false bottom in boil keggle

[andycook]

Is there any gain to be had from using a false bottom in my boil keggle? I use mostly hop pellets. Anyone do this? The idea appeals to me but I started to wonder if some/much/most of the hop pellet gunk would make it through the false bottom. Thanks.

-Andy

 

[jcav]

I have seen many people use a false bottom back in the day for whole hops. Some probably still do. I think the hole size is probably way to big to really do a good job of screening out pellet hops though. Unless you make one that has smaller holes than the standard ones you can buy. I haven't tried it for pellet hops so I can't tell you first hand, just my opinion.

John

 

[porterpounder]

Not for pellets. Just gums up the works. I use it for whole hops only.

 

[andycook]

I've done whole hops once and I can see how this would help. Thanks for the input.

 

[Jaybird]

I do every time I brew! 15.5 gallon kegs with 15" False Bottom and level 3 stand. BOATLOADS of pellet hops...The system was developed for people using a plate chiller.

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.c...alse_Bottom_Bottom_Draining_Level_3_Stand.php

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Keg_Conversion_False_Bottom_Hole_Level_3_Stand.php

I have a few killer pictures of a MASSIVE hop bed on top of my false bottom.

Cheers
Jay

 

[andycook]

Thanks Jay. Now I need to do more research.

 

[Jaybird]

Here is 1 after I pulled the level 3 filter out of the keg. That is about 1 3/4" deep of pellet hops. This is a bottom draining electric boil kettle but I used the same system when it was gas as well.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Jaybird]

Here is another close up I took after I removed the level 3 filter.


Cheers
Jay

 

[jcav]

I do every time I brew! 15.5 gallon kegs with 15" False Bottom and level 3 stand. BOATLOADS of pellet hops...The system was developed for people using a plate chiller.

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.c...alse_Bottom_Bottom_Draining_Level_3_Stand.php

http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Keg_Conversion_False_Bottom_Hole_Level_3_Stand.php

I have a few killer pictures of a MASSIVE hop bed on top of my false bottom.

Cheers
Jay

Wow that's great! I guess it does work for pellet hops. Funny I have an extra false bottom from when I bought my Sabco kegs, one in the mash tun and one for the boil kettle, that is how they sold them. I just didn't think it would work for pellet hops so I didn't use it. You still can learn something every day!

John

 

[jcav]

I guess you would need the level 3 filter though to make it work.....

 

[Jaybird]

Wow that's great! I guess it does work for pellet hops. Funny I have an extra false bottom from when I bought my Sabco kegs, one in the mash tun and one for the boil kettle, that is how they sold them. I just didn't think it would work for pellet hops so I didn't use it. You still can learn something every day!

John

Ohhh for sure John.

If you need a "level filter" to go under tha false bottom you already have let me know. Happy to help!

Cheers
Jay

 

[jcav]

Good to know, thanks Jay!

John

 

[MidAtlanticBrew]

I like my SS hop spider, traps most (~90%) of the pellet material and a whirlpool takes care of the rest...keeps the plate chiller relatively clean. I don't have a keggle but the pic on the link shows it on a keggle. If you brew alot of IPA or DIPA, get the large diameter size to fit more hops.
http://stainlessbrewing.3dcartstores.com/Hop-Spider-with-seam-welds_p_158.html

Is there any gain to be had from using a false bottom in my boil keggle? I use mostly hop pellets. Anyone do this? The idea appeals to me but I started to wonder if some/much/most of the hop pellet gunk would make it through the false bottom. Thanks.

-Andy

 

[jcav]

I know the op is asking about false bottoms for pellet hops, but I have the same hop spider that MidAtlanticBrew posted and it works great at keeping the pellet hops constrained and no worries if you have a plate chiller. I have a convoluted counter flow chiller so no worries at all with clogging that with this hop spider.

John

 

[andycook]

Jay is there any scraping, shaking, or other agitating to get the liquid to go through the false bottom when doing its job/covered in hops gunk?

