Griffsta

Recipes 

I have a converted keg for a boil kettle.

What is a good way to keep the pellet hops out of my fermentor without having to go the route of an expensive false bottom?

Is there a good manifold design?

How about a SS braid?

What about just straining the wort as it exits (through a musiln bag)?

I want to keep the cost down, but have something that is good for pellet hops. Thanks.

HenryHill

Recipes 

Either put them in a fine bag in the boil, or siphon from inside a fine bag.

__________________

IrregularPulse

Recipes 

If you are using a CFC Do not figure, "I'll just siphon them as they come out of the chiller before going into the fermenter. Ruined my Best/smoothest/fastest brew day to date this past weekend. I usually use a SS mesh scrubbie around my pickup tube. Well i forgot to put it in before 4.5 Gallons were near boiling before adding my final runnings. Eh, I'll just sanitized a muslin bag and filter before going into carboy.

well about an hour and a half later I finally managed to blow all my clogs lose with my CO2 bottle, trqasnfer to a sanitized bucket, clean boil kettle, add SS scrubbie, sanitize kettle and add wort back to kettle, then run CFC as normal. Lost 1/2 - 1 Gallon of wort in the process.

So yeah, Don't do that.

I think I'm going to go back to using my hopsak suspended from the kettle. Was a PITA to use with the IC, but now that I have a CFC it will be easier.

__________________
Tap Room Hobo

I should have stuck to four fingers in Vegas. :o - marubozo

Griffsta

Recipes 

I have read that many people dont like to use the hopsack. Im not sure why...

I dont see why I couldnt just put all my hops in musilin bags and pluck them out before I chill the wort.

I use an immersion chiller.

All I want is to not have a ton of hops in my fermentor (cheaply).

SumnerH

Recipes 

I just put a strainer bag over the fermentor before I pour the wort into it and lift it (and the hops) out before pitching.

Just chill with them still in the pot.

__________________
On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

conpewter

Recipes 

I've used a stainless steel scrubie over the pickup tube to strain out hops, but I mostly use whole hops. You probably want to look into hop sacks, they are the cheapest method.

__________________
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." - V

Primary: Nothin
Secondary: Shady Lord RIS, Water to Barleywine, Pumpkin wine, burnt mead
Kegged: Crappy infected mild
Bottles: Apfelwein, 999 Barleywine, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Robust smoked porter, Simcoe Smash

usurpers26

Recipes 

Well, take it for what it's worth. We regularly make IIPAs - IBUs well north of 100, use all pellet hops in the keggle and cool the wort with a CFC.

No filter, no clogged dip tube, no clogged CFC...ever. Maybe we are just super lucky - but I wouldn't be too concerned.

conpewter

Recipes 

Don't use a SS braid to filter pellet hops. I tried that on one of my first boils (before I switched to whole hops). The braid clogged in no time.

__________________
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." - V

Primary: Nothin
Secondary: Shady Lord RIS, Water to Barleywine, Pumpkin wine, burnt mead
Kegged: Crappy infected mild
Bottles: Apfelwein, 999 Barleywine, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Robust smoked porter, Simcoe Smash

Catt22

Recipes 

Exactly the same for me. Whole hops do need to be held at bay with at least a scrubbie or screen, but pellet hops have never been a problem. I do the whirpool thing at the end of the boil and most of the debris just accumulates in a pile near the center of the kettle. Hope bags seem to inhibit hop utilization IMO.

Griffsta

Recipes 

what is this famous whilpool thing, and how do I do it?