Quick qu on whirlpooling / hop stands using Grainfather and aeration paddle

[Dilettante Brewing]

Just wanted to get people’s views on this. I’m currently brewing a NEIPA which calls for a 30-minute whirlpool with 200g of hop pellets. I’m using the Grainfather and also have the aeration paddle. Surely I can’t be expected to keep the aeration paddle spinning for 30 mins with a drill! What do people do? Just use it for a few mins at the start and end of the whirlpool? Or do it for a shorter time? Also anyone have any views on the merits of using hop socks given the 200g of hops? I don’t normally these days, but just conscious of blocking the filter. Cheers!

 

[DavidB]

My thoughts would be get it on the drill, get a good whirlpool going then leave for 30 minutes to let everything settle out.
No point in keeping the drill going. I don't think that you will be improving the whirlpool rather you will be turning it into a blender!

But I agree that it is all a bit ambiguous.
Is there any whirlpool hops added? could the 30 minutes relate to leaving the hops for 30 mins before whirlpooling?

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Thanks DavidB, this is sort of what I did in the end. Although I spun it for probably nigh on 10 mins at the start of the 30-min whirlpool period and then close to 10 mins at the end too. There were 200g of whirlpool hops added at the start. My theory was inspired by making cafetière coffee - you always stir the coffee grounds immediately after adding the hot water. I then did it again at the end to try and gather the hops together and stop them blocking the filter. Although in reality this probably just got them all in suspension again. Either way it sort of worked in as much as I was able to get all the wort out of the Grainfather without the pump filter getting too clogged.

Now to see whether all the nice fruity esters are present in the end product...

 

[Martin O]

I would normally reduce the temperature of the wort to around 80 using the counter flow chiller. At that point add the hops and whirlpool for a couple of min then leave for 30mins or so before transferring

 

[chillipickle]

Does the grainfarther not have a whirlpool arm similar to the brewzilla?
https://brewkegtap.co.uk/collection...ducts/brewzilla-whirpool-arm-fits-35l-and-65l20 mins whirlpool and 10 mins stand and there is a really nice hop cone in the middle.

 

[Dilettante Brewing]

Thanks Martin O - and good point about chilling - I also chilled to 80C before starting the whirlpool.

@chillipickle - unfortunately no the GF does not have such a handy looking attachment as that. You have to do it manually (or by holding a drill with the aeration paddle attached). There could be an opportunity to produce such a thing or maybe this one would fit?

Seems like the consensus is to create a whirlpool for a few mins at the start and then leave the hops to settle out for the remaining time. So that’s what I’ll do next time I think.