Trub (brewing)

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In the process of brewing beer, trub (from the German for lees) is the layer of sediment that appears at the bottom of the fermenter after yeast has completed the bulk of the fermentation.[1] It is composed mainly of heavy fats, proteins and inactive yeast.[2]

Trub also refers to the material, along with hop debris, left in the boil kettle or hopback after the wort has been transferred and cooled. Brewers generally prefer that the bulk of the trub be left in the kettle rather than stay in contact with the fermenting wort. Although it contains yeast nutrients, its presence can impart off-flavors in the finished beer.

A home-brewing setup showing accumulated trub, or lees, at the bottom of the carboy

References

  1. ↑ "Handbook of brewing - Google Books". books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  2. ↑ Charles W Bamforth, Beer: Tap Into the Art and Science of Brewing, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2003), p. 56.