New way to control Pellet Hop gunk!

swackattack said:

So what are your feelings

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I feel that the niners need to do a better job crushing the ravens

Quick dump and rinse with the hose and both are good as new!

So the long and short of this is: the 400 definitely let more hop gunk through but didn't circulate the wort any better (IMHO) there was no boiling going on in either basket although you could see roughly equal movement in both baskets. The 400 probably drained quicker but I couldn't tell because the lid was on. Luckily my false bottom caught most of the gunk as none of it really made it into my plate chiller so cleanup was really a snap. Both baskets were equally loaded with 17.5 oz of pellets each and stirred vigorously at each addition. My druthers would be to opt for the 300. I think the 400 will work fine for people that aren't using plate chillers but I don't think there is a huge difference. Draining may be an issue for some with the 300 but I have overcome this by leaving the basket in while pumping into the fermenter. More thoughts pending!

Very nice! You definitely put these things to the test. Looks like the FB really caught quite a bit of gunk. For the amount of surface area it has, I think it kept an aful lot of particulates out of the chiller and fermenter...not to mention it would have combined with the cold break and could very well have clogged things up!

That's gonna be one hell of a hoppy beer!

Thanks for all the photos Marc......what a day!?,! At least you pulled of a win with 20 gallons of Pliny! I just added a 300 strainer to my wishlist. How'd the tankless water heater perform?

Chamuco said:

Thanks for all the photos Marc......what a day!?,! At least you pulled of a win with 20 gallons of Pliny! I just added a 300 strainer to my wishlist. How'd the tankless water heater perform?

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Flipping awesome, single best investment I've made, my brew day wasn't shorter though due to a whole bunch of other "fun" things that happened like a QD popping apart and spraying wort all over the place. I fixed that in a hurry though and hosed everything down - including my control panel....thankfully I use a gfi on my extension cord.

ScubaSteve said:

Very nice! You definitely put these things to the test. Looks like the FB really caught quite a bit of gunk. For the amount of surface area it has, I think it kept an aful lot of particulates out of the chiller and fermenter...not to mention it would have combined with the cold break and could very well have clogged things up!

That's gonna be one hell of a hoppy beer!

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I wanted to get the most out of my flameout hops so I recirculated while chilling (kept the whirlpool loop going) as opposed to pumping out directly into the fermenter. My dual therminator chiller setup was working well yesterday and the output temp was 60 just using hose water. So I recirculated until it dropped down to about 110 (so about 5 minutes or so) and then pumped into the fermenter. When I started my cleaning cycle (which was superfast as I have a tankless water cart now) there was literally no debris in the chillers at all. I did a 20 min PBW flush with 160 degree water and then a 20 min hot rinse cycle with 160 degree water and both were clean and clear.

marcb said:

I wanted to get the most out of my flameout hops so I recirculated while chilling (kept the whirlpool loop going) as opposed to pumping out directly into the fermenter. My dual therminator chiller setup was working well yesterday and the output temp was 60 just using hose water. So I recirculated until it dropped down to about 110 (so about 5 minutes or so) and then pumped into the fermenter. When I started my cleaning cycle (which was superfast as I have a tankless water cart now) there was literally no debris in the chillers at all. I did a 20 min PBW flush with 160 degree water and then a 20 min hot rinse cycle with 160 degree water and both were clean and clear.

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I forgot that I posted pics of this as well, last two pics were the cleaning cycle, first with PBW, second with just hot water.... notice how clear and free of hop gunk it is!

Used a 300 mesh this weekend, worked great!

I just ordered a 400 and it is in the mail. Guess I should have waited a week longer for your results, but honestly I think I will be fine as I have been using just a bazooka tube in the past and I have had no problems with my plate chiller or pumps in that regard. Chad banged a custom spider out for me over the weekend and I am sure it is going to make my brew day a little easier and more relaxing. I will post some pix when I get around to my next brew day...

stonebrewer said:

I just ordered a 400 and it is in the mail. Guess I should have waited a week longer for your results, but honestly I think I will be fine as I have been using just a bazooka tube in the past and I have had no problems with my plate chiller or pumps in that regard. Chad banged a custom spider out for me over the weekend and I am sure it is going to make my brew day a little easier and more relaxing. I will post some pix when I get around to my next brew day...

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I don't think you'll have any issues and I don't think there is that much difference to be honest. The hops I used were the last of my 2011 bunch from the deep freezer and lots of hop dust, I figured that was about the worst test case from a gunk perspective that I could throw at the baskets in volume and also stirred like a madman. I was also impressed with what the false bottom was able to stop as I expected at least some debris to be in my plate chillers.

