Hopster Hopscreen

Irrenarzt said:

Thanks again to the OP for the inspiration. Here's my iteration:

Highlights include 9" diameter rings, 30x30 mesh, removable arms to make storage easier. It is a big mother after all. I'm setting up now to brew with it Sunday...

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Can I ask what this cost you?

Around 100 bucks as I had a bunch of scrap laying around. I paid for the mesh and a new tool as I turned down a .250 thick 9" stainless pipe for the support rings and wasted the tool so I needed to replace that. Everything else was sweat equity. It was fun building it.

Here's a shot in the BK. I'm stoked to brew with it although my first batch is all whole leaf with a light hop load so it won't really be a true test.



Edit: I should have bought the pastry rings, would have saved me a huge headache. Turning off that much material was a cock and a half. But I had it in the scrap pile so I guess that was the only good thing about it...

have you used the 30 x 30 mesh with a decent pellet load? I'm planning to make one using 30x30 mesh with .013 in wire diameter and .02 inch hole size. Is this what you used? have you had success with pellets. Planning to make 10 inch diameter and have it extend almost all the way to the bottom of the BK

I've used mine now twice, both with pellet only loads. My first brew was to be a whole leaf but I switched to pellets at the last minute as I altered my recipe a bit. That one was only an ounce so it went very well. The last brew I made, I used 5 ounces and pulled a 45 minute whirlpool with a 10 minute cooling recirc and my plate chiller flowed perfectly the whole time. 30x30 lets a little trub through but not nearly enough to clog the plate chiller.

You have to recirc PBW to get the hop trub out of the plate chiller afterwards as a simple backflush wasn't getting much out but the thing is flowing the whole time without restriction so I am ok with the PBW recirc. I should have probably been doing that more in the past anyway...

Overall, I'm very happy with my setup but I'm only 2 batches in. I need to do a huge IPA to see if it can handle a very large load but I think it will be ok.

Thanks. I have a stainless tea ball around my dip tube now but that was designed for my old boil kettle and doesn't seal around the blichmann dip tube and lets hops in to plug the duo tube and plate chiller it also clogs with hops at the end of draining causing my to have to dump and strain the last gallon and a half or heavily hopped IPAs. Hoping that modifying that plus installing the hopster will allow a more full draining of the BK to the fermenter. I know a lot of people design recipes to end sup with an extra gallon of wort to dump but I can't see the waste when I make great beers this way.

Plate chillers definately require PBW recirc.

Irrenarzt,

Looks good! Did you weld the screen to the ring? Do you have screen on the bottom, too? BTW, nice location!

Yes and yes. I spot welded a screen bottom onto the bottom ring and the entire mesh is spot welded to itself and to both rings...

I'm lucky that I found this thread, a lot of good information's.
After some thoughts about building hop stopper, screen, bazooka etc. I think I'll go this route.

These are being sold by stainless brewing and on Ebay....probably for right at what it would cost to DIY. I know the ebay guy will custom build as well.

I added a build post and some pictures to my blog if anyone's interested in doing this. After using mine for a year, I would highly recommend adding one to your current brew set up if you haven't already!

Great info, thanks.
Can you please take a pic of bottom, to see how you mounted bottom part of the screen.

Also, do you leave screen to sit in kettle freely?

Sure ill take a few tonight when I get home from work. In regards to the screen I just let it sit in the kettle. I've never had any issue with it spilling or tipping if that's what your getting at. In fact it really doesn't move at all. I did however change my dip tube set up from the standard straight bulkhead with a 90 degree pick up to a 45 degree bulkhead and pickup. This allows the screen to sit flush on the bottom of the keggle. Not a necessity but that's what I decided to do.

Here are two pictures of the bottom and side.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Thanks.
I am thinking to add another ring on the bottom and shorten whole screen a bit, so top is in approximate level with keg top.
This way I could put lid during the chill.

Irrenarzt said:

Around 100 bucks as I had a bunch of scrap laying around. I paid for the mesh and a new tool as I turned down a .250 thick 9" stainless pipe for the support rings and wasted the tool so I needed to replace that. Everything else was sweat equity. It was fun building it.

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Dude, you shoulda kept it thick! How badass would 1/4" rings be? Of course, your spot welder would protest....

What kinda lathe are you using?

Even though the thread starter hasn't posted for a couple years, he's definitely started a trend.

I think I'll start this little project next weekend.

Irish13 said:

I think I'll start this little project next weekend.

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I've got one already made for sale. PM if your interested in saving a few bucks and some time.

jaginger said:

I've got one already made for sale. PM if your interested in saving a few bucks and some time.

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PM sent.