In Reply To #1 Hmm, i've never had sludge after boiling my wort. That might mean you didn't stir it enough?

I've never had sludge either. There's always some stuff stuck to the side of my pot, and some of it does get into the fermenter. A secondary fermentation in another container gets rid of most of the sediment, however.

In Reply To #1 I'm guessing that you're using pellet hops, which can lead to a large amount of "sludge." Feel free to add this directly to the fermenter, but if the wort sits on top of that sludge in the fermenter for too long, you can pick up off flavors. Most commonly, you will get a metallic taste. To avoid this, rack to a secondary fermenter, or bottle after 7-9 days, or when fermentation is complete. A 5 gallon carboy is perfect for secondary fermentation, will clear up your brew, and you can siphon the beer off of the sludge. Another suggestion which I have not yet cared to try: filter while transferring your wort from the kettle to the primary, or from primary to secondary. Clean sterilized pantyhose work just fine. Stretch them over the top of a funnel and pour away. This mesh is fine enough to steal all the hop particles out, along with any grain you have left over.

Ah, more good ideas. And I definately haven't been stirring the wort very much. I will stir the next batch. :)

I'm with Cottrell. To cut out some of the trub I have recently sworn off hop pellets and have started using only whole leaf. It's a personal preference, but I see a whole lot less trub at the end of my primary fermentation.