I've been at marcb's for a couple brew days now with these baskets in action. I'd definitely opt for the 300. The difference in drain time between the 300 and 400 is pretty insignificant I'd say, I don't think the 300 basket drains too slowly to be an issue for any sized batch when draining the kettle into your ferm.
One thing to point out about all the gunk on the false bottom is that there was a LOT of broken up pellets and fine hop 'dust' material going into each basket. I think during most brew days that won't really be an issue for two reasons-- 1, we were adding the last of Marc's hop stock, and 2, this is a seriously hoppy beer using an almost ridiculous amount of hops...

Hey check this prototype Dry Hop Tube out..

chads454 said:

Hey check this prototype Dry Hop Tube out..

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Cool, are those for carboys?? They look a little small for kegs ; )

I've been thinking of something like that for dry hopping. It can get messy with those big IPA's.

StainlessBrewing said:

Looks pretty close to what we've been working on over the past couple of months. We now have these in stock and ready to ship. I just got to use one of these for a IIPA and it worked great with pellets. No gunk, just beautiful aromas.
http://www.stainlessbrewing.com/Dry-Hopper_p_155.html

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Wow, that looks good (minus the hose clamp - I just can't get past that...) Do you build those or buy them and resell? If you build them, you must have a seam welder at the shop so why wouldn't you use that on the bigger baskets instead of rivets? As a heads up, the keg strainer image is missing from your strainer and basket page on your website (the drill down images are there, just the top level one is a broken link)

Seems steeply priced at $67 plus shipping, I guess it makes sense if you are reselling them and marking them up >100% but I personally wouldn't pay that much for it.

marcb said:

Wow, that looks good (minus the hose clamp - I just can't get past that...)

Seems steeply priced at $67 plus shipping, I guess it makes sense if you are reselling them and marking them up >100% but I personally wouldn't pay that much for it.

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What other type of cap setup would you suggest at a 3"OD? I know it seems kind of high but you get pay for what you get and you don't really have any other price to compare it to...right?

StainlessBrewing said:

What other type of cap setup would you suggest at a 3"OD? I know it seems kind of high but you get pay for what you get and you don't really have any other price to compare it to...right?

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I'm not sure that you would need to cap it if it was sized correctly in the keg, I presume that these also have a lid that is rigged with an airlock for fermenting or is the intent just to leave the hops in there the whole time? After a few weeks the effects of the contact with the hops on the liquid diminish significantly. I don't know what Chad will be selling his version for but if I had to guess I would probably think that his version would cost roughly half of what you are selling this for, I'm sure he'll chime in to correct me though.... So, do you make these or are you reselling them? If you aren't making them are they built local or are they made in China?

marcb said:

I'm not sure that you would need to cap it if it was sized correctly in the keg, I presume that these also have a lid that is rigged with an airlock for fermenting or is the intent just to leave the hops in there the whole time? After a few weeks the effects of the contact with the hops on the liquid diminish significantly. I don't know what Chad will be selling his version for but if I had to guess I would probably think that his version would cost roughly half of what you are selling this for, I'm sure he'll chime in to correct me though.... So, do you make these or are you reselling them? If you aren't making them are they built local or are they made in China?

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I only wanted to make these 18" tall so they could be used with a wider variety of kegs like my pin lock that is shorter. The pellets expand and some float so I think a cap is necessary since it will be fully submersed in beer. These can be used with a variety of items other than hops as well. Fruits, oak chips, spices or whatever you want to put in there. Same thing as what Chad posted.

The baskets are made here locally and the cap I just TIG/tack a SS washer to it to make it easier to remove from the keg. It is kind of pricey and I'm sure Chad will come up with something but either way it's built well and great to use. I'm sure once we start purchasing bigger quantities we can get better discounts. With the labor and material involved it's not even close to a 100% mark up. We don't do that to our customers. Chad probably has some screaming deals on his SS mesh with all of the strainers and baskets he makes.

No matter if you get it from Chad, Stainless Brewing or make it yourself, these are very nice to have. They skip an extra step and cut clean up in half.

StainlessBrewing said:

What other type of cap setup would you suggest at a 3"OD? I know it seems kind of high but you get pay for what you get and you don't really have any other price to compare it to...right?

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Yea you get hose clamps and bailing wire...lol

StainlessBrewing said:

These are all stainless. There is no brass plated anything on it. The rivets are stainless as well. After over 140 of these sold the only problem were having is UPS using them as chairs or running them over with their truck.

