Blichmann boil screen for pellet hops

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Thanks for posting up John. I'm sure everyone here appreciates it. I appreciate your push to innovate and have almost all of your products in my arsenal.

I'm concerned about not being able to cool the wort as rapidly as possible with a plate chiller as you will have to whirlpool for 15-20 minutes before starting to pump the wort through my chiller and back into the kettle. I currently employ a Brutus 10 like frame with two March pumps and I do not use an IC. To retain as much hop aroma as possible, you want to cool the wort ASAP. Also, should you want to employ a hopback, you are still having to wait before you can start pumping through a plate chiller? I use a Therminator and I have found it's preferable not to allow any hop trub into the unit as it takes forever to get it all out, no matter how much I recirculate PBW through it. Perhaps I'm fanatical about hop matter in my beer but I suspect no more than the next guy.

Not criticizing, just bringing up an initial concern. I'm sure you have addressed this in your testing. Perhaps I'm mistaken in the 15-20 minute whirlpool limitation.
 
With a plate chiller, arent you leaving your wort hotter, longer, than with an IC? Since it doenst get chilled until it reaches the plate chiller? With an IC, ALL of the wort is below utilization temps in about 1-2 minutes.

I see what you are saying though, with a plate chiller, it seems youd have to wait until it was whirlpooled, and left to sit, before you started chilling, that is a problem unless I am missing something too. Whereas with an IC you can do both at the same time.

I cant even use this darn thing, looks like hop sacks for me!
 
Perhaps there is a lag as the wort has to travel to the chiller (which is close in my case). I'm already pumping wort for the last ten minutes of the boil to sanitize my plate chiller so that delay is very slight. Turn off the flame and the chiller is already working by default. But that's negligible IMO as I can knockdown my temps below 140 in less than 3 minutes with my plate chiller and 60F cooling water (assume 6 gallon batch, a bit longer for 11). So at that temp, SMM no longer volatilizes to DMS and I imagine hop compounds become less volatile as well. It takes longer to get to pitch temps but usually on the order of less than the time it takes to do the whirlpool itself. This is my concern. I wouldn't want to wait 15-20 minutes even before I pumped. Now I guess one could replumb their kettle somewhat to allow for the pump to create the whirlpool for you but still you have to wait to chill. Unless you hit it with an IC while whirlpooing. This Hopblocker doesn't seem ideal for use with a plate chiller.

I'd say based on my experience (I have an IC as well) that the Therminator may take a bit longer than an IC to get below utilization temp, but it get to pitching temps a bit quicker with the same temp cooling water.
 
......I use a Therminator and I have found it's preferable not to allow any hop trub into the unit as it takes forever to get it all out, no matter how much I recirculate PBW through it. Perhaps I'm fanatical about hop matter in my beer but I suspect no more than the next guy.......

I recently found out the same thing. Threw my pellet hops straight into the boil. 1 oz at 60, 1/2 oz at 30, 1/2 oz at 5 for a 5 gallon batch and I spent 2 hours running boiling water, then hot Oxi, then hot water, then Star San thru it and still didn't get every bit out. I wouldn't expect to get it ALL out but it took a while before it was just a tiny bit.

With a plate chiller, arent you leaving your wort hotter, longer, than with an IC?

Yes. However, from some of the more experienced brewers on the board (some of which brewed professionally at one time or now) it does not hurt to let the wort sit that long to do the whirpool and then settle. To me personally seems to contradict what others say about bringing the wort down below a certain temp as soon as possible after flameout.

I did order one as I want to try one out because I have a plate chiller. However, I have my doubts about it (just sayin). I may just end up going back to an IC and chalk this up to $260.00 worth of experience (plate chiller + hop strainer).

The chiller works great, but time wise and work wise and money wise not so much. One pass and your wort is at (or below) pitching temps (I use ice water). BUT then you spend a lot of time flushing it out. When I used a Jamils type WP immersion chiller, I had my wort to 60 degrees in 20 minutes many times. Then I pulled it out of the brew pot, rinsed it with a strong spray of clean water and set it aside. Done.

I do like the fact that once my stand is built I can bolt the plate chiller onto the stand and leave it there. Thats the reason I ended up with it in the first place. I HOPE that I can actually get my new Blichmann pots to whirlpool properly and I will be singing the praises of this setup!!!

I guess, like a lot of other things it boils down to personal preference. I do this to relax and have good beer on hand, not to win any time race. However, I want to make the process as simple and as easy as I can.
 
Microbreweries whirlpool for much longer than 15 minutes with no I'll effects. It also gives the flame out hops longer contact time. I don't see it as a problem.
 
Fair enough, it's not a problem then. It only goes against what others have preached.

The bottom line is your process is OK if you make good beer. That's the whole point of this in the first place.
 
I'm kinda surprised at the price for such a small device, but if it actually does what its supposed to do it is worth every penny.
 
What has everyone been doing previously to minimize hop pellet residual during racking? I just picked up a 15gal Boilermaker today and was wondering what options I had.

Thanks!
 
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It was hard for me to put it on. I cant imagine taking it off and putting it back on after every brew. It was hard to install because you must take the dip tube off and place it the filter. Then you must slide the dip tube back in the valve. Which it does not go in very smoothly. I used keg lube.

