Questions on Whirlpooling

[davidgrace]

I’m considering a couple of beer recipes that require a 20 minute whirlpool. A google search came up with the following: “… use a big spoon to stir persistently in a circular motion in one direction. This will generate a mini-whirlpool. Stir the wort at a good clip for one to two minutes and allow it to rest for 10 to 20 minutes before draining the wort into your wort cooler.”

Other searches suggested stirring for the full 20 minutes.

Questions:

Should I stir for just 2 minutes and then let the wort rest for 20 minutes or stir continually for 20 minutes?

I only have a basic plastic paddle, so would I need to buy a more bulky paddle to get a good stir?

What would be the consequences for the brew if I ignored the whirlpool altogether and just did a hop stand at 80C for 20-30 minutes?

 

[Braufather]

I would Just do the hop steep. At 80c you will get about the quarter ibus compared to boiling so factor that in.

 

[Redwulf]

The purpose of the whirlpool is to let the trub settle out of the wort so it doesn't end up in your Fermenter. If you're using something like a Grainfather with a side port then a good Whirlpool will make a neat little pile of Trub in the middle of the kettle and keep it out of your pump, siphon etc.

A lot of recipes call for a hop addition in the whirlpool but the effect is pretty much the same if the wort is moving or standing still. The key thing as Braufather said is to drop the temp a bit before you add the hops to the kettle to maximise the flavour and aroma and reduce the bitterness.

For example:
I use a G30 and mostly use a large hop spider in the kettle. Once the boil has finished I normally reduce the temperature down to the low 80's and add the hops to the spider and let it stand for 10-20 mins. Once the hop stand is finished, I remove the Hop Spider and take my big metal spoon and stir the wort clockwise for 20-30 seconds until its moving quickly and then let it be for 10 mins before I pump it out the fermentation vessel leaving a neat pile of mess in the middle of the kettle.

 

[davidgrace]

I would Just do the hop steep. At 80c you will get about the quarter ibus compared to boiling so factor that in.

I assume you mean add extra hops in during the hop stand. If I only get a quarter ibus that means adding quite a few more grams of hops at that stage.

 

[davidgrace]

The purpose of the whirlpool is to let the trub settle out of the wort so it doesn't end up in your Fermenter. If you're using something like a Grainfather with a side port then a good Whirlpool will make a neat little pile of Trub in the middle of the kettle and keep it out of your pump, siphon etc.

A lot of recipes call for a hop addition in the whirlpool but the effect is pretty much the same if the wort is moving or standing still. The key thing as Braufather said is to drop the temp a bit before you add the hops to the kettle to maximise the flavour and aroma and reduce the bitterness.

For example:
I use a G30 and mostly use a large hop spider in the kettle. Once the boil has finished I normally reduce the temperature down to the low 80's and add the hops to the spider and let it stand for 10-20 mins. Once the hop stand is finished, I remove the Hop Spider and take my big metal spoon and stir the wort clockwise for 20-30 seconds until its moving quickly and then let it be for 10 mins before I pump it out the fermentation vessel leaving a neat pile of mess in the middle of the kettle.

Thanks. Very helpful.

 

[The Baron]

I do a lot of whirlpool/hopstands and put my hops in a spider then put the pump on and point the outlet towards the spider but not in it to give some movement around the spider.
I generally do anything below 80c and factor in the IBU's with a online calculator like Brewers Friend.
I even do below 70c when I want less IBU's too

 

[Braufather]

I assume you mean add extra hops in during the hop stand. If I only get a quarter ibus that means adding quite a few more grams of hops at that stage.

sort of, I meant do the hop stand instead of the whirlpool ( unless you are planning to whirlpool anyway to collect trub as above. But be aware you wil still get bitterness on top of your boil hops If you are using any. Maybe post the recipe if you can?

 

[davidgrace]

sort of, I meant do the hop stand instead of the whirlpool ( unless you are planning to whirlpool anyway to collect trub as above. But be aware you wil still get bitterness on top of your boil hops If you are using any. Maybe post the recipe if you can?

The recipe is for BeaverTown Gamma Ray from a friend. I tried to attach the whole recipe, but it wasn't accepted, so I just got the ingredients using Windows 10 snipping tool.

 

[davidgrace]

The recipe is for BeaverTown Gamma Ray from a friend. I tried to attach the whole recipe, but it wasn't accepted, so I just got the ingredients using Windows 10 snipping tool.
View attachment 65301

 

[davidgrace]

View attachment 65303

 

[Braufather]

Looks like the whirlpool hops can just be a stepp/hop stand instead- also looks like ibus are included here already so all good (as long as your volumes are the same.)

i need to have a go at this again. i did it last year and it had potential, any flaws it had were down to my process so defo need to give this another try.
also the water adjustments would need to be adapted depending on your water.