Trub/Hop Filter from BrewersHardware

TrickyDick said:

Thanks!

I'm toying with getting one of these, but thinking strongly about the Blichmann HopRocket as well. Don't think I'd need both. This seems like it would probably do better at filtering, unless I filled the HopRocket with some hops - though that wouldn't be appropriate for most styles I don't think. I'd bet you could probably stuff the HopRocket with Copper of SS pot scrubber as an alternative to hops though...

TD

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I was looking at the hop rocket very seriously when I found this, and I had the same thought process when it comes to style. I bet your SS scrubbie idea would work, but at the end of the day you either have to clean them, or replace them next time. It was a toss up as the price for each unit was somewhat similar and at the end of the day I feel like I prefer brewing less hoppy darker styles.

Just to update, I brewed again this past weekend and everything went very well. I started the mash recirculation slow instead of wide open and it seemed to make all the difference in the world. However, I also had a totally different grain bill.
This brew used 5 oz of pellet hops vs 1.5 oz in the previous one. I did use a bag for them this time though, keeping the majority of them out of the filter. It still trapped a ton of crap and prevented it from entering the fermenter.
So, my conclusion at the moment: Perhaps slight changes in my brewing methods are netting optimum results and I think this was a great addition to my system. Regardless, I have had nothing to flush out of my plate hex since I started using it, which was the original intent in the first place. So, Derrin get my 100% approval rating for an excellent piece (FWIW).

Does this remove the amount of trub in your primary? Is it noticeable? Any pics of the primary?

It removes nearly all of the solid material from the wort. The cold break is a gelatinous mass that I would imagine requires very fine filtration to remove. So I still had that in the fermenter, but it settles out within an hour or two.
I will be transferring my first brew that I did with the filter into secondary next week, so I will try to remember and get a picture for you. It is about 35 °L, so pretty hard to see the bottom with the beer in there right now.

Cool, this might be on the xmas list. Wish he made a camlock version

milldoggy said:

Cool, this might be on the xmas list. Wish he made a camlock version

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Shoot him an email. He does custom work and could very well hook you up.
Tell him Bull sent you.

bull8042 said:

Just to update, I brewed again this past weekend and everything went very well. I started the mash recirculation slow instead of wide open and it seemed to make all the difference in the world. However, I also had a totally different grain bill.
This brew used 5 oz of pellet hops vs 1.5 oz in the previous one. I did use a bag for them this time though, keeping the majority of them out of the filter. It still trapped a ton of crap and prevented it from entering the fermenter.
So, my conclusion at the moment: Perhaps slight changes in my brewing methods are netting optimum results and I think this was a great addition to my system. Regardless, I have had nothing to flush out of my plate hex since I started using it, which was the original intent in the first place. So, Derrin get my 100% approval rating for an excellent piece (FWIW).

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I'm doing a cream ale and a APA. The cream ale only has 2 ounces of hops in a 10 gallon batch but the APA has 12 ounces in a 10 gallon batch. All hops start to be added at the 20minute boil mark. Should be interesting to see how the filter holds up to 12 ounces. I will report. I am brewing both on the 4th of july.

I too will making the transfer to my secondary next week, i will also post the results. My beer was a Chocolate oatmeal stout so it's pretty darn dark right now.

milldoggy said:

Cool, this might be on the xmas list. Wish he made a camlock version

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For the inlet get a 90 degree triclamp elbow, attach that to the filter. Then get a tri-clamp female adapter, screw the cam lock into the female adapter and clamp the adapter to the eblow. Do the same for the outlet but you wouldn't need a elbow. You have just converted it to a quick disconnect. Easier said than done i guess, it would cost about $20 bucks for 2 female tc adapters, $14 bucks for 2 tc clamps, $15 for the elbow, plus the cost of the QD's. Prices are based on my sources.

pola0502ds said:

For the inlet get a 90 degree triclamp elbow, attach that to the filter. Then get a tri-clamp female adapter, screw the cam lock into the female adapter and clamp the adapter to the eblow. Do the same for the outlet but you wouldn't need a elbow. You have just converted it to a quick disconnect. Easier said than done i guess, it would cost about $20 bucks for 2 female tc adapters, $14 bucks for 2 tc clamps, $15 for the elbow, plus the cost of the QD's. Prices are based on my sources.

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Yeah, and Derrin sells all of the components that you would need to accomplish this as well. Well, not you pola0502ds....the previous poster.

