i usually brew 10 gal batches on my propane brew rig. i have 2 keggles (one for HLT and one for MT) and a SS Brewtech boil kettle (which i love). i just added a whirlpool port to centralize the trub before transferring to the fermenter but it there is still a lot of trub that passes into the chiller which is tough to clean out. i was curious if anyone has had any success with adding a false bottom to the boil kettle to reduce or even better eliminate this problem? all thoughts are welcome and thank you in advance.
Boil Kettle False Bottom, anyone??
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Tim Trabold
Where is your pick-up tube? I doubt a false bottom would help much or at all unless it was a pretty fine mesh. A bazooka or other screen filter would probably clog. After whirlpooling, if you don't want any of it in the chiller you may need to raise your pickup tube and leave more behind.
A false bottom in a boil kettle is a bad idea unless you're heating from the sides with something like a steam jacket. I would suggest to either raise the pickup tube so it's not drawing from the bottom of the kettle, switch to an immersion cooler and not worry about the trub, or look into a trub guard that walls off the pickup tube.
After you shut off your whirlpool, how long are you waiting? I am using SS Brewtech as well with a whirlpool. If you transfer to your fermenter as soon as you turn off the whirlpool, you're not giving it time to settle out. Wait 20-30 minutes for everything to drop. Then transfer to your fermenter. I bet you'll notice a much better cone in the middle of the kettle.
Also, if you're using a plate chiller, you might have better luck with an immersion chiller. Otherwise you'll have to use something to keep the hops out like a spider or cheesecloth. Personally, I always felt like I get more out of the hops without using those.
Also, if you're using a plate chiller, you might have better luck with an immersion chiller. Otherwise you'll have to use something to keep the hops out like a spider or cheesecloth. Personally, I always felt like I get more out of the hops without using those.
SoCal-Doug
Well-Known Member
First. Stop worrying about the trub getting into the fermenter. Use a hop sack if green bits bother you. The rest of the schmutz wont hurt anything.
Second. If you must worry about it, setup your pickup tube (if it isn't already) to not suck from the center. Get it along the outer edge or at least beyond the majority of the trub after whirlpooling. Adjust your recipes for whatever "loss" you leave in the boil kettle.
Lastly. Don't do screens or false bottoms in the boil kettle. Nothing but headaches will result.
Second. If you must worry about it, setup your pickup tube (if it isn't already) to not suck from the center. Get it along the outer edge or at least beyond the majority of the trub after whirlpooling. Adjust your recipes for whatever "loss" you leave in the boil kettle.
Lastly. Don't do screens or false bottoms in the boil kettle. Nothing but headaches will result.
To be honest, my experience contradicts most of your points.
I used to brew on propane with a false bottom with great results. When I switched to electric, I couldn't use a false bottom because I have a boil coil in the way. For a while, I couldn't make a good IPA and I was getting frustrated. Eventually I realized what the difference was. With the false bottom, I didn't need to wait for things to settle out after the whirlpool since the FB would catch it all. When I switched to electric, I was trying to use my old practices and everything was ending up in the fermenter.
I have also tried using cheesecloth and hop spiders to keep everything out but I always felt like something was lacking with those. Seeing that OP is using SS Brewtech, I imagine his setup is similar to what I currently use with a trub dam and a whirlpool attachment. It's a great solution. But, my plate chiller is sitting on the sidelines while I use my trusty IC. If the plate chiller is getting clogged up, my recommendation is to just ditch it. OP can likely sell it for more than a nice IC will cost.
If I'm doing something like an IPA, I go 30. Also, if you're using a pump for the transfer to fermenter, try using gravity. It is much more gentle and less likely to disturb that nice hop cone in the middle of your kettle.
fwiw, I have run an FB on my BK when using strictly whole cones (usually home growns) and it worked pretty well wrt collecting break material - I'd say the bed of hops reduced the break into the fermentors by half.
Never tried it with pellets as I expected it would be a messy fail. Always used nylon bags before switching to an ss spider...
Cheers!
Never tried it with pellets as I expected it would be a messy fail. Always used nylon bags before switching to an ss spider...
Cheers!
Dump the plate chiller first. They work really well, I know - I have a blichmann, but a CFC can work almost as fast (fast enough for sure) and they rarely get plugged, and some are cleanable (look at JaDeD).
Unless you're getting an awesome cone, you're gonna get plenty of hoppy trub in your fermenter. One solution I've been playing with is to freeball the hops during the boil, but in the last 5 minutes when I'm sanitizing the chiller hang the hop spider over the kettle and return the wort to it. It collects the hops quickly if the pickup is on the bottom of the kettle. Works OK.
Unless you're getting an awesome cone, you're gonna get plenty of hoppy trub in your fermenter. One solution I've been playing with is to freeball the hops during the boil, but in the last 5 minutes when I'm sanitizing the chiller hang the hop spider over the kettle and return the wort to it. It collects the hops quickly if the pickup is on the bottom of the kettle. Works OK.
Which SS spider? I've been looking for one that will hang into a cut keggle.
Specifically, the 6" x 18" 400 micron mesh model from stainlessbrewing.com (back-right in this pic).