 

[Jaybird]

Jay is there any scraping, shaking, or other agitating to get the liquid to go through the false bottom when doing its job/covered in hops gunk?

In a couple of my 12 gallon batches where I am using about 1# of pellet hops I have had some slow flows. It never quit on me but a little slower than my pump wanted to do. What I learned was to toss in some of my hops as whole hops in that case and it solved that problem. The whole hops kind of acted like rice hulls in the MLT.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Everhard]

In a couple of my 12 gallon batches where I am using about 1# of pellet hops I have had some slow flows. It never quit on me but a little slower than my pump wanted to do. What I learned was to toss in some of my hops as whole hops in that case and it solved that problem. The whole hops kind of acted like rice hulls in the MLT.

Cheers
Jay

Bringing this back from the past.. Jaybird, I'm considering putting a false bottom into my boil kettle - does yours sit over or under your heating element? (Mine would be under the false bottom.)
And the false bottom you use is the same one used typically in an MLT correct? It's not made especially for the boil kettle. In other words same size holes.

And you've not used a finer screen over top of the false bottom to further catch crap.

If anyone else is using false bottom particularly with pellet hops I'd be happy to hear your opinions as well!

Thanks!

 

[Jaybird]

Bringing this back from the past.. Jaybird, I'm considering putting a false bottom into my boil kettle - does yours sit over or under your heating element? (Mine would be under the false bottom.)
And the false bottom you use is the same one used typically in an MLT correct? It's not made especially for the boil kettle. In other words same size holes.

And you've not used a finer screen over top of the false bottom to further catch crap.

If anyone else is using false bottom particularly with pellet hops I'd be happy to hear your opinions as well!

Thanks!

We have made them both ways. Above and below. As for usage it doesn't matter where you put it in reference to the element. Mine sits below the element in my system. yes we played around with finer mesh. It sucked all around. If the element was under, it trapped the boil and super headed the wort. Then the flow and draining didn't work as it got plugged. With 2 or 3 levels of filtration with our material (after clearing) I can run full tilt with a BOATLOAD of hops and my wort is clear. It's all about surface area and that is achieved in our systems by using the same material in the stand as we do in the top. It why I created the "LEVEL" stands for the hinged 15" keg systems years ago. I just used that same concept for all the other systems we build.
Hope that helps.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Everhard]

We have made them both ways. Above and below. As for usage it doesn't matter where you put it in reference to the element. Mine sits below the element in my system. yes we played around with finer mesh. It sucked all around. If the element was under, it trapped the boil and super headed the wort. Then the flow and draining didn't work as it got plugged. With 2 or 3 levels of filtration with our material (after clearing) I can run full tilt with a BOATLOAD of hops and my wort is clear. It's all about surface area and that is achieved in our systems by using the same material in the stand as we do in the top. It why I created the "LEVEL" stands for the hinged 15" keg systems years ago. I just used that same concept for all the other systems we build.
Hope that helps.

Cheers
Jay

Thanks Jaybird! My original plan was to get a false bottom and then put a layer of fine mesh on it... I'll avoid that mistake now! Lol.

I've already made a pickup that is encased with the fine mesh but I think I'm going to try something a little different - I'll use a regular pickup that will get almost all the wort off the bottom, and I'll surround that with a mesh "box" (I'll make a frame out of stainless to keep the mesh from collapsing) and then the false bottom can go on top of all that, and of course the element will be outside of the box and in my case below the false bottom.

E.

 

[Soulshine2]

Is there any gain to be had from using a false bottom in my boil keggle? I use mostly hop pellets. Anyone do this? The idea appeals to me but I started to wonder if some/much/most of the hop pellet gunk would make it through the false bottom. Thanks.

-Andy

if you're worried about hop gunk. try a hop sack. Buy a few (like 6)so you can add your hops at different intervals. I didnt use one up until the last 2 brews and it made a world of difference in my trub amount. I made th mistake of buying just one then realized the first time using it that I needed at least 1 more instead of fishing out a gooey hop sack from boiling water to add more hops. I'll be buying a couple more before I brew again.