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psymn · 04-02-2007, 04:01 PM

I recently purchased a SS keg, and i'm planning to use it as a boil kettle. Aside from cutting a hole in the top and adding a 1/2" coupling to the side, what other modifications will I need?

I've read about the hop stopper, but the website appears to be down.

www.ihomebrewsolutions.com

Can anyone recommend a DIY project or another company where I could buy a hop filter?

Do I even need a hop filter? I use a mix of leaf and pellet hops for most brews.

Thanks,

Matt

AleHole · 04-02-2007, 04:03 PM

Check this out

made from a SS strainer

psymn · 04-02-2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AleHole

Check this out

made from a SS strainer

Are there any issues with getting most of the wort out of the kettle? Do you have holes in the copper tubing or just one on the end?

Matt

**Bobby_M** · 04-02-2007, 04:14 PM

I've made a hop filter out of raw goods, stainless mesh and lock wire. It does the job but I don't like removing the dang thing to clean it. People will naysay using nylon hop bags for lesser hop utilization but it's so much easier to clean. I may run a few more batches before I make the ultimate determination. Some of the bad cleanup experience had to do with doing it in the dark on cold nights.

If I had any advice to offer, try to build it such that it can't collapse down on itself. For example, you could use a soft copper dip tube that you run in a circle prior to having it dip down into the keg recess. This will hold the two halves of the mesh apart. Once it collapses, you lose a lot of the benefit of having a larger surface area. Since I used a rigid copper dip tube that has a 4" drop, this along with the folds I made in the shape, keep the top and bottom meshes apart really well.

**Lil' Sparky** · 04-02-2007, 04:23 PM

Yeah, you want some way of filtering the hops if you're using a valve. Especially whole hops as they'll clog your drain.

Hopstopper users swear by them, but they're 'spensive! brewhead uses one of these. I can't think of a cheaper way that would be as good.

**Bobby_M** · 04-02-2007, 04:29 PM

Yeah, I like his solution. The only think I might change, if I build one, is to make the upper ring out of a ring of metal. Maybe a large stainless hose clamp.

The only slight kink in the process that I can see is that you usually throw your IC (for those who use them) into the wort at T-15 so you'd have to take this sucker out, drop the IC in, then replace it to ready your last aroma addition.

Certainly this design allows you to make as many additions as you need to without fishing the bag out or using multiple bags, one for each addition.

**Lil' Sparky** · 04-02-2007, 04:32 PM

I don't know, Bobby. I would think you could pull the bag at T-0. Stick in the IC for ~ 60 secs to sanitize it, kill the heat, and start cooling. I don't think it takes 15 mins to sanitize your IC. Of course, if you use a CFC then it doesn't matter.

**Lil' Sparky** · 04-02-2007, 04:33 PM

Plus, that contraption is way easier to clean than a hopstopper.

**Bobby_M** · 04-02-2007, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil' Sparky

I don't know, Bobby. I would think you could pull the bag at T-0. Stick in the IC for ~ 60 secs to sanitize it, kill the heat, and start cooling. I don't think it takes 15 mins to sanitize your IC. Of course, if you use a CFC then it doesn't matter.

I'm sure you're right, but the standard answer for sanitizing the IC is 15 minutes. I think the issue is, if you drop a cold IC (~60F) into your pot, you do drop the temp down a bit. IIRC, it takes about 3 minutes of full heat to get me back up to boiling. Now we could start talking about what temp and exposure time does it really take to sanitize, but I think most would just er on the side of let it sit in the boiling wort longer.

Since I have the hop stopper, a hop bag, an IC and a CFC. I'm going back and forth trying to decide which I like using and which is easier.

**Lil' Sparky** · 04-02-2007, 05:00 PM

Well, I guess you could take 3-5 mins to bring it back up to a boil then. If the hops are removed, I don't think it's really going to change the hop characteristic (much).

If you lived down here where the ground water is already 80', I know what you'd be doing. Your IC would become your prechiller for your CFC. That's really the only way we can get the wort down to pitching temps here.