How do you hop?

:rockin:

Hops utilization is one of the things I've been focused on improving in my brew process.

I used to use those little "hops balls", that said they could hold an ounce of hops. Yeah, they can hold an ounce of hops, but barely any wort gets into the wad of hops to utilize the hops, so that didn't work very well at all.

Now I'm using those nylon "muslin" bags, which seem to work well, but are a pain in the butt to clean and get stained and nasty. Plus, I have to keep 3 or 4 of them on hand for those brews that have multiple phases of hops additions.

Now I'm thinking about trying something different. I'm thinking about just putting the hops directly into the boil at the right time and having one of those "bazooka" screens in place to filter the hops to keep them from going into the fermenter.

Does anybody see any pitfalls to this idea? Comments please.

I used the muslin bags last brew day...worked great, I will continue to use them in all future beers as it was super clear. I have one bag per addition, but I don't make hoppy beers so I only have 1-3 additions.

After I'm done, I turn them inside out, and rinse them to reuse next time.

I thought about making a hop spider, but the meshing (or whatever is used) get's so gunked up, it seems more likely that they may cause lower hop utilization. Of course best would be to just throw 'em in and deal with all the mess.

As for your idea, I've read, that pellets should work fine with that, but not whole leaf as they will stick to the screen and block it up. Don't use it, so I'm sure someone can give you advice better on that.

hop spider + muslin bag

each hop addition just gets tossed in

muslin bag is just binder clipped to an insinkerator sink flange which is binder clipped to the side of the kettle

I throw the hops into the boil, don't filter at all.

I am not even that careful when I syphon, I just keep the hose suspended, not sitting on the bottom.

For a serious amount of suspended hop residue, I put a muslin bag with a small pasta strainer in it over the input of the syphon.

GrogNerd said:

hop spider + muslin bag

each hop addition just gets tossed in

muslin bag is just binder clipped to an insinkerator sink flange which is binder clipped to the side of the kettle

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Whoa, Dude! This is awesome! I'm definitely setting myself up with this idea!

I've been using paint strainer bags that I just tie off on the handle but some of my beers have 4-6 additions and it gets a little crowded in the kettle! This set up rocks, thanks for the idea!

On one foot...



I just toss 'em in the boil, whirlpool, and siphon when done.

Get a BIAB bag. Put it in the fermenter before you dump in your wort, dump in your wort, then take it out

m_stodd said:

Get a BIAB bag. Put it in the fermenter before you dump in your wort, dump in your wort, then take it out

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Toss them in the fermenter without boiling? That is pretty groundbreaking!

Oh wait....you mean to pour the wort through the biab bag. Gotcha.

I like the hops to be in during fermentation. I find that this results in clearer beer, and possibly more hop aroma.

duboman said:

Whoa, Dude! This is awesome! I'm definitely setting myself up with this idea!

I've been using paint strainer bags that I just tie off on the handle but some of my beers have 4-6 additions and it gets a little crowded in the kettle! This set up rocks, thanks for the idea!

Click to expand...

insinkerator flange: $15.99 at HD
you could go cheaper with plastic, but I wanted one that could take the heat

@duboman: What did you put the hops into in your photo of your hops rig above? It looks like just a cheese cloth. Is there a certain kind that's narrow and long that would fit just right?

A bazooka screen works great- for leaf hops only! If you use pellet hops, it'll totally clog up the screen.

I sometimes use it, if I have a ton of leaf hops. Then I bag my pellets, or use my hops spider. Other times, I don't use the bazooka at all, if I have a ton of pellets, and then just bag my leaf hops. It depends on how many hops I have and what kinds.

Pellet hops go right through my system just fine, but leaf hops plug up my diptube and pump something awful, so if I'm using leaf hops at all I have to do something!

If I bag my leaf hops, or don't use any leaf hops in that batch, I don't filter/strain my wort at all- it all goes into the fermenter.

bmantzey said:

@duboman: What did you put the hops into in your photo of your hops rig above? It looks like just a cheese cloth. Is there a certain kind that's narrow and long that would fit just right?

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5 gallon paint strainer bags from Ace Hardware or Home Depot!

Okay. Are they a use once and dispose type thing or are they washable and reusable?

bmantzey said:

Okay. Are they a use once and dispose type thing or are they washable and reusable?

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They come in a two-pack, and they are washed and reused. Mine have a couple of little tears in the top (been using the same one for about 2 years!) but they still can be used.

I like mine bigger than that- so I have a 4" piece of cPVC with a clamp around it, held in place by some big bolts.

bmantzey said:

@duboman: What did you put the hops into in your photo of your hops rig above? It looks like just a cheese cloth. Is there a certain kind that's narrow and long that would fit just right?

Click to expand...

that's my spider and it's not a cheesecloth, it's a muslin bag.

can be used for grains or hops, it's long enough that when I hang it on my 30qt BK, like in the picture (NOT my 30qt in the pic, that's my 16qt), it will reach the bottom of the kettle

Is this the right thing?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BPG5R6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Depends on the day, if I'm using a lot of pellet hops (which is often) I'll use my spider with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from Home Depot. If the hop load is light, I'll just throw them in loose and not really care, I do also push most of my beers through my HopRocket at the end of the boil which I'll pack with either whole leaf hops or ricehulls (depending on the beer) and that acts as a pretty handy trub/hop gunk filter on the way to the fermenter.

GrogNerd said:

insinkerator flange: $15.99 at HD
you could go cheaper with plastic, but I wanted one that could take the heat

Click to expand...

Thanks! I have been trying to come up with a better way and you nailed it!

I have a bazooka screen and it works well but I use a lot of pellet hops and as Yooper stated, they can plug things up quite a bit!

I've been using the 1gallon paint strainer bags and they work great but after a few additions they take up space and make it difficult to whirlpool.

This set up will ease a lot of hassle!

As others have said, I just throw my hops loose in the boil and after cooling to proper temp, I line my bucket with the 5 gallon paint strainer (sanitized of course) and pour through it. It catches everything. Pull the bag out, dump and wash for next use.

I dont like the thought of my hops being sacked in the boil. Those guys need to be FREE!

davekippen said:

I dont like the thought of my hops being sacked in the boil. Those guys need to be FREE!

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hops going commando