Clarifying the wort

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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dliput
Light Lager
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Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:19 pm

Clarifying the wort

Post by dliput »

I am a bit unsure about clarifying my wart. First of all i have not done it with any of my brews yet, so what are the advantages of this. Secondly, i have been reading about it a bit and im a little confused about the actual process. So as i understand it, you need to make a bed of grains to filter the wart through, however ive been using mesh bags to contain the grains. Do I not use the mesh bags if im going to filter the wart? If someone could outline the process, it would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Dan
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Legman
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Post by Legman »

Dan, you didn't specify if you were doing all grain or extract with grains. I haven't done any all grain yet, due to the fact that I don't have the room for all the equipment. So I've been doing partial mash using about 4 pounds of grain and the rest extracts. But basically the same steps are taken.

I mash my grains in the boiling pot. After mashing, i pour the whole mess into a bucket using a nylon mesh stainer (paint stainer I bought at Lowes for a couple of bucks). I have a spigot at the bottom of the bucket which I pull off some of the wort and run it back over the grain bed a few times, then sparge with the rest of my water for the boil. To sparge, I've just been using a big plastic bowl with a bunch of small wholes in it so the water slowly seeps out, and let it completely cover the grain bed. Then drain.
Maybe not the best way to do it, but it's been working fine so far. I've been getting about 85.5% mash efficiency with this.

I've also been adding Irish Moss to the boil and leaving it in the primary for 3 weeks. So far with this method, my brews have been coming out crystal clear. Good hot and cold break also contributes to the clarity of the final beer.
Some use a secondary fermenter, but that's just one less thing I have to do. My method has been working just fine so far.

Making a clear wort doesn't effect the flavor of the beer. It's mainly appearance. My first 10 batches or so, I didn't really care about the clarity of it. It was all about the flavor and learning about what ingredients contribute what to the beer. Now I'm working more on color and clarity.

John Palmer's , How to Brew has got some great info. Check it out online for free @ howtobrew.com
dliput
Light Lager
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Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:19 pm

grains

Post by dliput »

I havent started all grain yet, but im going to soon. So your grain isnt contained in a mesh bag when you are filtering the wart through? When Im making my wart, i have the grains contained in a mesh bag, should i take them out to make the grain bed or can i just filter the wart over them when they are still in the bag? What is a hot and cold break? One more thing, how do you check and calculate the efficiency? Sorry about all the questions, ive only brewed two batches so far and the more i do it the more i need to know. Im reading a brew book, but its not great with the details.


Thanks Legman

Dan
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Legman
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Post by Legman »

Sounds like your doing extract brewing with specialty grains. With specialty grain, your not really getting alot of fermentables from them. Mostly color and flavors come from those, so using them in a grain bag should be just fine. I wouldnt think you would really need to do much with specialty grains other than steep them and just pull them out of the wort.

When I do my partial mashes, I mash the grains with no bag. Then pour all of it through an open mesh bag and run the wort through that. Then sparge with water @ 170 F.

Hot and cold break are probably the most important part of getting your beer clear. These are basically the point where the potiens clump together and fall out of the wort. Hot break is obtained by a good vigorous boil. And cold break is basically cooling down the wort as quickly as possible. I use an ice bath in my sink. It usually cools the wort down in about 20 mins.

I've only been brewing about 8 months now and I feel I've learned alot. The one thing to keep in mind, is that there is alot of conflicting information out there. It get confusing sometimes. The best way is just to try it and if it works for you, then do it.

Goto howtobrew.com
Great info there.
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