hop spider that fits inside keg for post-boil filtration?

[twd000]

I've been boiling in my keggle and realize that I waste a lot of good wort on hoppy beers. I have a port but I have been using a racking cane, trying to leave behind most of the trub. It's usually not much, but on hoppy beers I'm leaving 1.5-2 gallons behind.

I ferment in corny kegs, so I was looking for a fine-mesh filter that would fit inside the lid opening of a corny keg. Then I could runoff sludgy wort from the bottom port into the mesh basket so it catches most of the hops. Then I can pull out the basket and leave mostly clear wort behind.

Has anyone tried this?

Are their any of those stainless hop spiders that fit inside a corny keg?

I'm thinking 3" diameter by 12-18" would give a good filter area so it doesn't get clogged. 300 or 400 micron mesh size? I don't need to filet out all the trub, just a significant portion so I don't leave 4" of hop sludge on the bottom of my fermenting keg

 

[Jag75]

No but I can tell you that it will take forever to drain. I've done huge hop beers and the spider doesnt drain easily . If you chill quickly and use a racking cane for most of it then dump the last gallon or so through the spider it will speed it up but be prepared to watch paint dry lol

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I implemented a similar method by using a grant filled with rice hulls. Grant came from MoreBeer. Worked like a charm.

 

[twd000]

I implemented a similar method by using a grant filled with rice hulls. Grant came from MoreBeer. Worked like a charm.

I'm not seeing anything under "grant" on MoreBeer. Does it go by another name?

 

[twd000]

No but I can tell you that it will take forever to drain. I've done huge hop beers and the spider doesnt drain easily . If you chill quickly and use a racking cane for most of it then dump the last gallon or so through the spider it will speed it up but be prepared to watch paint dry lol

what if I use a tamper to squish it down? I have a used a muslin bag to strain 8-10 oz of pellet hops before and squeezing the bag got most of the wort out in a reasonable time. I think the key is a massive surface area so the wort can bypass clogged sections of the sieve, and having a relatively coarse sieve that can get most, but not all of the hop particles

 

[kh54s10]

I work from the other end of the boil. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag clipped to the lip of the kettle. All the hop additions unless 2 ounces or less total go in the bag. I don't get much trub and leave only about 1/8" or less on the bottom of the kettle. Less than 12 ounces is lost. Then after siphoning to the keg or bottling bucket there is less than 1/2 inch left in the fermenter.

I tried filtering the wort from the boil kettle ONCE...

 

[Jag75]

^^^^ this is where I stand . I've done just tossing in hops in my Gf and ended up with a plugged pump , using a spider and taking forever to drain so I'm back to bags on big hop additions.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I'm not seeing anything under "grant" on MoreBeer. Does it go by another name?

No. Although it isnt much more than a miniature kettle with false bottom.

A hop rocket could serve the same function. Bit pricey though.

 

[twd000]

I work from the other end of the boil. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag clipped to the lip of the kettle. All the hop additions unless 2 ounces or less total go in the bag. I don't get much trub and leave only about 1/8" or less on the bottom of the kettle. Less than 12 ounces is lost. Then after siphoning to the keg or bottling bucket there is less than 1/2 inch left in the fermenter.

I tried filtering the wort from the boil kettle ONCE...

I like the idea of being proactive rather than reactive, but I read that keeping the hops contained really kills your hop utilization, and oil extraction

 

[twd000]

also I don't use a pump so I'm not worried about clogging that

 

[kh54s10]

I like the idea of being proactive rather than reactive, but I read that keeping the hops contained really kills your hop utilization, and oil extraction

I haven't found that to be the case and there are many different hop spiders in use successfully by many brewers And what can be more proactive than keeping the trub to a minimum in the beginning rather than trying to filter it afterward??

Here are 2 that I have seen in use in the boil, online not in person. View attachment 643697 Wilserbrewer a sponsor on HBT sells hop bags that he says can be used with a spider of clipped to the side of the kettle.

 

[Blazinlow86]

I fiddled with the spider a few times. I just throw them in loose now, whirpool and compensate for the loss left behind. Cheers

 

[twd000]

you know, maybe I don't need to buy another piece of gear. I already have a BIAB bag from wilserbrewer that fits in my keggle. After I dump the grain, couldn't I just toss the hops in the bag for the duration of the boil? The would give the most wort/hops contact area, so the most utilization, right?

 

[Cavpilot2000]

You could use one of those 300 micron stainless dry hopping cylinders like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Micron-Stainless-Hopper-Filter-Screen/dp/B06W555VSQ
I do all my dry hopping in those to contain the particles. No reason you couldn't run your transfer tube into one while holding it at the lip of the keg.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I fiddled with the spider a few times. I just throw them in loose now, whirpool and compensate for the loss left behind. Cheers

Same here. Gave up on the Spider and now just boil them loose. After chilling, I let the beer settle for 30-60 minutes and get a nice trub layer in the bottom and clear wort on top. I do lose about a gallon of wort with the trub, but with that I am able to send only crystal clear wort into my fermenter. Most homebrewers aren't that fanatical about trub in the fermenter though - all depends on your priorities.

 

[acidrain]

I made my own spider from some 300 micron ss mesh I got from McMaster-Carr (buy ss pop rivets too).
I had a little left over so I rolled it up and tied it with a zip tie.
Looking at my water filter housing, I noticed my rolled up piece of mesh looked like it would fit in the filter housing.
It did!
Tried running some wort through it and it works perfectly. Been using it ever since without any further mods.

 

[twd000]

I made my own spider from some 300 micron ss mesh I got from McMaster-Carr (buy ss pop rivets too).
I had a little left over so I rolled it up and tied it with a zip tie.
Looking at my water filter housing, I noticed my rolled up piece of mesh looked like it would fit in the filter housing.
It did!
Tried running some wort through it and it works perfectly. Been using it ever since without any further mods.

that's an interesting approach. Are you pumping under pressure, or letting it gravity-drain from a kettle port?

no issues with clogging? How long does it take to clear the mesh filter?

 

[wilserbrewer]

you know, maybe I don't need to buy another piece of gear. I already have a BIAB bag from wilserbrewer that fits in my keggle. After I dump the grain, couldn't I just toss the hops in the bag for the duration of the boil? The would give the most wort/hops contact area, so the most utilization, right?

Yes you can try this...however a keggle bag is ridiculously large imo as a hop bag although some people do as you suggested.

I would suggest getting smaller hop bags.