Female TC adapters are $10 bucks at www.weldessfittings.com. I would buy elbows, tees, clamps etc. from brewershardware or www.glaciertanks.com. That place has amazing deals on tc products.

pola0502ds said:

Female TC adapters are $10 bucks at www.weldessfittings.com. I would buy elbows, tees, clamps etc. from brewershardware or www.glaciertanks.com. That place has amazing deals on tc products.

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Good information, thanks.

No problem man. My whole system is tri-clamps but it's not a sanitary setup. I still have threads everywhere too.

Thanks for the links!

When it comes to Tri Clamp fittings, I think that its a bit over-rated. I understand why the big guys use them, because they lose a lot of $$ when a batch is bad. On the Pre-Boil plumbing I think it is totally unnecessary.

On the post chill fittings it makes sense. I think if you are using a good cleaning and disinfecting practice on your gear, whether you disassemble the threaded fittings or not ( though depending how how heavily you use the equipment might be a good idea to disassemble once a year to clean and soak to prevent beer stone buildup). They way I see it, if the sanitizer can get to the surface metal, then so can the beer and if the sanitizer cannot get to the surface metal, then neither can the beer.... I understand that microorganisms can MOVE, but doubt significantly that enough would be present to cause a contaminated batch with appropriate pitch rates.. but that's just my 2 cents.
seems the biggest reason to get the fittings is that they're cool, and some equipment its the only way they're sold! (hope this doesn't start a flame war...)

TD

TrickyDick said:

Thanks for the links!

When it comes to Tri Clamp fittings, I think that its a bit over-rated. I understand why the big guys use them, because they lose a lot of $$ when a batch is bad. On the Pre-Boil plumbing I think it is totally unnecessary.

On the post chill fittings it makes sense. I think if you are using a good cleaning and disinfecting practice on your gear, whether you disassemble the threaded fittings or not ( though depending how how heavily you use the equipment might be a good idea to disassemble once a year to clean and soak to prevent beer stone buildup). They way I see it, if the sanitizer can get to the surface metal, then so can the beer and if the sanitizer cannot get to the surface metal, then neither can the beer.... I understand that microorganisms can MOVE, but doubt significantly that enough would be present to cause a contaminated batch with appropriate pitch rates.. but that's just my 2 cents.
seems the biggest reason to get the fittings is that they're cool, and some equipment its the only way they're sold! (hope this doesn't start a flame war...)

TD

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You're a moron and don't know what you are talking about. (how's that for flaming?)
You are exactly right in your reasoning, but I use them less for a sanitary connection and more for a solid, leak-free one. I am not sure if you can see them in the pic I posted earlier in this thread, but I also use them to connect my plate hex, making it very convenient to disconnect and back-flush every once in a while.
So, while they may technically be unnecessary in a small scale setup, I do get a little satisfaction knowing everything that touches my wort is stainless. I do admit though that copper served me pretty well for years before re-plumbing my system. It just requires more care to prevent oxidation between brews.

bull8042 said:

You're a moron and don't know what you are talking about. (how's that for flaming?)
You are exactly right in your reasoning, but I use them less for a sanitary connection and more for a solid, leak-free one. I am not sure if you can see them in the pic I posted earlier in this thread, but I also use them to connect my plate hex, making it very convenient to disconnect and back-flush every once in a while.
So, while they may technically be unnecessary in a small scale setup, I do get a little satisfaction knowing everything that touches my wort is stainless. I do admit though that copper served me pretty well for years before re-plumbing my system. It just requires more care to prevent oxidation between brews.

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I agree with your moron quote and everything else you said. I picked tri-clamps for my connection methods because i like how they connect to one another, how easy they are to clean, they do create a absolutely leak free seal, the only part that goes bad on them is a $1.00 gaskets, and the list goes on. I didn't use these at all for trying to make my system sanitary.

I also went they way because quick disconnects are not really that much cheaper. SS QD'S are up there in price.

pola0502ds said:

I agree with your moron quote and everything else you said. I picked tri-clamps for my connection methods because i like how they connect to one another, how easy they are to clean, they do create a absolutely leak free seal, the only part that goes bad on them is a $1.00 gaskets, and the list goes on. I didn't use these at all for trying to make my system sanitary.

I also went they way because quick disconnects are not really that much cheaper. SS QD'S are up there in price.

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I just want to clarify that the moron comment was a joke, and only because he mentioned flaming. I wouldn't want this thread to go to crap because we pissed TrickyDick off inadvertently.
Now, carry on.

bull8042 said:

I just want to clarify that the moron comment was a joke, and only because he mentioned flaming. I wouldn't want this thread to go to crap because we pissed TrickyDick off inadvertently.
Now, carry on.

