Pump chumps and oxygenation masturbation
Brett Hetherington
I'd like to take the time to explain a procedure I've been using to
transfer wort from the brew kettle to the fermenter that ends the need for
a pump, banishes the fear of clogged siphons, and has the advantage of
thoroughly oxygenating the wort as a bonus.
It is very simple. Instead of pumping or siphoning the wort from the brew
kettle to the fermenter, I use a 3 quart pan to ladle the wort into the
fermenter.
I use whole hops, but pellets in a hopbag would work with this procedure
too. If possible, put the bag of aroma hops into the strainer to act as a
filter for the excess break material.
The equipment you need are a 3 quart pan with handle, stainless preferred,
a stainless steel kitchen strainer and a big funnel. For sanitization, a 5
gallon bucket with a gallon of no-rinse strength iodophor solution in it.
I start by soaking the strainer in iodophor, and rinsing the pan and funnel
in it too.
After the boil, I give the wort a cursory whipping with my whisk as usual.
I then begin to ladle the wort through the strainer and funnel into the
carboys I use as fermenters. I let the wort drop from at least 1 foot so
that the flow through the strainer is vigorous and turbulent.
I'm left handed, so adjust the next procedure accordingly.
To minimize the risk of infection, I dip my left hand into the iodophor
solution and grasp the handle of the sterilized pan firmly. The pan handle
never leaves my sweaty little left palm until the transfer is complete. I
dip my right hand into the iodophor whenever neccessary.
As the strainer fills with the whole hops, I squeeze the wort out with my
right hand and deposit the handful of hops into a convenient receptacle. If
I need to tip the kettle, pick my nose, or scratch my butt during the
transfer, I always make sure to dip my hand back into the iodophor, before
squeezing the next handful of hops.
I do not worry about any stray bits that might get into the fermenter since
they always settle out.
That's it! This procedure is a whole lot faster than siphoning, way
cheaper than a pump, and oxygenates sufficiently enough that I can
underpitch yeast with no worry of excessive lag time or stuck fermentation.
You can safely pitch a 5 gram sachet of dried yeast or an expanded smack
pack with good results due to the adequate oxygenation provided by this
method.
Hey now, if you're a gadget head, knock yourself out! But if you want a
procedure that is simple and effective, try this. It works!
-Brett
MDixon
Brett Hetherington <sa...@fax.com> wrote in message
news:Xns934AF2F...@216.148.227.77...
You do know they make a big AutoSiphon don't you???...;)
Cheers,
Mike
Jack Erbes
<mpdixon@_no_spam_ipass.net> wrote:
>You do know they make a big AutoSiphon don't you???...;)
>
>Cheers,
>Mike
>
I know those rock, do they handle high temperatures too? The Fermtech
page is a little light on specifics.
I bought the "High Capacity Model" (1/2" racking tube) with my last
order of goods but have not used it yet. It does not say if it is
okay for just boiled wort kind of temperatures so I probably won't use
it for that.
It is quite a monster in size, 1" O.D. on the tube and pretty damn
long. I am thinking I may want to shorten the thing about 5 or 6
inches.
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MDixon
Jack Erbes <jac...@midmaine.com> wrote in message
news:7b948v40ufjiv4js2...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:06:08 -0500, "MDixon"
> <mpdixon@_no_spam_ipass.net> wrote:
>
> >You do know they make a big AutoSiphon don't you???...;)
> >
> >
>
No, they are not made for temps much above warm......
Cheers,
Mike