cold break

dps51 · Apr 4, 2017

I would say it not a bad thing to let it go into your fv as it will have some good stuff for the yeast to work on

Dutto · Apr 5, 2017

Clint said:
Yep the snotty stuff that appears like magic...

The wort is circulated to minimise the bits of malt carried forward into the boiler and even though it may look "clear" it will still contain many minute bits of flour.

During the boiling process the debris in the wort (tiny bits of flour from the milling process and tiny bits of hops etc) are flocculated (i.e. clumped together) by the addition of such products as Protofloc or Irish Moss.

They are clumped together to increase their "mass:surface area" ratio which makes them more able to fall out of suspension. (Consider the size of the individual drops of water in "rain" and those in "mist" for comparison.)

The flocculants grow and fall to the bottom of the boiler as the wort is cooled. At this stage there are three approaches to dealing with the flocculated debris:

1. Ignore it and transfer everything to the FV. (The addition of a flocculant is still recommended as the debris still needs to fall out in the FV.)

2. Filter the debris out of the wort as it is transferred to the FV. (The size of the filter is a governing factor. Too large and it will be ineffective, too small and it will block up altogether.)

3. Gently "whirlpool" the wort in the boiler and let it settle before transferring the wort to the FV. (The whirlpool pulls the flocculated debris to the centre of the boiler. Allowing the debris to settle in this position can result in a fairly "debris free" wort being transferred to the FV from the outer edge of the boiler.)

As indicated by the responses to this Thread, each method has its own followers so it very much becomes a matter of personal preference. :thumb:

Clint · Apr 5, 2017

Ok thanks D. So for myself it would either be leave it in or filter through a mesh ..as I'm tipping it out of the pan.

Cheers

Clint

serum · Apr 5, 2017

It'll just fall out as the beer clears. It won't cause a problem.

If you use a bottling bucket you can leave it behind easily.

Fil · Apr 5, 2017

when building the big kettle i intended using with hop spider and full bore cfc, transfer of 100% of cold break into the FV was a concern. I raised the question and was answered by many far more accomplished brewers than I with a resounding message not to fear break material in the FV, it simply drops out as trub AND can provide the growing yeast population with many of the chemical building blocks that they need. So RELAX! on that front..

your brewday procedure is a bit rough round the edges but will soon be streamlined to fit you and your circumstances with one or 2 more brews under your belt.

NEVER Judge a brew until you have sampled a few. you just dont know till you sup, and what you now may consider a brewday cockup could just as easily turn out to be the best embellishment to the recipe that you can effect and then try time and time again to replicate...