If you shorten the support rods it looks like it'd drop right in a keggle.
I don't know how tall a keggle actually is to the cut rim but it's really easy to shorten the overall length if needed.
While the 18" fit my 20g BK I trimmed a couple inches off it to also work with my 10g kettle for small batches.
Cheers!
If you shorten the support rods it looks like it'd drop right in a keggle.
I don't know how tall a keggle actually is to the cut rim but it's really easy to shorten the overall length if needed.
While the 18" fit my 20g BK I trimmed a couple inches off it to also work with my 10g kettle for small batches.
Cheers!
BeardedBrews
Well-Known Member
Ah, day trippers is a better option probably, this is the one I’ve seen linked:
http://arborfab.com/6″-x-14″-Adjustable-Hook-Brew-Filter-300-Micron-For-Keggles_p_103.html
Thanks. I can shorten the rods easily with angle grinder.
I was gonna ask you about shortening to get it over my element. I think I'll buy that this week. Thanks.
Whole hops act as a filter, kind of like grain husks in the mash. Without them pellet hop particles will pass through the holes in the false bottom. But as long as there are at least some whole hops in the boil they plug the false bottom holes just enough to capture most of the pellet hops and break material but let the wort through. I’ve done this in an electric system with the element just above the false bottom and a bottom drain under the false bottom and a basic propane burner setup with center dip tube in a keggle. Both worked well for me.
YMMV if you use a plate chiller. I’ve always done immersion or counterlow so if some junk gets through it’s not a problem. I do recirculate back into the kettle while chilling so the false bottom has some time to capture everything.
YMMV if you use a plate chiller. I’ve always done immersion or counterlow so if some junk gets through it’s not a problem. I do recirculate back into the kettle while chilling so the false bottom has some time to capture everything.
samandbekah
Well-Known Member
Just curious - have you done this with a SS Brewtech Boil Kettle (or similar style BK) or with a Keggle?
samandbekah
Well-Known Member
Just curious - have you done this with a SS Brewtech Boil Kettle (or similar style BK) or with a Keggle?
Both. My old direct fire system was a keggle with the domed bottom and one of the cheap, flat, false bottoms MoreBeer sells. My current system is a Concord pot (identical to the old Spike kettles) with an electric element just above a JayBird false bottom. Both worked well for me. The JayBird FB can block a lot more hops without restricting flow, I've done 2+ pounds of hops in 12 gallons. Probably half of that was whole leaf and the rest pellets.
brewbama
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I want to try this but only use pellets. 1) Where do you buy your whole leaf hops? and 2) Do they absorb a predictable amount of wort per oz. (what’s the calculation)?
1. Local home brew store mostly, hopsdirect.com occasionally.
2. I've never bothered to track it and I don't feel like it's much different than pellet hop absorption. If I had to guess maybe an ounce of wort per ounce of hops?
samandbekah
Well-Known Member
That's awesome news... My biggest desire for getting one is for using my homegrown hops... I grew a ton of Zeus and Rakau (Also known as Alph Aroma) and they smell amazing... I want to do a big double IPA with exclusively those hops. Last year when I did, using no filter on the dip tube, they busted all up and clogged my chugger pumps. That was a huge bummer. I recently tried using a SS braided scrubber and it worked decently but the suction was terrible once the trub and hop debris was more concentrated around the scrubber (dip tub buried in scrubber). The last 5 gallons on a 15 gallon batch took twice as long as the first 10 to extract.
This is what I am thinking about getting:
https://www.ssbrewtech.com/products...aBQGjUAYzU6QjDqdlI4MiNcOPLTjHc9xoCOecQAvD_BwE
My only hesitation is what I have read from other users experiencing "burping" of the bubbles when the air trapped underneath the false bottom finally breaks free and can cause for some epic splashing once it hits the surface of the boiling wort... Ever run into that kind of experience?
I am on a propane, gas-fired setup using the blichmann burner.
No burping on my system, but it's not sealed against the sides like that one appears to be. The JayBird bottoms are really nice, I have one in my mash tun as well. Might be worth looking at also.
edit: Looks like the pickup tubing fittings are pretty small on the SS, if you have any clogging issues with that system I bet that's where it'll be. I run full 1/2 everywhere on my system.
I've always use a false bottom with my single infusion system. 1 keggle and 1 mash tun. I almost always use whole hops to help strain the trub at the end of the boil. It seems to work well. However, since I have been using a counter current chiller I also use a hop back every time and my chiller is MUCH happier even though I do use pumps.
I've been considering getting a 20 gal. Spike boil kettle for some time to finally get to a three vessel system. I really don't know which direction to head.
Does a whirlpool cone have problems with using pumps? If I wait 10-15 minutes does that stop the risk of clogging?
Spike appears to have a really nice system for both a whirlpool or a double false bottom. What do you guys think?
I've been considering getting a 20 gal. Spike boil kettle for some time to finally get to a three vessel system. I really don't know which direction to head.
Does a whirlpool cone have problems with using pumps? If I wait 10-15 minutes does that stop the risk of clogging?
Spike appears to have a really nice system for both a whirlpool or a double false bottom. What do you guys think?
