First Time Whirlfoc Help!!!

[hirns]

I'm putting down the good Trough Lolly's SNPA partial mash for the second time tomorrow and was going to add whirlfloc at 10 minutes before the end of the boil. The pack has no instructions but from searching the forum I've found that you use 1/2 tablet for 23 l. My question is if I'm doing a 12l boil to produce 23l do I add 1/4 or a 1/2 to the 12l boil????

Hirns

[Bizier]

Good question.

Are you doing any mashing, or are you using extract?
Are you doing a late-extract reduced volume boil? i.e. adding extract at the end?

I am unsure of the answer, but these questions might aid.

[warra48]

I add a whole tablet for a 23 litre brew.

The tablets are designed to be used for a standard sized brew, i.e one from 19 to 23 litres.
I've never understood why brewers make their life difficult and skimp and cut the tablets in half for a normal brew.

For a 12 litre boil, a half tablet is fine. If you can't be arsed cutting one in half, just chuck in a whole one about 10 minutes from the end of your boil. It should all drop out with your hot and cold break etc in any case.

[hirns]

Thanks for the advice. To assist other's here is the regarding recipe. Cheers Hirns

Trough Lolly's SNPA - Partial Mash - Recipe

Batch size 21L
Boil size 12L
SG1.055 FG1.013 (Alc 5.4% by volume)

Grist
1 x 1.7kg Coopers Pale Ale (or Australian Draught) kit
1.8kg Pale Ale malt
300g Weyermann Carapils
300g Pale Munich Malt
200g Pale Crystal malt
200g Pale Wheat malt

Crack and mash the grains at a ratio of 2.3L of mash water per kilo of grains for 1 hour at 66C, stirring every 15 mins(6.44l in this case). I can (just) fit this amount of grain into one of those 6-pack eskies. Slowly sparge the mash to yield at least 12L of wort in a large stock pot.
Boil the 12L of wort for an hour with the following hop additions:

20g Chinook Pellets 12.4% A/A 60 mins
20g Amarillo Pellets 8.9% A/A 15 mins
16g Cascade Pellets 6.3% A/A at flameout/end of boil
*Adjust all the hop additions pro rata if you have different strength hops. Also note that despite the lower quantity of hops in a concentrated boil, you need to take into account that the kit already has bittering, flavour and aroma hops in it.*

Add Coopers kit to kettle at the end of boil - gently stir through to mix (don't make bubbles or you'll oxidise the boiling hot wort and chill the boil in an ice bath. Rack to fermenter when you get below 24C and add pre-boiled / chilled water (use 2L PET bottles) until you get to the starting gravity (around 1.055). Pitch yeast at no higher than 22 degrees C. US-56 is the best dry yeast for this and seal...

This should give you around 21L of very nice beer...It will make 23L of fine beer, but you lose a bit of malty complexity if you over dilute the wort.

[Tipsy]

I add a whole tablet for a 23 litre brew.

The tablets are designed to be used for a standard sized brew, i.e one from 19 to 23 litres.
I've never understood why brewers make their life difficult and skimp and cut the tablets in half for a normal brew.

For a 12 litre boil, a half tablet is fine. If you can't be arsed cutting one in half, just chuck in a whole one about 10 minutes from the end of your boil. It should all drop out with your hot and cold break etc in any case.

I've been cutting them in half and then disolving it in hot water because that's what the directions say, do you think that may be a waste of time?

[warra48]

I discussed this with Mark from Mark's Home Brew in Islington some months ago.
He is my regular supplier of all my AG needs. (I also buy some stuff from Ross).
I trust his advice, and he does know what he is talking about.
His view is that the use of only a half tablet is a mistake, and he advised me to use a whole tablet.
For the sake of a few cents, I don't see the point in cutting it in half.

[chadjaja]

Mine too said to use half a tab in 23L's and I got clear beer doing that even with pouring most of the trub into the fermenter as well. My last two batches I didn't have any tabs left and had to use gelatine to clear the beer in the keg. I'm under the impression that half a tab works but a whole tab doesn't do any harm either.

[drsmurto]

Interesting.

Both suppliers i have used for whirlfloc recommend 1/2 a tablet per 23/25L batch

Link, Link

I've always snapped them in half and have never had issues with clarity.

The cost i agree is minimal but since 1/2 does the job i don't feel the need to add more than is required.

Maybe those suggesting a whole tablet want you to buy them more often .....

[Tipsy]

Are you guys disolving them in hot water first or chucking them straight in the boil?

[drsmurto]

Chuck them straight in.

[warra48]

Chuck them straight in.

It's what I do.

I guess if y'all are happy with a ½ tablet, who am I to tell you to use a whole one.