Straining hops from Pliny Clone

So I'm brewing a Pliny the Elder clone tomorrow, and am wondering what is the best method for straining out the near pound of hops in this recipe. I know something similar has been asked before but there never seems to be a clear consensus.

I have heard the 5 gallon paint strainer ideas, but that they can also clog up and not let the hop flavor out once you've put a good 5-6 oz. in there. Evidently the sides of the bag get totally covered in hop residue? I also don't have time to build one of those spider things by tomorrow. Would big binder clips work?

I was also honestly considering using panyhose - short knee highs, one for each oz of hops to get max utilization.

I should add I'm doing all grain with pellet hops. Am I at least on the right track in my thinking here?

There is nothing wrong with the paint strainer bag idea. Some people just F-up on the process, which makes it more difficult. Get yourself 3 or 4 of them. Use one or two for kettle hops and secure with a thick rubber band. Skim off the foam atop the wort as it boils. When complete, use the other two bags to transfer the kettle wort to the bucket (wrap the bags around the bucket brim while you're carefully racking, with a bag wrapped around the racking cane to prevent clogging). Do not pour it. Clean the bags and reuse when it comes time to dryhop.

I actually ferment in a carboy, so no bucket. Shoudl I maybe first strain into a bottling bucket, then back into carboy?

I just put the paint strainer bag in the bottling bucket and rack into it. After I'm down to the last gallon of wasted beer and hop sludge I just pull the siphon and remove the bag which is now loaded with hops. On the monster iipa's like Pliny I may end up with hop haze but I kinda feel like a beer that hoppy should have a slight haze(flame on if you must). I've never had any issues with clogging using this method and I frequently brew ipa's with a pound of hops and 4-5 ounces of loose dry hopped pellets.

matt2778 said:

I just put the paint strainer bag in the bottling bucket and rack into it. After I'm down to the last gallon of wasted beer and hop sludge I just pull the siphon and remove the bag which is now loaded with hops. On the monster iipa's like Pliny I may end up with hop haze but I kinda feel like a beer that hoppy should have a slight haze(flame on if you must). I've never had any issues with clogging using this method and I frequently brew ipa's with a pound of hops and 4-5 ounces of loose dry hopped pellets.

Click to expand...

So you're saying just toss everything into the kettle, then strain into the bucket, then into primary?

Would there be any disadvantage to just putting the strainer in the kettle with big binder clips, or would that not get enough utilization?

allanmac00 said:

I actually ferment in a carboy, so no bucket. Shoudl I maybe first strain into a bottling bucket, then back into carboy?

Click to expand...

You could do that... more aeration that way. You could dump it the second time through a funnel... no need to carefully rack to your carboy from the bucket.

allanmac00 said:

Would there be any disadvantage to just putting the strainer in the kettle with big binder clips, or would that not get enough utilization?

Click to expand...

Rubber bands work fine. They don't melt or anything. I don't recommend wrapping the bag around your kettle because some flames may singe the tips of the bag. I do recommend just letting the bag float in the wort... or loosely wrapped around one handle of the kettle if you don't have rubber bands.

I use the knee highs. During the boil, I'm constantly squishing them against the sides of the pot with my paddle (cleans the hot break off of the pot). I usually squeeze the juice out of them and remove them during chilling. I've also used them in the primary and in the keg. 3 pair for $1 at walmart. Get the Queen size.

allanmac00 said:

So you're saying just toss everything into the kettle, then strain into the bucket, then into primary?

Would there be any disadvantage to just putting the strainer in the kettle with big binder clips, or would that not get enough utilization?

Click to expand...

I don't even bother straining out of the kettle. I just chill and transfer to the primary(no hop bags,spiders etc). I usually leave leave a half gallon of sludge behind but I really don't think it would matter either way. If I'm racking to secondary (only when dryhopping with 4 or more ounces) the beer is pretty clear at the transfer providing the yeast has dropped out. I guess I'm just lazy but I'm getting great results with my simple methods so at this point I'll stick with process.

allanmac00 said:

So you're saying just toss everything into the kettle, then strain into the bucket, then into primary?

Would there be any disadvantage to just putting the strainer in the kettle with big binder clips, or would that not get enough utilization?

Click to expand...

I don't even bother straining out of the kettle. I just chill and transfer to the primary(no hop bags,spiders etc). I usually leave leave a half gallon of sludge behind but I really don't think it would matter either way. If I'm racking to secondary (only when dryhopping with 4 or more ounces) the beer is pretty clear at the transfer providing the yeast has dropped out. I guess I'm just lazy but I'm getting great results with my simple methods so at this point I'll stick with process.

matt2778 said:

I don't even bother straining out of the kettle. I just chill and transfer to the primary(no hop bags,spiders etc). I usually leave leave a half gallon of sludge behind but I really don't think it would matter either way. If I'm racking to secondary (only when dryhopping with 4 or more ounces) the beer is pretty clear at the transfer providing the yeast has dropped out. I guess I'm just lazy but I'm getting great results with my simple methods so at this point I'll stick with process.

Click to expand...

I normally do this on modest beers, but with this batch I'll have close to 8 oz. of hops in the kettle, not sure I want all that going into primary.

"I just put the paint strainer bag in the bottling bucket and rack into it. After I'm down to the last gallon of wasted beer and hop sludge I just pull the siphon and remove the bag which is now loaded with hops. On the monster iipa's like Pliny I may end up with hop haze but I kinda feel like a beer that hoppy should have a slight haze(flame on if you must). I've never had any issues with clogging using this method and I frequently brew ipa's with a pound of hops and 4-5 ounces of loose dry hopped pellets."

+1! I have just started doing this and I could not be happier with how much better it seems to work than any other method I have tried. I use one of those big "sparging bags" that fits the bottling bucket perfectly. It even seems to take out a good amount of trub/solidified protein nastiness. Since this works so well I have now done away with using my hop bag in the kettle due to it being a PITA and I also feel that it was decreasing hop utilization.

I whirlpool for around a 1/2 hr and have my pick-up tube off to the side and up off the bottom about 1/2", then i gravity transfer into my fermentor through a fine sieve. I get nice aerated wort with almost no hops/trub. Granted, I'm not using a pound of hops but I've brewed a few with 10 to 12 oz and it seems to work pretty good.