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Billy Idol gets it...

FYI, I am brewing on Monday, I am going to apply one of the smaller filter screens to the main filter, I wanna see if it will catch the hot break. I will report back.

pola0502ds, please let everyone know what you find. If it works with hot break I think I'm going to pull the trigger.

aarondrich said:

pola0502ds, please let everyone know what you find. If it works with hot break I think I'm going to pull the trigger.

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You won't be disappointed, I am quite confident of that. You might want to get on the waiting list for the next batch though. It doesn't seem as if can keep those things in stock right now.

How's cleaning this thing?

Mike3701 said:

How's cleaning this thing?

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Extremely easy if you have a water hose.....or sink. They are very easy to clean thoroughly since they come apart via a single clamp.

I think I might have to break down and get one. Too bad they don't come with SS QD fitting (ROFL!)

I have some bad news. At least i think it is. I brewed 2 batches yesterday. A cream ale and a APA.

The APA had 12 ounces of hops in it. The filter COMPLETELY filled up with hops, it was so full that my pickup tube and plumbing to the filter was filled up with hops. So after I got it into the carboys and after everything settled, I had about a 1 1/2 thick of hops and hot break in each carboy. Not what I was expecting.

The creme ale, this one only had 2 ounces of hops and it did not filter any of the hot break. After I got it into the carboy and after everything settled it looked as if I never used the filter.

So, this thing should not be used on big hoppy beers. I will still use it so I don't have to whirlpool, let it sit for 20 minutes, and then chill.

The other thing I absolutely hate about this filter is that it takes FOREVER to get a good flow rate..

Overall, i still like it.

Thanks for the info!

I intend to continue using the HopBlocker in conjunction with the trub filter if/when I buy one. I also plan to continue using pellet hops in hop sacks. This might help alleviate some of the problems pola0502ds reported. Could you give us any details on the 2 brews? use of hop spider or hop bags, pellet or leaf?

TD

I used just pellets for both brews. However, I don't think if the hops being contained would make a difference.

1.) This filter does not filter out hot break
2.) In the APA, even though the filter got most of the hops and filled up completely, I could still see a large amount of hot break in both carboys.

Here are some pics of the filter from the APA, 12 ounces of hops. Still a lot of hops in the 2 carboys and a crap load in the keg after pulling everything out.

What kind of recipe did you do for the APA? It looks like you must have gone with a ton of low alpha acid hops, and if I remember correctly, did you add them all really late into the boil? If you don't mind, could you post your hop schedule? When I used the filter (granted I've only had one trial so far) I did a brief whirlpool and didn't even really wait very long for everything to settle. My kettle has no attachements inside (dip tubes, bazooka screens, hop blockers...) I was left with a healthy cone of hot break/hops inside the kettle, and the rest remained trapped in the filter. What I did notice is that after everything was pumped through the plate chiller to the conical that I did have a minimal amount of cold break settled into the cone. For my purposes, I just open the valve and dump whatever is in there, then pitch my yeast. Do you use a plate chiller, or is it an immersion coil? I'd be interested to see how everyone else's systems are set up in regards to this equipment. Kettle features, chiller style, pumps, placement of the filter, fermentation equipment.

I use a therminator. I use a dip tube that is bent at a 90 and aimed at the side wall of the keg.

2oz centennial hops & 2oz amarillo hops at 20 min
2oz centennial hops & 2oz amarillo hops at 10 min
2oz centennial hops & 2oz amarillo hops at 0 min
for what it's worth, 2 ounces of citra dry hoped

I bought this filter so I didn't have to whirlpool.

Anyway, don't take anything I said the wrong way. I am still going to use it and i do like it. If hops and hot break get into the fermenter then some is actually a good thing.

I'm pretty sure if you used the fine nylon hop bags, that you'd get far less hop material in the trub filter.

That photo looks like a huge hop pellet with a hole in the middle! Some claim you get lower utilization with a hop bag. Wonder if the huge amount of hops used is contributing to the flow rate.

I'm not sure if the trub filter was really designed to filter out 12oz of pellet hops! I'm surprised anything go through that stuff!

Mostly I'm interested in this filter because I too hate whirlpooling, and it never really seems to work well for me, and also because I want to protect the therminator from clogging with more than just the HopBlocker - removal of the hot break would be nice too, though personally I've made some great brews even when all the hot break made it into the primary.

