Pellet hops filtering question

Hi,

I have been using a bazooka screen in my brew kettle in the past to filter out my hops when draining the wort. I have run into clogs with the bazooka screen and have had to use my spoon to scrape the hops off the screen over and over to allow flow. I just bought a false bottom for my kettle and I intend on using this in addition to the bazooka screen. I know about paint strainer bags and those methods, but I got a false bottom for my kettle for cheap and I am curious how it will work with the bazooka screen together to filter pellet hops.

Thanks,

Shawn

McGlothan said:

Hi,

I have been using a bazooka screen in my brew kettle in the past to filter out my hops when draining the wort. I have run into clogs with the bazooka screen and have had to use my spoon to scrape the hops off the screen over and over to allow flow. I just bought a false bottom for my kettle and I intend on using this in addition to the bazooka screen. I know about paint strainer bags and those methods, but I got a false bottom for my kettle for cheap and I am curious how it will work with the bazooka screen together to filter pellet hops.

Thanks,

Shawn

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In my experience, pellet hops will clog up false bottles and bazooka screens alike, but whole hops work beautifully with those set ups.

The only thing I've found that works with pellet hops is a bag. Luckily, in my system if I'm only using pellet hops it doesn't clog my system so I don't bag or filter them. But if I have a mix of leaf hops and pellet hops, I have to bag one or the other to keep my system from clogging! I'll usually use the bazooka screen and then just bag the pellet hops.

Yooper said:

In my experience, pellet hops will clog up false bottles and bazooka screens alike, but whole hops work beautifully with those set ups.

The only thing I've found that works with pellet hops is a bag. Luckily, in my system if I'm only using pellet hops it doesn't clog my system so I don't bag or filter them. But if I have a mix of leaf hops and pellet hops, I have to bag one or the other to keep my system from clogging! I'll usually use the bazooka screen and then just bag the pellet hops.

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So the bag is the way to go? Can you just stretch a paint strainer bag around the top of the kettle so you dont have to hold the bag above the wort? I guess if I use the false bottom it could help keep the bag from scorching. Im brewing a Pliny the Elder clone and the amount of hops in this worries me about the clogging issues. I guess Im asking exactly how would you use the hops bags in this set up. Thanks for the advice!

I used a bag for the first time for my pellets a couple weeks ago just out of curiosity. Usually just dump the whole thing in to primary. The bag worked beautifully! Not one particle of hop got through that straining bag but I also question if it affected the utilization at all.

McGlothan said:

So the bag is the way to go? Can you just stretch a paint strainer bag around the top of the kettle so you dont have to hold the bag above the wort? I guess if I use the false bottom it could help keep the bag from scorching. Im brewing a Pliny the Elder clone and the amount of hops in this worries me about the clogging issues. I guess Im asking exactly how would you use the hops bags in this set up. Thanks for the advice!

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In my experience with hops bag, if you get them small enough they just float. BTW by small enough I don't mean they have to be tiny, but not steeping bag or paint strainer size. I just cut up some cheese cloth and it worked fine. I dont' use bags when I'm brewing non-hoppy beers though.

McGlothan said:

So the bag is the way to go? Can you just stretch a paint strainer bag around the top of the kettle so you dont have to hold the bag above the wort? I guess if I use the false bottom it could help keep the bag from scorching. Im brewing a Pliny the Elder clone and the amount of hops in this worries me about the clogging issues. I guess Im asking exactly how would you use the hops bags in this set up. Thanks for the advice!

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I have a "hops spider"- similar to this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-hops-spider-312923/

Yooper said:

I have a "hops spider"- similar to this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-hops-spider-312923/

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Cool! I will attempt to make one of those but Im not sure if I can get it done by friday. Ill google around and see if I can find a DIY for one of those!

thanks!

I don't really try to get the hops out. I whirlpool, but if it goes into the fermenter, its not a big deal. I just let it settle and dump it out the dump valve. I'm kinda everthing goes into the fermenter kinda guy.

Long time lurker, getting ready to brew my first batch. I'll be boiling in a keggle fitted with a spigot. I had intended to build a copper dip tube aimed at the side wall and gravity feed through a CFC into the fermenter. However, after reading a little deeper, it looks like I may have issues with drawing off hops and break material. I considered whirlpooling but it sounds like whirlpooling and waiting for the trub cone to form in uncooled wort is a no no. I've heard some of you mention that using a bazooka tube and whole hops creates a good trub filter. Although it may serve as a filter, due you think it will slow my flow down enough to not allow it to move effectively through the gravity fed CFC? Any input is appreciated!

The bazooka screen has always gotten gunked up for me with pellet hops. I've heard they work well with whole hops though. I haven't tried it myself with whole hops, but I can imagine it would work well. The pellet hops kind of turn to a thick slime that coats the screen, but whole hops would still let liquid through and probably filter as well.

Pellet hops will clog darn near everything. I simply bag them in nylon fine mesh bags, and anything that escapes them goes into the fermenter. Honestly, there is too much concern with people trying to separate break material pre-fermentation.

Unless I'm harvesting the yeast, it all goes in. But I also ferment in 6 gallon fermenters, so the blow off takes most of the break and hop matter with it. If I'm harvesting the yeast, I'll whirlpool best I can and then use an auto-siphon to get the wort into the fermenter, then wash the yeast at harvesting.

