"Best" bottom config for brew kettle

For all types o batches, AG, PM, extract, what is the "best" bottom config? False bottom, false bottom with bazooka screen under, just a bazooka screen, or something else.

In my opinion, none. If you have to separate hops, like when you have a plate chiller, the best option is containment. Nothing you could install would have enough surface area.

Bobby_M said:

In my opinion, none. If you have to separate hops, like when you have a plate chiller, the best option is containment. Nothing you could install would have enough surface area.

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Sorry not following? If going by the assumption that you want to leave the trub and the boiled hops in the boil kettle when transferring to primary. Maybe that's up for debate, but I'm going by what I've read in most recommendations. So I'd think a bazooka screen would at least keep the hops from going to primary. I'm using an immersion chiller so that's not a consideration. What do you mean by containment?

Bobby_M said:

In my opinion, none. If you have to separate hops, like when you have a plate chiller, the best option is containment. Nothing you could install would have enough surface area.

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The brewershardware.com trub filter seems to have plenty of surface area for the job. Not cheap, but SS false bottoms aren't either and they aren't going to help you with hops.

I use a hop spider in the boil keggle to keep the hop matter contained. This is due to using a plate chiller. IF I wasn't using a plate chiller, though, I'd probably just let it all go into the fermenter. It's been proven that the trub will do NO harm to the brew. There was a test done where they brewed enough to fill two fermenters. They were careful to not have the trub go into one of them, and let it go into the other. The one with the trub ended up being clearer in glass and tasted better.

BTW, if I'm only using a few ounces of hops, I'm more inclined to not use the spider. However, when I'm using 5oz, or more, of hops, I use the spider. Last two batches used 7.5oz (each) of hops, so the spider was fully leveraged.

A false bottom for whole hops, and the downline strainer for trub and pellet seems to be the best overall solution at the moment.

It's also what I'm going with on my 1.5bbl build.

Sounds like I may not have to worry about the trub going into primary after all. If its one less thing to worry about ill just leave te bottom of the boil kettle empty and open it up and let er rip at primary time.

You should be fine with just having a dip tube in the kettle. IF you go for larger batch sizes, like 1/2 bbl or over a full barrel, then you might want to do something else. Especially if you're using a plate chiller (which most breweries of that size do). You'll still have options though.

Whirlpool, then dip tube placed outside the trub cone. No need for anything else.

jcaudill said:

Whirlpool, then dip tube placed outside the trub cone. No need for anything else.

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Like it, so take immersion chiller out, whirlpool with sanitized spoon, open valve (no dip tube)

Sure you could do that but a couple of things:

1) After spinning it making sure to give it a few minutes to rest and settle to the middle.
2) You really need a dip tube because you want to pull wort outside the trub cone. I think without the dip tube you risk too much influence of vacuum on the middle of the pot and breaking that cone apart which defeats the entire purpose. I haven't tested this - this is just my operating theory. The commercial kettles have outlets in the very bottom typically.

But a dip tube is super simple with a weldless fitting.

I just started doing the whirlpool method and diptube curved to the outside edge of the boil kettle and have yet to have any issues with the plate chiller I use becoming clogged. Prior to this I used a bazooka screen but the problem with that was that I physically needed to tilt up the kettle to get the last of the wort up into the ballvalve which was located a few inches from the bottome of the kettle and stuck out a bit.

jcaudill said:

Sure you could do that but a couple of things:

1) After spinning it making sure to give it a few minutes to rest and settle to the middle.
2) You really need a dip tube because you want to pull wort outside the trub cone. I think without the dip tube you risk too much influence of vacuum on the middle of the pot and breaking that cone apart which defeats the entire purpose. I haven't tested this - this is just my operating theory. The commercial kettles have outlets in the very bottom typically.

But a dip tube is super simple with a weldless fitting.

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Don't most dip tubes reach to the middle of the pot so it would be pulling straight from the trub? I guess I have to find a dip tube that is shorter or make one. My weldless fitting on the inside is the standard 1/2 female coupler so just need a dip tube to screw in I guess

ah something like this: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/boil-kettle-dip-tube-60027/

yes that does look easy

Right that is one option - or just a 90 degree with the run s
side long enough to reach the side. Or I actually just have a really short dip tube that pulls from the bottom.

I use the side dip tube, here.
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=45&product_id=159

I made my own keggle dip tube from 1/2" OD stainless tubing. Bent it so hat it picks up as close to the bottom as possible. I leave little behind this way.

Golddiggie said:

I made my own keggle dip tube from 1/2" OD stainless tubing. Bent it so hat it picks up as close to the bottom as possible. I leave little behind this way.

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Where'd you get the tubing? Also, was it hard to bend without kinking?

bd2xu said:

Where'd you get the tubing? Also, was it hard to bend without kinking?

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I got some from Amazon and some more from Bargain Fittings. I picked up a tool to use to bend it, so it was pretty easy. No kinks at all, since I used the correct type of tool to make the bend.