Whirlpooling and protofloc

[Pigster]

Hi,
Couple of questions on whirlpooling. David Heath recommends this so I use the GF whirlpool paddle in an electric drill for about 5-10 mins of a low setting.

But... do all beers need or benefit from this (guess not as would be challenging in bigger breweries).

Are any styles best left alone (definitely don’t whirlpool).

And I usually whirlpool at the end of the boil. If I add a protofloc tablet or Irish moss say fir the last 15 mins of the boil will the whirlpool just mix it all up again and defeat the object??

Cheers!

[PeeBee]

Whirlpooling for the main purpose it was intended for? That is: Separate the fluffy hop pellet debris from the wort? For this purpose I'm fast returning to the conclusion it's essential! Strainers, filters, hop-spiders, etc. just do not work for hop-pellets, although I expect to hear from people who think differently.

An aggressive whirlpool might break up hot-break clumped with the help of Irish Moss, but it won't make the hot break dissolve and it will clump together again to some extent. Irish Moss just multiplies the difficulties of using strainers with hop-pellets.

"Styles" best left alone"? No particular "style" but beer not using hop-pellets are probably best left alone (i.e. don't whirlpool; no point).

Some very coarse strainers (like used in a Grainfather) may not clog with hop pellets and no whirlpool, but that just means some debris makes it to the fermenter (where it will drop out anyway).

[McMullan]

David Heath? The PooTuber clown of home brew? I suspect that spanner would recommend whirlpooling with a prosthetic, if he was a prosthetics salesman for a prosthetics wholesaler in Norway.

There’s absolutely no style of beer that depends on whirlpooling. It’s merely a technique used by professionals brewing at commercial scales, to increase yield primarily. At home brew scales it’s something of a pretence. If using protofloc or similar to separate kettle solids from wort just let things settle for a little while, as the key is gravity not p*ssing around with a pretence of whirlpooling.

[Jocky]

I’m with McMullan on this one. You’re going to need to let everything settle anyway, so just let all the break and hop matter settle out and then drain from above the line of solids.

Whirlpooling will only gain you a few ml of beer on a home brew scale compared to doing that.

[PeeBee]

… You’re going to need to let everything settle anyway, so just let all the break and hop matter settle out and then drain from above the line of solids. …

Good point, I didn't include "just let it settle out" in my list of "strainers, filters …" etc. But! The outlet for my tap has a dip-tube (and strainer) that would dip below the level of hop-pellet sludge. And some folk have bottom draining taps (but they're doomed anyway as the whirlpooling creates a debris cone right over the central drain!). But the big boys will use "real" whirlpooling whereas the best we can do is coax most of the sludge into the middle to improve separation. I'm not even sure that will work in my big boiler with whacking big element sticking out in to the flow.

But the very best solution is: Get over the obsession with hop-pellets and use whole hops which naturally assist the separation of debris rather than hinder it. Remarkably this was the advise from years ago, what changed to make us use pellets again?

But some pellets in amongst whole hops should be handled okay? Having discovered "BBC pellets" I don't really want to go back to potentially cardboard flavoured American "C" whole hops. What do I want to use American hops for anyway? There's plenty of UK and European hops available.

[Jocky]

My kettle has a dip tube at the side of the vessel too. I’ve learned to not worry too much about some hop pellet sludge getting through.

I let everything settle, then throw out the first 250-500ml or so until it runs mostly clear. It then runs clear until I get down to the last 2 or 3 litres.

[Trefoyl]

I agree with PeeBee and McMullan. Pellet hops are a necessary evil because whole hops are very hard to find in the US. I let it settle for 30 minutes and I have a bazooka screen with a muslin grain bag over it. The best solution I’ve found and I use it for whole hops too, but the wort is crystal clear with whole hops.

[barneey]

Brew carried out yesterday, GF30, 23l brew, protofloc at 15min & recirculate, 10g leaf, 100g pellet. End of boil recirculate until temp reaches 80c (turn on cold water supply to CFC), at 80c transfer to FV.

G30, False bottom & spring filter used.

Not a whirlpool in sight or needed.

[Cobnut]

I like the look of that spring filter. Where'd you get it from?

[barneey]

https://www.bacbrewing.com/en/8-parts-for-grainfather

Will sell you a whole set up.

Mine however is just the springer filter coil used with a made up blanking piece one end & the original black piece of silicone from the existing GF filter.