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Only 140? .. I've sold 3 times that!

Everyone, please welcome our new vendor, Chad!

Welcome Chad Still using the one you made for me awhile back. One of the best items ive added to my brew day.

Hey Chad!

So for you guys using these, are you noticing any difference in your hop utilization? I have a home made spider and my beers are not as hoppy as they used to be.

Welcome as an official vendor Chad!

I'm going to be bottling an IIPA this weekend so in a few weeks I will know how well the hop utilization was (but based on my observations during brewing I think it will be fine.)

Just wanted to mention that I did a small batch yesterday - 3 gallons in my 8 gallon pot. It wasn't a hoppy beer, but I did use an ounce of whole hops and I was concerned that they might not be immersed enough (normally the basket hangs 2" from the bottom.) So I just set it in the bottom of the pot during the boil - and there was a full boil inside the basket. I'm guessing that the frame conducted enough heat up from the bottom of the kettle to keep the wort inside the screen hot enough to do a roiling boil.

Paulgs3 said:

So for you guys using these, are you noticing any difference in your hop utilization? I have a home made spider and my beers are not as hoppy as they used to be.

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I thought I would, but I haven't noticed any diminished utilization myself. I enjoy a very hoppy bitter IPA, and I've still been able to get that.

Pellet or whole cone, both work for me.

mcbaumannerb said:

Welcome as an official vendor Chad!

I'm going to be bottling an IIPA this weekend so in a few weeks I will know how well the hop utilization was (but based on my observations during brewing I think it will be fine.)

Just wanted to mention that I did a small batch yesterday - 3 gallons in my 8 gallon pot. It wasn't a hoppy beer, but I did use an ounce of whole hops and I was concerned that they might not be immersed enough (normally the basket hangs 2" from the bottom.) So I just set it in the bottom of the pot during the boil - and there was a full boil inside the basket. I'm guessing that the frame conducted enough heat up from the bottom of the kettle to keep the wort inside the screen hot enough to do a roiling boil.

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The bubbles from the boiling and evaporating wort instead were trapped up under the basket, and ran through it. Normally the basket is up high enough that it will hit it, and bypass it the easiest route possible. Has nothing to do with the frame getting hot enough..

Paulgs3 said:

So for you guys using these, are you noticing any difference in your hop utilization? I have a home made spider and my beers are not as hoppy as they used to be.

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I have noticed a difference, I actually think I'm getting better hop utilization as I believe that I used to pack the bags too tight with really hoppy beers. I had a few friends helping me out on my last brew day and we were all amazed at how much bitterness was in the DIPA I brewed on Sunday when tasting the wort. A lot of that will ferment out though so this should turn out to be a very hoppy beer!

Chad's the man! I've brewed 5 batches so far with my 300 micron hop basket and 9x13 grain basket and just got 80% efficiency today. Great workmanship, great service equals great beers. Very happy with my purcheses, thanks Chad!

chads454 said:

Only 140? .. I've sold 3 times that!

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Welcome Chad! Glad you decided to become a Vendor. Baskets seem to be your thing and you do good work.

Anyone using these with an IC? My BK is the more beer 26 gallon.

spiffy78 said:

Anyone using these with an IC? My BK is the more beer 26 gallon.

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Hi, lots of people do, I am on mobile so I can't point out specific posts. I use the same pot but when I went from 15 to 26g I also switched over to plate chillers.

Oh thank goodness. Glad Chad's finally an official vendor so we can dispense with all the bullcrap.

This is one of the best pieces of equipment I've ever bought, in terms of making a difference in the final product. I get NONE of those vegetal flavors I always hated in all my hoppy beers (and too many commercial ones).

Hurry up and get that dry hopper finished up. I'm ready to ditch those bags too.

Hi and Thanks everyone.

As for the Dry hopper I'm gonna build a few this weekend and GIVE 5 of them away to those that want to try it out (kick the tires so to speak)
And give me some feedback on them.
So if it needs some tweakin' we'll get that out of the way.
Then produce a full full run.

The prototypes are 1"x24" 300 micron Any changes now before we build the first small run? Micron, length, width?

For now we have a couple ways to plug off the open end I'll post those soon.

Shoot Me an email to get on the list for the first 5.

Sent you an email chad for being a beta tester.

I think the 300 is the way to go and based on my ball lock dimensions i feel like thats a good place to start.

Here's the Pic's

This is for the Glass Carboys.

So do you have an official website yet, Chad?

Emailed!

ALL filled up..

Thanks Guys..

Yes I have a website just adding the new items.
I'll post it soon..