small batch chilling question

[Blues N Brew]

i down sized my brew batches to 2.5 -3 gallon and i ferment in 5 gallon corny kegs, the way i chill my wort is just fill the sanitized keg with boiling wort(bottom up no splash) and put the keg in a ice batch, swirling periodically chills very fast 20-30 mins max, question is is there any real negative side effect to leaving all the break material gunk into the fermenter or should i really put in a effort to leave it in the kettle, cheers

 

[Zambi]

You are going to get much more informed replies...
But I pour everything into my fermenter after cooling as well.
But I transfer to a keg after fermentation or I bottle.
Only issue I can see is too much trub in your keg. So you need to make sure you can still pour a clear beer (floating dip tube?)
Or, if you would keep it too long on the trub you might get a dead yeast off flavour.

That is assuming you ferment and carbonate in the same keg

 

[Sandy Feet]

It depends on what you are brewing and what you like. For just about any ale, I don't see any problem assuming you can cool it that fast and you don't mind beer that is a little chunky and not clear. I don't filter crap with an ale, and I am fine with that. I did try to leave less trub with my lager, but you can do that with a kitchen strainer in a funnel. Pre fermentation, you WANT oxygen. You splash and shake the shit out of the fermentation vessel. Post fermentation is where you do NOT want oxygen. Your first couple of beers from the keg are going to be quite chunky.

 

[Craigerrr]

No side effect whatsoever to my knowledge, it will all just settle to the bottom. There are things you can do to help your beer drop clearer, but there is no harm whatsoever in trub going into your fermenter.

 

[Zefram]

a) Welcome to the party!
b) I see no real issues with your game plan. I've heard some suggest excessive hop material can pass along some off flavors, but I've not experienced that myself (disclaimer: I love hops, so might not have noticed).

 

[Blues N Brew]

a) Welcome to the party!
b) I see no real issues with your game plan. I've heard some suggest excessive hop material can pass along some off flavors, but I've not experienced that myself (disclaimer: I love hops, so might not have noticed).

thanks for the welcome glad to be here

 

[Josh Hughes]

All sinks to the bottom anyway. Some people say it helps clear it actually.

 

[Sandy Feet]

After thinking, I might need to modify my post. I would probably cool the kettle first and then transfer the wort at a lower temperature to whatever you want. Unless you have the proper equipment to transfer liquid heated at that temperature, you are either going to melt stuff, hurt yourself, or both.
Once the liquid is cool, you can place the kettle at a higher elevation than the keg and drain, pitch, seal the kettle, and place whatever you are using for an airlock/vent on it.

 

[Minbari]

I don't skim either, never have. Don't see any down side so far

 

[Mark Farrall]

...is there any real negative side effect to leaving all the break material gunk...

There's a lot of opinions about this one, but it always seems to me to be a balancing act. Some of that break material will be used by the yeast to have a healthier fermentation, while some of it may contain materials that will change your flavour in ways you weren't planning.

If you go for a very clear wort, it will be less likely to carry over something that will change taste, but will have less nutrients for the yeast. So for clear wort you need to pitch plenty of healthy yeast. If you go cloudier you just have to accept your risk and hope the healthy fermentation allows everything to drop out and then focus on not transferring anything unfriendly during packaging.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I follow the Germans in this one. I try to get the least amount of trub in the fermenter. I guess I couldn't tell you is it makes a huge difference, but it does reduce some undesirable material from the beer like hops and excess proteins. As Mark mentioned, you are going to get a lot different answers depending on who you ask.

If you're going to transfer at boiling or near boiling temperatures, it is wise to avoid aeration (hot side aeration). Once it's cooled, then aeration is beneficial to the yeast.

 

[Donoroto]

I also try to limit the trub into the fermenter, but with only minimal effort. I have not found much difference from when I got really intense about it, so I don't worry on it.

 

[Zambi]

so I don't worry on it.

I like the way you think.

I pour everything into the fermenter, except hops & spices

 

[Megary]

I also try to limit the trub into the fermenter, but with only minimal effort. I have not found much difference from when I got really intense about it, so I don't worry on it.

Agree. I auto-siphon whatever clear wort I can into the fermenter, but by the end I'm always transferring a fair amount of trub. Then the siphon clogs and I end up dumping the kettle until I hit my volume. I leave behind a good bit of gunk, but I certainly don't worry about whatever I did transfer.

 

[Gnarishnakh]

I also recently downsized, to 1.25 gallon batches. I fill my sink with water and empty my icemaker tray into the water. I bought 3 ice cube sheets from Amazon, and I spray them with star san before dunking into my hot wort. Typically, my wort is below 70° in 10 minutes. After boil I have 1 gallon going into my fermenter. I got the cutest 1 gallon keg, which fits nicely in a dorm fridge.