Blichmann boil screen for pellet hops

CornyKegs 728
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Oh. That worked a little different than I had imagined. Thanks for the "action" shots. Mine is ordered, but it would seem there is a waiting list or something already.

I am also very curious of how I will get this working with an IC. I don't think extending the dip tube is the right solution. The idea is to whirlpool and get a hop cone. If you extend the dip tube in past the IC, it will be in the center of the cone. It would also seem to imply you would have to put the IC into the kettle before you put the wort in.

I am thinking it will take some reshaping of the IC.
 
I just bought one....should be here for this weekend's brew.

I am still waiting to hear back from folks who used it this weekend to see if I should cancel my order! :)

Looks cool...just don't want to end up with a bum piece of equipment again! SWMBO would not be happy! ;)
 
Moby said:
I just bought one....should be here for this weekend's brew.

I am still waiting to hear back from folks who used it this weekend to see if I should cancel my order! :)

Looks cool...just don't want to end up with a bum piece of equipment again! SWMBO would not be happy! ;)
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Still trying to get my system dialed in. Haven't tried mine yet. Maybe someone else got to try theirs out this weekend.
 
I went ahead and ordered one but am a little bit concerned about my recirc with the whirlpool chiller. I am hoping the big filter will be okay for the hops and the fine filter will get the cold break, but I guess we'll see.

My other concern is the pick-up tube. Do I need to get a Blichmann pick-up tube for this thing?

Edit: NM looks like Bargain Fittings has me covered (again!).
 
mhermetz said:
humm... that simply won't do on my kettle with the Elements in the way.... However I have an idea of how to design my own now. :)

muahahaha
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With the replies of the IC and or heating elements in the way why not make your own but make it more streamlined for a better whirlpool action, make a rectangle 6" long x 1 1/2" deep x 6" tall? This alone would have app 1.52 times more surface area, fits your needs plus can also use the next size smaller perforated SS sheet material for better filtering. The hard part would be making the skirt to seal off the smaller perforated holes. My thinking use two "L" bent SS stock material with SS springs at each open butt of the skirt material holding it together as well a tight joint preventing trub from leaking thru as well holding the sleeve snug to the screen. This would seal better than having that gap I see on the round sliding sleeve in the photos.
Purchase perforated material and build to fit your needs, check below one of many suppliers of materials.
From a scaled up version it looks like the the larger top perforations are app 15/64" or 0.234" diameter, lower smaller perforations of 1/3 the top perforation diameter, 5/64" or 0.0781".
Perforated tubing's also avaiable from this supplier below. Just my way of thinking.

http://www.mckey.com/Products-Services/Perforated-Stock
 
So I guess no posts means no one tried out their new toy over the weekend?

I am thinking about buying a Blichmann Kettle and was waiting to hear the results before I pull the trigger. :mug:
 
I brewed yesterday.
The kettle was awesome! I did not use the screen, because of other brewing issues. Problems with whirlpool pump, so through my chiller in the kettle, and racked off the beer into the fermenter.
So, no info from me this time.
 
Layne said:
I brewed yesterday.
The kettle was awesome! I did not use the screen, because of other brewing issues. Problems with whirlpool pump, so through my chiller in the kettle, and racked off the beer into the fermenter.
So, no info from me this time.
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One of them "SNAFU" from the start brew days? Had them more than once with damage control being happy just getting the fermenter filled.
 
Rebel Brewer Rocks! Ordered hop blocker on Tuesday, shipped same day using standard (free - Woo Hoo!) shipping and I have it in my hand here in Illinois today. I'll install tomorrow and will use it Saturday.
 
Okay. Just brewed the first time with the hop blocker. I will admit, I wasn't very nice to it either -- 7 ounces of pellets into a 5g batch.

Before I state the conclusion, allow me to make some observations. First, reshaping the coils for my IC wasn't that hard. The coils are no longer symmetric, so I have had to make some changes to my brewing process. Previously, I would just turn the coils in the kettle when I switched from the garden hose to the recirculating pump. That isn't an option now.

Second. The instructions from Blichmann state that getting a good trub cone is essential. He is right. However, it is almost impossible to get a good whirlpool going by hand with the hop blocker in place. You really need to consider a paint stirring attachment for your hand drill. I will be getting one before my next brew day.

I think if I had been able to get a good whirlpool, it would have worked. As it is, 7 ounces (remember that -- this is kind of an extreme hop load, way above anything Blichmann says his blocker is rated for) of pellet ... well, overwhelmed the hop blocker. The wort stopped flowing with roughly a gallon of wort (and a whole lot of hop residue) still in the kettle.

I will be brewing again next weekend with a more normal hop load. I will also have the paint stirrer to get a decent whirlpool going. Despite the failure this time, I do think under more reasonable circumstances it would have worked quite well. I will post a follow up when I can.
 
