Keg Trub

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by OldBrewer, Mar 23, 2019.

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  1. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Regardless of what beer you make, you always end up with some trub in the keg.

    After settling for some time, the first quart or two pulls out a lot of the trub from the bottom of the keg. Then the beer starts to look more clear. However, even after most of the beer has been drawn from the keg, there is still a lot of trub in the bottom, as you will notice when you have finished the keg. Minute portions of this trub may continue to be drawn for the life of the kegged beer.

    Sometimes, when moving the keg out of the keezer, for example when you are using your keezer to ferment a new beer at a higher temperature, and say putting it in the garage where the temperature is cold, after pulling a beer, you will notice that a lot of the trub has come back into your pour, and the beer will once again become hazy.

    Thus there is always trub in the bottom of your keg, and there's no guarantee that your beer will be as clear as it would be if there was no trub at all in the bottom of the keg.

    My question is: what do others do to minimize this constant supply of trub that will always be in the bottom of the keg and constantly contribute to "some" amount of haze, regardless of how perceptible it may be?
     
  2. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,782) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Trader

  3. Arturo2

    Arturo2 Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2019 Oregon

    It’s simple.
    The less trub you put into your fermenter the less you’ll get in the keg.
    I use whirlfloc and my boil kettle has a dam. That removes 95+%.
    Yeah you lose some volume but just calculate for it.
    After fermentation I cold crash the fermenter. That makes the rest settle down before you transfer.
    I get maybe a tbs of trub in the bottom of my keg and none is ever tapped.
    It is completely doable and very easy if you take your time.
     
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  4. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    In addition to other already mentioned processes, use a more flocculent house yeast, treat your kegs like nitroglycerin, and don't go crazy with the hops :grimacing:

    Keg trub is not that bad if it stays in the keg.
     
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  5. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

  6. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    I always drop the temperature to just above freezing before I transfer to a keg. yet, I still get a fair amount of trub.
     
  7. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    That's the problem - it stays in the keg, but that means a little is always picked up. It might not be noticeable, but it's there. It's a problem not too well recognized yet, and easily dismissed. Much of the trub could be yeast, so even if the hop trub is removed prior to kegging, you still have that yeast trub. That's the purpose of this thread - to find a way of removing the trub after kegging.
     
  8. Arturo2

    Arturo2 Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2019 Oregon

    Proteins, hop particles etc...
    Almost all of that can be knocked out with whirlfloc and a dam.
    The yeast settles down well for me in a conical fermenter.
    My draw tube is above all the sediment and I only transfer cold.
    Occasionally use gelatin. Dry hop in a sock.

    I don’t know of a way other than time, temperature and gravity to clear it.
    That’s why I go out of my way to keep as much as I can out of the fermenter in the first place.
     
    #8 Arturo2, Mar 24, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2019
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  9. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    The pick up tube floats at the top of the liquid, instead of being fixed to the bottom, where yeast and other particulates may have settled. I never used one, so cant testify to their helpfulness..
     
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  10. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    That seems much more efficient than picking it up from the bottom. However, it means that there's no way of removing some of the trub initially, so a significant amount of trub stays in the keg for the duration,
     
  11. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,782) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I tend to agree with @Arturo2 and try to keep as much yeast/trub out of the fermenter as possible by transferring cold, etc. The main reason that I started using the floating diptube was so that I could dry hop in the keg with loose hop pellets and not worry about clogging.
    With non-hoppy beers, IMO this does help with clarity when the yeast in suspension drop out, as the beer is drawn from the top. The difference in residual beer left at the bottom is negligible compared with a standard diptube. The main disadvantages are cost and a few extra parts to clean.
     
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  12. billandsuz

    billandsuz Pooh-Bah (2,097) Sep 1, 2004 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    I do not think I get too much trub in my kegs. Dry hop, yeast and haze most definitely but very little from the boil or fermentation makes it to the keg.

    I do cold crash and use gelatin. Sometimes it works a little too well, depending on the style.

    The gelatin will form a gel at the bottom of the keg and even a modest amount of disturbance keeps everything locked up pretty well.

    Also, as said eloquently by @GreenKrusty101 treat your kegs like they are nitroglycerin.

    Edit
     
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  13. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Well, if it's important enough to you, you could filter the beer on its way into the keg.
     
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  14. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    Yes, this was my back-up plan. I was hoping for a less involved solution. No matter how little yeast/trub deposit there might be in the bottom of the keg (I also go out of my way to reduce as much trub as possible in the fermenter, and also cool the wort close to freezing before transferring it to the keg), it can't be avoided, and remains there until the end, and even a little shaking of the keg can disturb this layer enough to give a slight haze to the beer (and a yeasty taste). I discovered that when I had to move the keg, even though I was carefull not to disturb it while carrying it.
     
  15. Arturo2

    Arturo2 Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2019 Oregon

    I’m really surprised you’re getting enough trub to be concerned based upon your techniques.
    Try gelatin if you haven’t already. Like @billandsuz says, it creates sort of a gel seal over the top of the sediment and really sticks to it.
     
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  16. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    I do use gelatin. I'm not convinced that it provides a seal, since it didn't require much moving of the keg to shake it up.
     
  17. KeyWestGator

    KeyWestGator Savant (1,159) Jan 21, 2013 Florida
    Trader

    I think you already know your solution. Don’t move the keg. If it’s because you need the space and you feel that strongly about eliminating it in your pours, buy another freezer/keezer/chamber.
     
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  18. NeroFiddled

    NeroFiddled Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,276) Jul 8, 2002 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Another option is using Kerry Biofine Clear prior to racking. It can take some time, and it's weird in that it works a little differently with each beer, but given time it'll drop everything out.
     
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  19. OldBrewer

    OldBrewer Maven (1,385) Jan 13, 2016 Canada (ON)

    I think you hit the nail on the head. I have to spend more time before kegging to ensure that as much yeast has dropped out as possible. That means keeping it at near freezing for a longer period of time, and using finings in the fermenter. Unfortunately, that means that the yeast I harvest will be filled with finings.
     
  20. NeroFiddled

    NeroFiddled Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,276) Jul 8, 2002 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yes, problematic. I pull all of the yeast I need for another brew after crashing for a few days and only then use the Biofine. You might be able to re-pitch that but I wouldn't try it.

    I'll also point out that trub is generally thought of differently than just residual yeast so maybe that's why some responded about kettle finings. I pull off trub, just a little bit, as soon as fermentation slows. It'll be darker and more chunky. From that point on it's all yeast.

    Also, one more note, more for professionals who are dealing with utility costs, but beer is at its densest at 40F so dropping to 32F is really a bit of overkill. The yeast will drop just as well at 40 as it will at 32. If you were talking about a 100 bbl fermenter that's a bit of cash you could save.
     
    #20 NeroFiddled, Mar 24, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2019
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