermenter.Why not just use the swirly arm attachment? It's still essentially just a hose connected to your pump, and assuming you use it while chilling, it's already connected to your pump, sanitized, and ready to go.
What do you mean by "BUT, by doing what we're doing we are not getting the clearest wort into the fermenter." ?
Oh i gotcha. Yeah i am wondering if the little tube at the bottom that feeds the ball valve should be angled upwards, or sideways. I also thought about buying a racking cane and using that, so i can begin transferring from the top. That combined with letting the wort rest for a bit after chilling will allow the trub to settleIt was only my second brew with the Foundry, so I'm still learning. Never occurred to me to use the swirly arm to transfer to the fermenter.
By pumping the wort into our fermenters, we're not getting clear wort into the fermenter. We're sucking up hops/trub and pumping it right into the fermenter.
I have no clue either. I used to dump everything from the kettle into the fermenter and make solid beer, so...who knows lol. I used a hop stopper once and got crystal clear wort into the fermenter. It was once of my best homebrews. But it could have been coincidental...Oh i gotcha. Yeah i am wondering if the little tube at the bottom that feeds the ball valve should be angled upwards, or sideways. I also thought about buying a racking can and using that, so i can begin transferring from the top. That combined with letting the wort rest for a bit after chilling will allow the trub to settle
Once a beer is kegged, cooled and carbed, I would not warm it up again. Seems to go against everything we have learned as brewers.I always have a keg(s) in my kegerator. If I want to temp control a fermentation in my kegerator fridge while I have keg(s), do you think there is any harm with taking the kegs out of the fridge & sit at room temp while I do that? While probably not ideal, I am hoping to avoid buying an additional fridge for fermentation.
I know, but I wonder if its truly an issue. I’ve thought for my entire life that canned beer gets skunked if it goes from cold to warm but I’ve never noticed a difference.Once a beer is kegged, cooled and carbed, I would not warm it up again. Seems to go against everything we have learned as brewers.
Skunked is from being light-struck. I feel like hoppier beers suffer from going cold/warm/cold etc.I know, but I wonder if its truly an issue. I’ve thought for my entire life that canned beer gets skunked if it goes from cold to warm but I’ve never noticed a difference.
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