Thanks Mikfire. I have one of those stirring Mix-Stir wands and the last time I brewed I tried to use this no hop blocker at the time, just trying to get a whirl pool as I've never been able to do it by hand. Maybe I ran it too fast but it didn't work. I ran it on high on my cordless drill. If you try one, put our drill on the low setting if it has one and try that. I hope to be able to my blocker soon. I am going to try and whirl pool with my pump.

7249.jpg
 
mikfire said:
I think if I had been able to get a good whirlpool, it would have worked. As it is, 7 ounces (remember that -- this is kind of an extreme hop load, way above anything Blichmann says his blocker is rated for) of pellet ... well, overwhelmed the hop blocker. The wort stopped flowing with roughly a gallon of wort (and a whole lot of hop residue) still in the kettle.
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One should always verify the data before publishing the results. I transferred what had been left in my boil kettle to a homer bucket to measure how much was left, and then decided to let it settle and then see how much wort was really left.

45 minutes later, there is maybe 1/2" of wort sitting on top of a gallon of trub. The trub may compact a little bit further, but I am quite satisfied with the results. I am now really looking forward to seeing what it can do under normal circumstances.
 
I received my hop blocker yesterday and should be brewing with it on wednesday. I will try to take pictures but I will definitely post how it went. I will be brewing the American stout from brewing classic styles. It only uses 2.6 ounces of hops so it wont really be a full test of the new device, but I am sure I will be pleased with the results.
 
I am putting an order in for one this week and will put it to the test with a Pliney and really see what happens
 
rcrabb22 said:
Are you installing it in a Blichmann Boilermaker? If not, I would be interested in your installation details. I am having trouble installing one in a MoreBeer 15 gal kettle. I started another thread (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/blichmann-hop-blocker-install-problem-172745/) explaining my trouble and have had no response or suggestions.
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Yes, mine is going on a boilermaker pot. Looking at your thread I am not sure how everything site, but some pics may help with suggestions.
 
Mikfire - a couple comments on getting the last bit of wort out. First is really slowing down the drain rate when you get to the level of the dip tube. The real issue is trying to get the wort to permeate through the porous bed of pellet hop particles and into the HopBlocker. The second issue is hop absorbtion. An oz of hops absorbs about 1/3 qt of liquid. So for 7 oz of hops expect to lose about 7/3 of a qt (little over a half gallon) that you will never recover. I think some brewing software compensates for these losses, but it certainly needs to be factored into your recipe. So the trick to getting that last half gallon is allowing the wort time to permeate through the pile of sediment. And the reduced flow rate allows this to happen. As far as pellet hop capacity, the pics on my web page show a full pound (16oz) in a 20 gal batch that worked fine. But again, patience with that last bit of wort will pay off.
 
here is a picture of the hop blocker installed in my kettle along side my IC.
24213_596920853960_29908248_34529272_2641055_n.jpg

as you can see it's a pretty tight fit
24213_596920858950_29908248_34529273_6036552_n.jpg
 
I am starting to question my need of the hop blocker.

I can make it fit in my non Blichmann kettle but I am wondering the added value if I am using am immersion chiller. I don't need to worry about break/hop material clogging a CFC or plate chiller. I do 10 gal batches. I whirlpool now and am able to drain almost 9.75 gal from my kettle before the material starts to get picked up by the dip tube siphon. I shoot for 10.5 gal so ~93% of my wort is material free. What material transfers settles to the bottom of my fermenters ( I use two, 6 gal per batch).

Do I really need to use this thing?
 
rcrabb22 said:
I am starting to question my need of the hop blocker.

I can make it fit in my non Blichmann kettle but I am wondering the added value if I am using am immersion chiller. I don't need to worry about break/hop material clogging a CFC or plate chiller. I do 10 gal batches. I whirlpool now and am able to drain almost 9.75 gal from my kettle before the material starts to get picked up by the dip tube siphon. I shoot for 10.5 gal so ~93% of my wort is material free. What material transfers settles to the bottom of my fermenters ( I use two, 6 gal per batch).

Do I really need to use this thing?
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The ONLY reason I have it is because of the plate chiller I bought. I have not used mine yet and hind sight being 20-20 I would not have bought it based on what I am reading.

Plate chillers are great at chilling the wort efficiently. However, IMO, the time I save using it I end up losing and then some due to clean up. Now with the HB, I have to watch the draining closely, then hold down on the top with a spoon or something, then pull up on the hook with a racking cane (if I have one) all of which need to be sanitized, then slow the flow down. When I slow the flow whats my chances of losing the siphon if I go too slow? And, what is too slow?

When I make changes to my system, it is to create the most user friendly environment. If it's not going to do that, then I am backing up IMO.

I am toying with the idea of adding a HERMS coil to my HLT. This way I can use it for double duty. To keep my mash temp constant without the chance of scorching anything, and to chill my wort by adding ice water to it at the end of the boil. My only challenge with that is it won't be as efficient without the ice water being stirred. So now I either have to stir it manually or add one of those electric motor with paddles like on the Wort-o-Matic sight. Not more user friendly, but possibly more user friendly then the HB process.

