After the boil I want the wort out of the BK, and into a chiller asap. (Doing multiple batches and tying up the BK slows me down.)
Also, I want the chiller to be fast, and have a conical bottom so I can easily separate the wort from the trub, with a minimum of loss. The outlet of the BK is about 20" above the ground so we will have to go “uphill”…
Ideally, I would pump it into a stainless, jacketed, 15 gallon conical vessel, with chilled water/glycol running through the jacket…
Problems…
Temperature. Is there a pump that can handle 200º wort? How about hoses?
Cost…
I have found plastic conical vessels, but they are good for 140-170º and I hate pushing the limit on that…never knows what end up in your beer…
When the wort cools, undisturbed the hops and hot an cold break all sit nicely in the bottom as the green spooge layer (hops, pellets no bag) and the protein…lets say it looks like cauliflower. The wort is nice and clear.
If I were to, immediately after flameout, run the wort through a plate chiller, whilst stirring so everything goes through there, and then into a conical vessel and let it sit, would, at the lower temperature the hops and proteins still settle out?
I guess I don’t understand what the problem is - if you use a (CFC or PC) + Pump, you can be chilled and in the fermenter in <10min for a 10gal batch. Are you running that tight a ship that 10min is crucial?
No, right now it’s taking an hour plus. And, I end up throwing out a gallon of wort in the bottom of the keggle to keep out the trub. So, I’m solving two problems at once…
Clogging a plate chiller is not something I want to experience…
The way to avoid clogging the chiller is to whirlpool (which I believe Paul does) for about ten minutes prior to chilling. This will add ten more minutes to the process but will avoid clogging the chiller.
Homebrewers march pump.
Duda diesel for plate chillers.
Whirlpool for 10 minutes let settle for 10 minutes.
You could also use a strainer before chiller.
Those are about $150 thou.
The last thing. More sophisticated equipment you have
more time you will spend cleaning it.
OK, ordered a stainless conical vessel with lid today… Will give it legs, the mother of all cooing coils inside and a dump valve at the bottom. Get the march pump to pump wort from BK to WC (Wort Cooler) right at flame out. Cool and drain the trub from the bottom of the cone, then fill the buckets…meanwhile the BK has been rinsed out and is receiving the next batch. I should be able to take 2-3 hours off my double-double batch brew day…
Often I whirlpool while I’m chilling with the thermenator. The wort in the pot is still around 200 degrees so I have no issues keeping the beer swirling with a stainless spoon for most of the chill untill there’s just a little beer left.
A hopback such as the Blichmann Hop Rocket can also be used to keep gook out of the plate chiller.
If I read this right, you are buying a conical simply to cool wort? there are much cheaper (and easier to clean/sanitize) ways to chill wort than that.
Not buying a 'spensive conical fermenter, If it’s called something else and not brewing related it’s suddenly cheaper… and not just chilling. Chilling AND separating the trub, while freeing up the BK…
10g from boil to ale pitch temp in 10 min here. Therminator, gravity feed(2 ft. of head), self fabbed hop strainer(214 sq. in area), give the wort a good swirl. No worries about trub to fermentor(mostly cold break, tons of hot break left in BK), never a hint of a clog. I could probably use all pellet but haven’t yet. Lotsa 10g IPA batches w/8-12 or more oz of hops in boil and have used 1- 1 1/2 oz whole hops to aid in straining. As always, YMMV.
OK it’s done… Just put it all together. Was going to use a service cart, but not enough height to gravity feed into the buckets. (I like the splashing for aeration purposes.) So I’m walking around HD and see saw horses with extendable legs…nice and tall! That was it… Did water only runs today, brewing tomorrow. Will see how that pans out.