TD

This question is for those who have the filter - why not put the filter after the pump? I just got the filter and that's what I plan to do. I figure since I want my wort traveling through my plate chiller slowly to just push it through them both with the pump. I will be brewing next week - will see how it goes.

drmark50 said:

This question is for those who have the filter - why not put the filter after the pump? I just got the filter and that's what I plan to do. I figure since I want my wort traveling through my plate chiller slowly to just push it through them both with the pump. I will be brewing next week - will see how it goes.

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I asked that one a few pages back; here's the response:

pola0502ds said:

I don't know? It seems like that would work that way you are push it through the filter instead of pulling it. I guess it would work, I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't. I know for sure though that I would NOT connect this filter directly to the pump without having something else support it. It doesn't weigh a lot but to the pump head it would feel like it weighs a ton and I would be afraid of snapping the threads off. I already did that once tightening to hard on them. That would be my only concern.

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I'd think would work great connected with quick release fittings and silicone hose. Good luck with brew day and let us know how it works!

Well, I finally got around to kegging the first two ten gallon batches I produced using this in line trub filter. I am extremely impressed with the outcome of both. To set the scene, I brew 10 gallon AG batches. I have no dip tube, hop blocker, or any fitting on the inside of my kettle just a simple bulkhead with a ball valve in it. I set up my rig as follows: BK> SS TC elbow>In line filter>March 809>40 plate chiller>conical. The two batches I completed were an APA using all loose pellet hops (I think it was 6 oz) and a Belgian Stout using all loose pellet hops (don't remember how much). For each brew I did encounter a bit of bubbling back into the kettle as I opened the ball valve between the kettle and the filter to purge the air. After this occurred I ran the boiling wort through the entire settup and back into the kettle in order to sanitize everything for about 10 minutes. When I was ready for flameout, I killed the propane, and whirlpooled the wort for about one minute. I cover the kettle at this point and allow it to settle for about 10 minutes. The filter performed like a champ, if anything held up my run off time it was my chiller. Once pumped to the conical I allow the wort to sit for about ten minutes with the dump valve open (hose still hooked up). This allowed for any trub/cold break that made it through to drop out. There was little to no material that dropped out either time. I like to harvest my yeast and since I have employed the use of this filter, I get nothing but clean yeast sediment. After packaging, each beer is fantastic and I put my stamp of approval on the BrewersHardware in line trub filter!

How's the flow coming out of the filter? I'm worried about running my pump dry if the filter clogs.

drmark50 said:

This question is for those who have the filter - why not put the filter after the pump? I just got the filter and that's what I plan to do. I figure since I want my wort traveling through my plate chiller slowly to just push it through them both with the pump. I will be brewing next week - will see how it goes.

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Did you brew yet?

Mike3701 said:

Did you brew yet?

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I did and it went great. Running the wort through the pump first to push through the filter and the paltr chiller worked flawlessly. Primed the pump and the filter filled fine. I had run star San through first so the filter was full with that - pushed it out with the wort.

I brewed a rye beer so only had a few ounces of hops AND I used a spider. I am paranoid about getting debri in my plate chiller. I did also use the additional fine filter (I think it's 2 micron) - which appears to be brittle but held up very well. The fine filter filled up, but very little material overall. My kettle itself had essentially no hop material either at cleaning time. I saw no debri when I back flushed my plate chiller. It was a very smooth operation.

I mounted the filter in the vertical position and did not have to do any repositioning. The pump did not seem to have any trouble pushing through the filter. However I had very little material in there.

On my next brew I am going to leave out the hop spider and see how the filter works. I am going to guess that if the hop bill is only a few ounces one can throw it all in the kettle (of note I do 10 gal batches).

I brewed this past saturday using my filter again. Same set up BK>Filter>Pump>Plate Chiller. When running the ball valve all the way open on the output side of the pump I can't get my wort down to 70 so I have to close it quite a bit. When running it all the way open I would pull air bubbles through the filter and it would make the pump cavitate, but with a little attention paid to the flow post pump I eliminated this problem. Other than that, another flawless brew.

Any benefit to mount it Vertical over horizontal?

Personally I mount mine at a 45 degree angle to the floor. I think if you were to mount it completely horizontal you would have issues purging the oxygen on the inside and this may cause flow issues. The only reason I mount mine angled in such a way is to have less of a turbulent initial flow into the unit, but it seems to also work fine just vertically.

I do not get any cavitation no matter the flow out of my pump since I have it before my filter. On Thurs I will brew another batch with close to 6 oz of pellet hops - I plan not to use a spider this time.

Here are some pics from my first brew with the filter.