Pellet Hops hate me...what can I do to keep them out of my fermenter?

I use a bazooka screen to filter my chilled wort before it leaves through my spigot...but I get a ton of pellet hop debris in the last quarter of wort or so...which usually spurs me to leave 2 gallons or so of otherwise sexy wort in the kettle. Any ideas on a better way of keeping that pellet trash out of my goodness?

Hop bag in the kettle. Works great every time.

Use a sludge sack.

Will do-- thanks guys!

Lil' Sparky said:

Use a sludge sack.

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This is SERIOUSLY the way to go... Muslin bags won't cut it. These nylon paint strainers are the ****!!! I made one of these for my last batch (an IPA) and it worked wonders.

Are you usung a hose clamp to hold the bag on the PVC?

yes hose clamp. big one. Like for a car air filter

I would add that, unless you are using a plate chiller and are concerned about getting hop particles stuck in it, having some hops in your fermenter isn't going to hurt anything - at least that is my understanding/experience. ymmv

Although I'm a new brewer, I haven't had any problems with the hop pellet particles not dropping clear. However it bothers me that all the tiny suspended particles seem bound to affect OG readings. I tried to take a gravity reading two batches ago and the wort was so full of particles that I dumped the sample without bothering to take a reading.

summersolstice said:

However it bothers me that all the tiny suspended particles seem bound to affect OG readings. I tried to take a gravity reading two batches ago and the wort was so full of particles that I dumped the sample without bothering to take a reading.

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If I remember my chem classes and what I have read around here- Hop particles are in suspension, not solution, and will not affect your reading.

Used pellets in the primary won't 'hurt your precious brew'.

I avoid pouring the hop trub into primary, but I focus more on getting as much liquid out of the kettle more than I do 'filtering' stuff out.

It settles out - it doesn't hurt your beer while in the fermenter. Don't sweat it.

I have no problem with cheesecloth and a strainer. Once the hops creates that initial layer in the strainer, it's perfectly pure.

what do you do to make sure the cheesecloth is sanitized?

Just make sure it is clean. Remember that you are boiling for an hour which would kill anything anyway. It's important to wash and sanitize (starsan)anything that touches the beer after boiling as this is the time most beer can become infected. Wash your hands when in doubt and sanitize them too.

Use whole hops instead.

quickerNu said:

If I remember my chem classes and what I have read around here- Hop particles are in suspension, not solution, and will not affect your reading.

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Thanks! I didn't know that or, if I did, I forgot. Chemistry class was 35 years ago!

sjvicker said:

what do you do to make sure the cheesecloth is sanitized?

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Soak it in starsan for 30 seconds. Seems straightforward enough. Everything sits in the huge tupperware bucket o' starsan before I use it. It cleans up my immersion chiller, it sanitizes, it's awesomeness!

Use whole hops instead.

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Word!

Yes, I'll make sure I pick between one of the 3 available whole hops the next time I order.