Modified SS hop bag

i thought i'd share what i came up with for a creative hop stopper solution.. i had been browsing all of the different hop spider and other type diy projects to try to find a good way to create something that will do the job and last as long as the rest of my equipment.. after browsing lowes for like an hour i finally managed to pick up all of the right pieces (which really weren't that many) to get it to work.. below are a couple photos of my finished product.

i wanted to use stainless as i am trying to use that as much as possible, and i found a SS drain kit in the plumbing section with an easy threaded neck on the bottom to attach the paint strainer bag with a SS clamp.. the SS tubing is actually just 2 small lengths from a dip tube from one of my kegs, the other is used bent into a handle and uses the centerpiece i cut out from the top as a lid for the HLT..

just an idea for anybody looking for a quite cheap build but will stand up to the test of time..

This is an awesome take on the SS idea from the big box store!

I have been using a PVC unit, that warped first time from steam....
Stopping at HomeDepot for lunch!

Thank you.

great idea! when my pvc one craps out on me, this might be what i go to.

if anybody is interested i can get the model number from the packaging of the sink drain.. the 2 U brackets were just in the SS drawers at lowes, just the smallest ones they had there.. total cost was like $16 bucks

I gotta do something like this. I have two diptubes that are begging to be used for something, and I have been putting off my DIPA because the hops I have and want to use are whole leaf. If you have the model number I'd appreciate it.

This is awesome, great work!

I assume you use the 1gal paint strainer bag? Also, do you wash them in-between brew days or just toss them?

kpr121 said:

I gotta do something like this. I have two diptubes that are begging to be used for something, and I have been putting off my DIPA because the hops I have and want to use are whole leaf. If you have the model number I'd appreciate it.

Click to expand...

here is a photo of the box.. they had a couple different ones just like it, though this one had the deepest body so i knew i could screw the tubes to it easily

The_Dog_42 said:

I assume you use the 1gal paint strainer bag? Also, do you wash them in-between brew days or just toss them?

Click to expand...

i haven't used it yet.. i bought a 2 pack of the strainers, and they were pretty cheap, so i may go the "use and toss" method.. are they easy to clean or are there better products that last longer?

I've used the same strainer bag for a year and a half. Just give it a good wash at the end of the brew day. I think I need to give the hop spider a try.

update: the hop strainer worked great! i did put in a couple inch length copper tubing in the bottom to keep it weighted down (i remember reading that somewhere and it worked out well).. overall, great to add more steel products and reuse items i may have thrown away anyways..

ok, lets be honest, i never throw anything like that away, i can always find uses for random stuff ;-)

I built one like this as well. The only issue is the small diameter of the drain. Good luck getting lots of whole leaf hops in there. At times, I have to use whole leaf and the small diameter makes this a real PITA.

This is still a cool solution and really nice for pellets. I'm going to look for something a bit larger, though for whole leaf hops.

yeah.. i've only ever used pellets so that hasn't been a problem for me, but i can see how that would be an issue.

Dgonza9 said:

I built one like this as well. The only issue is the small diameter of the drain. Good luck getting lots of whole leaf hops in there. At times, I have to use whole leaf and the small diameter makes this a real PITA.

This is still a cool solution and really nice for pellets. I'm going to look for something a bit larger, though for whole leaf hops.

Click to expand...

For a larger diameter, get the sink drain deigned to hook into a garbage disposal. Still SS, same size opening at the top, but it doesn't get narrow like the one designed to hook into a drain pipe. It works well for pellet or leaf.