KeystoneHomebrew said:

Pellet hops will clog darn near everything. I simply bag them in nylon fine mesh bags, and anything that escapes them goes into the fermenter. Honestly, there is too much concern with people trying to separate break material pre-fermentation.

Unless I'm harvesting the yeast, it all goes in. But I also ferment in 6 gallon fermenters, so the blow off takes most of the break and hop matter with it. If I'm harvesting the yeast, I'll whirlpool best I can and then use an auto-siphon to get the wort into the fermenter, then wash the yeast at harvesting.

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I was secretly hoping someone would say that break material in the fermenter wasn't going to be a big issue . I do intend to use a mesh bag setup if I decide to use pellet hops. Based on what I've read regarding hop bags effecting hop "efficiency", I'll probably up my hop bill a bit to compensate. Thanks for the responses!

TheSquid said:

I was secretly hoping someone would say that break material in the fermenter wasn't going to be a big issue . I do intend to use a mesh bag setup if I decide to use pellet hops. Based on what I've read regarding hop bags effecting hop "efficiency", I'll probably up my hop bill a bit to compensate. Thanks for the responses!

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It's not a big deal at all, and I don't mind some pellet hops and break material in my fermenter. It's just that too much clogs up my pump, and I found that ANY loose whole hops will clog up the whole darn thing. So if I'm using leaf hops, I either have to use a bazooka screen or a bag.

If you use bags, as long as the hops are very loose in the bag, it won't impact utilization at all. You can even use two or more bags, and don't pack the hops in them, and you won't have any utilization issues.

Is everyone talking about muslin bags to use? It seems like most of the ones I have seen don't have a fine enough mesh to contain hop pellets. I am running into to issues with running my wort off through my chiller fast enough, the last 5 gallons goes really slow. I don't really care about a bit of trub getting into the fermentor. I guess I'll give them a whirl this week.

I'm pretty sure muslin bags with pellet hops would be an epic fail.
I use nylon mesh bags similar to paint strainers and the mesh is far finer than any muslin bag.

Muslin: good for whole hops, useless for pellets
Nylon: good for pellets, overkill for whole hops

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

I'm pretty sure muslin bags with pellet hops would be an epic fail.
I use nylon mesh bags similar to paint strainers and the mesh is far finer than any muslin bag.

Muslin: good for whole hops, useless for pellets
Nylon: good for pellets, overkill for whole hops

Cheers!

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Don't know where you get your muslin bags, but I would disagree with your statements wholeheartedly. I've been using the $0.59 muslin bags with pellet hops for years with zero problems.

g-star said:

Don't know where you get your muslin bags, but I would disagree with your statements wholeheartedly. I've been using the $0.59 muslin bags with pellet hops for years with zero problems.

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Whatever. The only muslin bags available near me are totally unsuitable for pellets...

Cheers!

I tried using a bazooka screen in my brew kettle to filter pellet hops and found that it was useless -- it was always clogging as described. Now I use a hop spider and also strain the wort through a a paint strainer bag and colander into the fermenter. I have a funnel which fits the colander perfectly and just put the paint strainer bag over the colander. Pouring the wort through the bag inside the colander gets most of the hops and also helps aerate the wort. Just be sure to use starsan on the bag, colander and funnel first.

Same here. I have a bazooka screen and have used pellets and whole cone. Clogs up every time. I took some advise and built myself a hopblock. Should work well. We'll see.

1 - 4" PVC collar
1 - 5" stainless steel hose clamp
4 - 3/8" x 10" bolts
8 - 3/8" nuts
8 - 3/8" washers
1 - 1 gallon paint strainer

= about $17.00 from Lowes

Hopefully that's actually CPVC, because spiders I seen pictured in these forums using a PVC collar ended up softening too much...

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

Whatever. The only muslin bags available near me are totally unsuitable for pellets...

Cheers!

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I don't want to convince anybody to use bags, but I bought a few from Wilserbrewer on this forum, and I can actually use them to dryhop with pellets in the keg, with no "leakage" but still effective dryhopping. I love those bags, so if someone wants a good fine mesh that shouldn't impact utilization (assuming the hops are put it loosely), I would highly recommend those! And the price was pretty good, with fast shipping.

Those aren't muslin, though.

I use the paint strainer bags for 5g buckets (Lowes & Home Depot). I use mostly pellet hops. I just stick the sanitized bag into the fermenter and pour the wort off into the bucket. The bag does a very good job of straining even the pellet hops. They are also great for dry hopping. I have been brewing for 3 years and still have the original set of bags I bought when I started. The clean very well.

nmj said:

Same here. I have a bazooka screen and have used pellets and whole cone. Clogs up every time. I took some advise and built myself a hopblock. Should work well. We'll see.



1 - 4" PVC collar

1 - 5" stainless steel hose clamp

4 - 3/8" x 10" bolts

8 - 3/8" nuts

8 - 3/8" washers

1 - 1 gallon paint strainer



= about $17.00 from Lowes

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I use a hop basket in both my BK & for dry hopping in secondary in BB 's. Both are 300 micron SS mesh from Arbor Fabricating. The BK basket is 8"x 16" for my 15 g BK. They offer tubes that fit secondary fermenters & even kegs for dry hopping to your spec's. They work very well and are easy to clean.


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