Maybe someone will find a better way to do it.
 
What has everyone been doing previously to minimize hop pellet residual during racking? I just picked up a 15gal Boilermaker today and was wondering what options I had.

Thanks!

I started with my Boilermaker using a hop stopper and that worked well for awhile but as I got over about 3 oz of hops/batch, I started plugging up so that was removed. Now I used a nylon hopsack on a stainless holder I fabbed up (see the beginning of this thread) and I found that a Blichmann false bottom works well for whole leaf hops.
 
Thanks for posting the detailed pictures...nicely done! Also, kudos for the info on the dip tube. I'm sure I'll have one in the mail tomorrow provided they are still in stock.

Jeff
 
I started with my Boilermaker using a hop stopper and that worked well for awhile but as I got over about 3 oz of hops/batch, I started plugging up so that was removed. Now I used a nylon hopsack on a stainless holder I fabbed up (see the beginning of this thread) and I found that a Blichmann false bottom works well for whole leaf hops.

Thanks for the input Irrenarzt! If they are in stock, I'm going to delay the first batch until the HopBlocker arrives. Failing that option, I'll use a nylon hopsack to try to keep the debris at bay.

Thanks!
 
No need to use keg lube. A bit of water on the tube and/or fitting is all you need as a lubricant. TO remove, simply get the tube off the oring detent with the tip of a screwdriver and then it'll putt right out. All this is detailed in the manual.
 
Aaahhh... I think there are a lot of people who still read manuals. For example, those of us who prefer to read about and know things about the products we pay money for...

One side affect of reading product manuals is not asking dumb questions that are clearly answered in the manual ;)
 
I read the manual. I just used the lube because it was closer to me than a source for water. I just found it awkward putting it on. Maybe after a few tries it will get easier. I was just stating what my very brief experience was with it, by following the manual. I am sorry for posting a follow up about the filter that I received. Next time I will just let someone else do it.
 
So, who is going to be the first to brew with this bad boy?

I want some unbiased results before I spend the money on one of these....I'm still smarting over buying the last version of their boil screen! :(

R
 
Yeeee Haaaaaa
My kettle and hopstopper just arrived from UPS land. Man I love new toys!

Thanks to Brian @ Grat fermentations for the exeleent service.
Thanks to John @ Blichmann industries for answering a dozen emails about this ne product.

Will report back after 1st brew with the new BK and hopstopper this weekend.
 
Yeeee Haaaaaa
My kettle and hopstopper just arrived from UPS land. Man I love new toys!

Thanks to Brian @ Grat fermentations for the exeleent service.
Thanks to John @ Blichmann industries for answering a dozen emails about this ne product.

Will report back after 1st brew with the new BK and hopstopper this weekend.

what a great day :D
 
humm... that simply won't do on my kettle with the Elements in the way.... However I have an idea of how to design my own now. :)

muahahaha
 
Yeeee Haaaaaa
My kettle and hopstopper just arrived from UPS land. Man I love new toys!

Thanks to Brian @ Grat fermentations for the exeleent service.
Thanks to John @ Blichmann industries for answering a dozen emails about this ne product.

Will report back after 1st brew with the new BK and hopstopper this weekend.

You mean hopblocker I imagine?

Hopstopper is a completely different product.

the%20hop%20stopper.jpg
 
Looks cool. I wonder if it'll make using an immersion chiller tougher. Not to mention the mixer blade I just got to whirlpool and make cooling faster...

Anyway, looking forward to reports.
 
I am sure you could could use a mixer blade it would just need to be off set from the center or shorter blades. An immersion chiller could be used as well, with some bending, and shaping.
 
My 50'-1/2" chiller slides down snuggly on the side of the filter. It would have to be modified-bent/ovaled, or something for it to work in here. Or raised off the bottom, maybe even sitting in the filter. Don't know what route to take yet, thinkin on it.
 
One of the things that I am thinking of, is to bend the chiller just enough to allow the hopblocker to work. Then, recirqulate with whirlpool inside the chiller. This may keep even more hops/break from the filter and thus the carboy.
Thoughts?
 
One of the things that I am thinking of, is to bend the chiller just enough to allow the hopblocker to work. Then, recirqulate with whirlpool inside the chiller. This may keep even more hops/break from the filter and thus the carboy.
Thoughts?
Will you get a good 'cone' whirlpooling with the IC in there? I've only whirlpooled a couple of times so I really don't know. The two times I whirlpooled I chilled with the IC, then removed the IC and whirlpooled after. No clogs or hop matter got in the fermenter but I don't even have a dip tube, just the valve (lots of tipping to get it all out).

My plan for using it is to make a new dip tube to extend into the center of the immersion chiller.
Two questions: Won't the new dip tube still interfere with the bottom coils of the IC? Will that put the hopblocker right in the middle of the cone?
 
Got mine today. Interesting. It slides up easy and stays up fine. We will see how it does in some wort.

I snagged a picture of the part in the instructions dealing with raising it up. You can see the "spoon" or stir paddle holding the HB down while pulling the hook up with a racking cane.


Here's a pic of it down and up


 
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