New way to control Pellet Hop gunk!

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Yambor44 said:
Not that I know of. I have used Simcoe, Chinook and Centennial as well with no problems.

Not saying anyone isn't having issues. I stir mine each time I add an addition and that really seems to make a difference compared to when i didn't on the first two batches.
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I think I have to stir more. Will stir more next time. Will update after next brew. Probably not for a bit. Vegas next week!! Party the following week. Then brew to restock after the party.
 
Yambor44 said:
Not trying to be an ass, but did you watch my videos? I'm using 300 and just did a 10 gallon batch with 8 ounces of pellet hops and zero problems.
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Not sure we are comparing apples to apples though. You have a lot more surface area in that monster Chad made for you than those of us with a 4" diameter cylinder style spider. I stir mine and ladle in wort all the time and still have clogging issues. I think the next one I order will be a 6" or 8" diameter one as that extra surface area may be the difference...I believe marcb has the larger 6" diameter as well and he is not seeing the clogging with a relatively large hop load. I see clogs with any brew with 4 oz or more of pellets...

OBTW, mine is a 400 micron mesh to boot...
 
kapbrew13 said:
Can hops act differently. As one the previous posters that had clogging I also used sorachi ace. My cascade pellets didn't seem to give me problems my previous batches. Am I going crazy? Maybe it was the phase of the moon.
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it's not the hop type per se that is causing the issue, it's the processing. sounds like the japanese hop processors are shredding the sorachi ace finer than other hop processors, so their gunk from those pellets is made up of finer particles.
 
sweetcell said:
it's not the hop type per se that is causing the issue, it's the processing. sounds like the japanese hop processors are shredding the sorachi ace finer than other hop processors, so their gunk from those pellets is made up of finer particles.
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Makes sense. I guess the ginsu blades are sharper. :)
Wonder if anyone else has used sorachi ace? What's your experience been?
 
stonebrewer said:
Not sure we are comparing apples to apples though. You have a lot more surface area in that monster Chad made for you than those of us with a 4" diameter cylinder style spider. I stir mine and ladle in wort all the time and still have clogging issues. I think the next one I order will be a 6" or 8" diameter one as that extra surface area may be the difference...I believe marcb has the larger 6" diameter as well and he is not seeing the clogging with a relatively large hop load. I see clogs with any brew with 4 oz or more of pellets...

OBTW, mine is a 400 micron mesh to boot...
Click to expand...

Maybe. Good point. My original is also 300 micron but 6"D x 14"L and I didn't have a problem with it either and went as far as 6 ounces of pellet hops.
 
Yambor44 said:
Maybe. Good point. My original is also 300 micron but 6"D x 14"L and I didn't have a problem with it either and went as far as 6 ounces of pellet hops.
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I definitely think that the 6" diameter one is the sweet spot for most 15 or 20 gallon kettles, and it's a luxury to have two on hand for hoppier beers. On my new build I'm going to go with 10" diameter and 22" long (have to wait to get the elements in the kettles to make sure they don't make contact) and I will have two of them (both kettles and filters).
 
kapbrew13 said:
I'll use my 2 4" ones and upgrade to a larger diameter later. So larger is better? LOL
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actually I think that the 6" diameter is the sweet spot for most mid sized kettles. If you go much bigger then they might bounce around based on the bottom surface area and air rising through the boil. The ones I was describing are for monster 52 gallon kettles. The kicker for me is that I can't go much wider as the kettles are only 22" in diameter so I'm going to try to max it out and see what happens... I may also need to figure out a new hanging arm as the lip is pretty thick on those beasts too.
 
marcb said:
actually I think that the 6" diameter is the sweet spot for most mid sized kettles. If you go much bigger then they might bounce around based on the bottom surface area and air rising through the boil. The ones I was describing are for monster 52 gallon kettles. The kicker for me is that I can't go much wider as the kettles are only 22" in diameter so I'm going to try to max it out and see what happens... I may also need to figure out a new hanging arm as the lip is pretty thick on those beasts too.
Click to expand...

Keeps us updated. Valuable info thanks!!
 
I just ordered a big honking filter basket from Chad for mashing during BIAB, but I fully intend to try it for hopping during the boil, even though it might very well bounce around. I plan on keeping some metal bars on hand that I can place on the top of the basket if it does bounce around. Either way, I'll post an update here whether I start a thread on it specifically or not.
 
MagicSmoker said:
I just ordered a big honking filter basket from Chad for mashing during BIAB, but I fully intend to try it for hopping during the boil, even though it might very well bounce around. I plan on keeping some metal bars on hand that I can place on the top of the basket if it does bounce around. Either way, I'll post an update here whether I start a thread on it specifically or not.
Click to expand...

You could just use a spring clamp or two to elevate it slightly off the bottom
 
MagicSmoker said:
I just ordered a big honking filter basket from Chad for mashing during BIAB, but I fully intend to try it for hopping during the boil, even though it might very well bounce around. I plan on keeping some metal bars on hand that I can place on the top of the basket if it does bounce around. Either way, I'll post an update here whether I start a thread on it specifically or not.
Click to expand...

