Whirlpool WTF...

I whirlpool as I am chilling. It doesn't work either so I am curious to hear other peoples techniques.

 

try a tab of whirlfloc. it will have your wort crystal clear 10 mins after chilling/whirlpool.

 

After chilling pull the chiller, stir the wort until you get it spinning. Then let it settle for 10-15 minutes. Oh, as mattbk said, use Irish moss, whirl flock, supper moss to get the break to coagulate.

 

I run my wort through a paint strainer. This takes care of most all break material.

 

how long is it taking you to chill? whats the temp of your groundwater? i always have very, very clear wort using this procedure. then again, i live in buffalo, ny and my groundwater is frickin' freezing, mr. bigglesworth. i can chill using an immersion in 5 minutes in the middle of winter.

 

If I had the setup for it, I would love to modify my kettle to be able to recirculate using a march pump from the spigot to an elbow fitting towards to top of the kettle. I'd have the elbow fitting placed under the boil volume level to discourage hot side aeration + immersion chiller.

 

that doesn't seem so bad. not sure what your issue is.

 

whats your water profile look like? especially the calcium

 

That's some super soft water. Make sure you are adding brewing salts, especially enough to raise your calcium level to a minimum of 50 ppm. Here are some generally recommended ranges:

Calcium: 50-150
Magnesium: 10-20
Sodium: 0-150
Chloride: 50-150
Sulfate: 50-350

 

Brewed a German Pilsner last weekend that was essentially a SMaSH: 22lbs Weyermann Pils, bunch of Hallertau. As usual the boil turned into egg drop soup, but it was my first time trying to chill down to lager temps in my new home. City water temps here in Cincy are in the low 50's.

I whirlpool with an IC and a pump, and at first I had lots of frustration getting a good cone. My keys to success: 5 minutes whirlpooling, no less than 20m rest. In practice, my IC is in the kettle until pitching temps, then it and any other objects/bags are lifted out for the whirlpool; that starts the 5m countdown. After that, turn off the pump, let it rest, and then knock out.

 

Yeah, Portland water is RO quality. You might need minerals added.

I hate your quality water! <sarcasm>

I see you are using 5.2. Many think it only works for certain waters, a little. Do you have a pH meter to check mash pH? Or strips?

 

Some are questioning the Calcium levels listed, as many brewing waters for lagers are less than that. You would want that level for ales so the yeast will flocculate better. In lagers, you have the cold temps in lagering dropping the yeast out.

 

That what I've got going on now.. Turn on the pump and recirc it for hopstands, chilling, and then pull chiller and roll with it.