Questions after my first AG

[Mitchamitri]

Need some simple learnings after my first brew at the weekend please:

1) My "chiller" was very effective and brought it down very quickly – how long could I leave it after “chilling” before moving to the FV to allow it to settle? I ask because my filter foot (slotted copper pipe) blocked like hell, so I ended up whirlpooling and losing rather a lot of wort in the end (ended up with just over 4 gallons of beer, was planning on 5).

2) Given the above scenario I am a little concerned whether I have too much waste in the bottom of the fv – is it worth racking off?

I made the beer on Saturday, first day or two foamy on top, then clearing and nice steady fermentation – so I only want to mess with it if it will protect the flavour.

[tangoman]

What you are trying to do is chill as quick as you can then trasfer to FV straight away, get your yeast in to protect it from any infections.The settling process happens in the boiler before and during the chill.
As long as you have'nt dragged everything out of the boiler I would'nt worry too much.
Give it 10 days to ferment out then transfer as normal.

[trucker5774]

It's been some years since I was involved in AG (but planning a return) Remember to fill the FV through a fine sieve (if you didn't) this will also help with aeration as well as catching any bits

[clogwog]

I wouldn't wory too much.

I whirlpool my kettle after chilling, and allow it to settle for ½ to 1 hour before draining to the FV.

Because of our ambient temperatures here in Port Mac, I can't usually get my wort below 25ºC, even after chilling for ½ hour. I need to put my FV in the fridge overnight, and only pitch my yeast the next morning when it's down to 18ºC.

I've never had an infection doing that, but I am very particular about my sanitising.

[Earth Titan]

I chill my wort in the FV after draining off rather than cooling in the boiler.

I have an immersion chiller and putting it in the FV seems to work just fine, but I do make sure it's well cleaned and soaked in sterilising fluid beforehand.

So far I've had no worries and the small amount of trub etc. which makes its way into the FV seems to make little difference either. In fact I seem to remember reading a post suggesting a small amount of trubb should be encouraged into the FV, for best results.