floydmeddler wrote:I used to recirculate the mash too but find this is now unnecessary. I've found that the trick to clear wort into the fermenter is simply protofloc and time. Allowing the wort to settle after chill down for 30 mins allows the proteins to coagulate and settle on top of the hop bed. The drain off is a bit cloudy at the beginning and at the end. The big middle part is crystal though.
Check out the pics on this brewday post:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=47727
Recirculating is a satisfying process though. Used to love watching the wort getting clearer and clearer...
+1 on Floyds top tip!
I used to spend ages and ages recirculating at every step to get clear beer. I stumbled upon the same as above when using an immersion chiller. After cooling is done, remove the chiller and pop a sanitized lid on the boiler. Leave the wort to settle for between 30 mins to an hour while you get on with tidying up. When I run the wort off to the FVs now, there's about half a litre to a litre or so of cruddy wort - don't chuck it though as the crud quickly settles out. Clarity right through until near the end of run off when a few hop seeds sometimes appear.
Bish bash bosh, job's a goodun. I sometime pour the first run off, after it's settled, into the Fv too, avoiding the settled crud from going but allowing abit of the cold break material in for a bit of additional yeast fud! Otherwise, use that run off for your next yeast starter.
After primary is over and a couple of days diacetyl rest I move the Fvs to a cold place - or drop the temp depending on what else is sharing the FV cabinet and what stage of fermentation it's at - and leave them a couple of days to settle. Transfer to secondary FVs and leave them in the cold for another 4 days or longer depending on when I can get them bottled. Transfer from secondary and batch prime in the bottling buckets, bottle.
4 days in the warm, good clear beer. 7 days longer in the cool, very clear beer. No finings other than Protofloc in the boil at 15 to 20 mins from flameout.