Selfishly I'd love to see the data so please post here or cross link so we all get to see it.
 
bovineblitz said:
You could just use a spring clamp or two to elevate it slightly off the bottom
Click to expand...

Good idea. The bottom of the filter basket will be raised 0.5" off the bottom already because of the way it is constructed, but I am anticipating it bouncing around anyway because of the bubbling from a good rolling boil. Bars might not stay put, even if they do weigh enough to hold the basket down, whereas a couple of metal spring clamps are sure to stay in place.
 
Just a thought, has any one ever taken a quick read thermometer reading inside the screens while the wort is boiling to make sure the liquid inside the screen was actually at boiling temp?
 
ziggityz said:
Just a thought, has any one ever taken a quick read thermometer reading inside the screens while the wort is boiling to make sure the liquid inside the screen was actually at boiling temp?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've done that. Same temp inside and out.
 
ziggityz said:
Just a thought, has any one ever taken a quick read thermometer reading inside the screens while the wort is boiling to make sure the liquid inside the screen was actually at boiling temp?
Click to expand...

That's how I saw the problem in my case. 120 in strainer 75 in pot. :(
 
Here is my 8" diameter filter

ForumRunner_20130410_165904.jpg
 
Has anyone mentioned how they're cleaning these? I've gone thru a bunch of the pages, but didn't see anything. Mine has become pretty clogged so I got out the propane torch and did a couple quick passes to burn all the junk out, then soaked it for a day or two in oxyclean to remove the carbon. It's a little discolored now, but liquid flows freely.
 
cadillacandy said:
Has anyone mentioned how they're cleaning these? I've gone thru a bunch of the pages, but didn't see anything. Mine has become pretty clogged so I got out the propane torch and did a couple quick passes to burn all the junk out, then soaked it for a day or two in oxyclean to remove the carbon. It's a little discolored now, but liquid flows freely.
Click to expand...

Hi pressure garden hose rinse when it comes out of the kettle and drop into hot PBW bucket while I finish up. Quick rinse and stored in the cleaned kettle.
 
marcb said:
Hi pressure garden hose rinse when it comes out of the kettle and drop into hot PBW bucket while I finish up. Quick rinse and stored in the cleaned kettle.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I was doing too and it still was clogged. I even soaked it in a citric acid solution to try to dissolve some of it. I use citric acid to get beerstone from my kettles so I hoped it would work here. No luck. Propane torch did the trick though!
 
Holy crap, batman! A torch, really? I have used mine about 6 times and used sweetcell's once or twice and all I have ever done is spray it off at the sink. I have to use the spray versus the stream setting on my sink, though, so that might be one difference. Also, don't wait to clean it. I clean mine as soon as I can after draining the kettle as the sticky wort is a pain once it dries out. I've done several 1/2 lb of hops boils, all 90 minutes, and this thing cleans up like a charm for me. Hope this helps!!
 
sweetcell said:
PBW isn't working? bring in the flame-thrower.

gawd i love this hobby.
Click to expand...

Hahaha exactly right! I use mine as a mash filter too, and was putting it in when I first lit the flame for the boil. Lots of hot break and grain sludge too.
 
cadillacandy said:
Hahaha exactly right! I use mine as a mash filter too, and was putting it in when I first lit the flame for the boil. Lots of hot break and grain sludge too.
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I'm guessing that's some knarly break material, the hop sludge comes right off. Might want to check your water profile
 
It's not too bad, it just gets caked on I guess after boiling for 60-90 mins, even with immediate cleaning. It probably doesn't sit quite deep enough in my kettle too, so as I get boil off, there's rings of break material that is impossible to get out.
 
cadillacandy said:
It's not too bad, it just gets caked on I guess after boiling for 60-90 mins, even with immediate cleaning. It probably doesn't sit quite deep enough in my kettle too, so as I get boil off, there's rings of break material that is impossible to get out.
Click to expand...

So common denominator where I have heard issues cleaning is long boils yet earlier in the thread I document a >90 minute boil (Pliny clone) and I haven't seen the same issue, my filters look close to new and I have used them lots so something else at play here....
 
marcb said:
So common denominator where I have heard issues cleaning is long boils yet earlier in the thread I document a >90 minute boil (Pliny clone) and I haven't seen the same issue, my filters look close to new and I have used them lots so something else at play here....
Click to expand...

I was putting mine in before the hot break formed and it started actually boiling. When does yours go in the kettle?
 
marcb said:
Mine is in the kettle the whole time... and only gets pulled after draining into the fermenter.
Click to expand...

Ditto...I actually run my mash out through the filter to catch any wayward grains trying to make their way into the boil. Mine does drop down so it is covered except for the 2" or so that eventually boil off.
 
cadillacandy said:
Has anyone mentioned how they're cleaning these? I've gone thru a bunch of the pages, but didn't see anything. Mine has become pretty clogged so I got out the propane torch and did a couple quick passes to burn all the junk out, then soaked it for a day or two in oxyclean to remove the carbon. It's a little discolored now, but liquid flows freely.
Click to expand...

Rinse mine out and after a couple of batches I boil mine in oxy free.
 

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