My Brew system completion is on hold until I figure this out. I am not drilling one hole in my pots or lids until I figure this out. Measure twice, cut once so to speak.
 
When I slow the flow whats my chances of losing the siphon if I go too slow?
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Less than if you flowed faster.;) BlichmannEngineering's post above explains it.

Good idea on holding off on your new system. It'd suck to mess up shiny new stuff, that new rig is gonna be badass when you're done.
 
Finally used mine. I did a 5 gallon batch that had 2.75 oz of pellet hops. Everything worked well. When I lifted up the guard it was still siphoning. I did close the valve a bit like stated. I just did a single pass through a mashmasters chiller. So no complaints when using it yet.
 
Julohan and Chemman14, did either of you guys use an IC?

I have a 15gal Boilermaker brewpot and my IC seems like it might get in the way of a good whirlpool. Since I have never used any of this equipment or made a ten gallon batch before, it will all be new to me.

Thanks for any insight!
 
zymurgy101 said:
Julohan and Chemman14, did either of you guys use an IC?

I have a 15gal Boilermaker brewpot and my IC seems like it might get in the way of a good whirlpool. Since I have never used any of this equipment or made a ten gallon batch before, it will all be new to me.

Thanks for any insight!
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Yeah I use an IC but i remove it after I am chilled and then attempt to whirlpool
 
I was wondering about that same approach (whirlpool after chilling), but wasn't sure about the timing of the break. Thanks for the insight!
 
chemman14 said:
Yeah I use an IC but i remove it after I am chilled and then attempt to whirlpool
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My thinking the turbulence created by the hop stop vs your round pot or keggle will destroy the developing trub cone you want to create in the first place even if you had your IC still installed as your still concentric. Cost of a simple production item vs profit here I see in extra manufactured labor. I agree remove it after your chilled then whirlpool without any obstruction within the BK. Why not have a hop stop that is cresent shaped instead allowing for a better whirlpool action it pressed against your BK outside wall? JMO it's a great idea just needing a modification in design hence costing more in labor to manufacture quickly aka profits lost or a higher cost. Not to start a pissing war JMO on this product.
 
No I didn't use a IC. I just used a plate chiller. didn't even do that great of a whirlpool but it seemed to work very well.
 
I did a 5 gal batch yesterday with three ounces of pellet hops and like chemman14, it filtered some hops. It seemed to me that I could have just used the fine grain mesh filter for the whole process and had better results. There wasn't much hop residue on the HopBlocker, so I don't believe clogging would have been an issue. I'll try that method next weekend and report my findings.
 
The Hop Blocker sounds like an idea in the right direction but not the final do all fix all with holding back the hops. I see another better design in the making by them or somone else running with a different design and shape. Time will tell. The above picture of the IC and HB jammed tight against the inside of the BK sure doesn't look like any possible way to allow for any decent concentric IC location allowing for any good whirlpooling action. Even with the HB alone preventing a smooth whirlpool action, more of a blockage. JMO a thin crecent shaped HB unit made longer with more surface area allowing for better whirlpool action.
 
Zymurgy101 - What you have described is exactly how it should perform. If you end up getting a lot of hop particulates on the fine screen you're draining faster than the wort can permeate through the hop sediment. Remember, the HopBlocker works in a completely different manner than a traditional screen filter. I can assure you that if you try it without the shield it'll plug up quickly.
 
Why not have three different diameters of screen holes for a more gradual filtering plus preventing the smallest bottom perforations from being plugged up as much? Even make the bottom row of perforations slightly smaller in diameter and allow the middle section to handle more of the hops load with smaller perforations? Three equal steps vs large then small perforations is my thinking with suggestions. This without pissing off the Blichmann manufacture, JMO's here.
 
We considered that early on, but the piece cost and tooling cost made it prohibitive. And the performance we acheived with just the 2 sizes really made it unnecessary.
 
I bet the raw stock is punched from your supplier not a in house item, I agree this would add a retooling price by the supplier as if you started the first time called not cheap. I'm still leaning towards 3 perforation step sizes as a better filtering system than just 2 sizes. Again this is my thinking or opinions only as with a thin cresent shaped design allowing for a smoother perimeter whirlpooling action. Just opinions on my part as each month or year a new design comes up helping us brewers.
 
Yambor44 said:
I thought all good attorneys were patient?? :p
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I call mine "patient" as the clock ticks, he's also a patent attorney and a PITA
most of the times dragging things along. This was not a mistype as he will see this forum and my reply, call it a dig back at him. I gave him an egg timer for Christmas, i'm out the door by 3 minutes I keep telling him. A good PITA attorney I can tease.
 
Just a thought; wouldn't the original Blichmann Hop Screen work with the same instructions as the HB? A good whirlpool and slower transfer toward the bottom? Seems more symmetrical to be conducive with the whirlpool.
 

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