I hate my plate chiller.

[airbur]

So I have the Shirron plate chiller and I've attempted to use it 3 times. Each time I run into a problem. The most recent being it will get clogged with hops. I have tried using an internal screen in my brewkettle, but the hops flow right through it. I've tried letting the wort sit for a while so the hops and trub settle under the spigot but that didn't help either. Any help? Thanks.

 

[dstar26t]

Hopstopper and whole hops if using gravity.

Hopstopper and pump if using pellets.

Or the paint strainer bag thing but I like my hops to roam free in the kettle.

 

[azscoob]

I will swap you that plate chiller for my sweet, sweet immersion chiller! its made from durable copper and is really quite snazzy!

 

[Cape Brewing]

I have used a huge "hop bag" (homebrew shop rip-off label for paint strainer bag) that is two feet by three feet for over a year now... my hops "roam free" and I've never had a problem with my plater chiller when using either whole or pellets.

 

[Sawdustguy]

I have used a huge "hop bag" (homebrew shop rip-off label for paint strainer bag) that is two feet by three feet for over a year now... my hops "roam free" and I've never had a problem with my plater chiller when using either whole or pellets.

+1 Works always and works great. It's a simple fix for the plate chiller blues.

 

[knightbeer39]

My shirron is the best thing I've bought in years. Never clogged, never a problem. And so far have only used gravity. I use muslin bags and I have a stainless steel scrubby on the dip tube. No hops issues.

 

[Sawdustguy]

For the OP here is what a lot of brewers use:

 

[Julohan]

Do you whirlpool? Do you recirculate? My first two times using mine, I recirculated. It always clogged. I just do a single pass now, and it cools it right down to where I want it. No clogging problems anymore.

 

[ak40kush]

What about modifying your kettle so the bottem tapers down so any trub goes there below a spigot this way your chiller shouldn't clog and you wont be putting trub into your fermenter. I know it would be a pain to do this but if should save you from continous grief in the future.

 

[Gabrew]

For the OP here is what a lot of brewers use:

sorry to hijack...but do you guys simply clean the filter bag or change it every time?

thanks

 

[samc]

Oxyclean soak gets it pretty clean, then I let it dry so the hop particles can fall out. Then a final rinse. A nylon bag should last you a long time.

 

[eharper]

"Nylon bag should last you a long time."

... unless you stick a hole in it with your probe thermometer like i did last week. doh! Guess that's why Lowe's sells them two to a pack

 

[Cape Brewing]

Oxyclean soak gets it pretty clean, then I let it dry so the hop particles can fall out. Then a final rinse. A nylon bag should last you a long time.

+1...


and the bag will NEEEEEEEVER come "clean". It'll be stained green. Nuthin' you can or really should do about it. You want it as clean as possible but in terms of any kind of infection, 1) you're dealing with hops which are infection-resistant by nature and 2) you're boiling so nothing is going to survive.

You want it as clean as you can get it but you don't have to kill yourself getting it perfect.

 

[ultravista]

Sawdustguy - do you have instructions / parts listing to build that hop stopper?

 

[Sawdustguy]

Sawdustguy - do you have instructions / parts listing to build that hop stopper?

It is pretty simple. It is just some 1/4" threaded rod, (8) 1/4" nuts, (8) 1/4" washers, a 6" PVC coupling and a 6" worm screw hose clamp. PVC is fine to use because it does not sit in the wort. All you need is a couple of wrenches and a hack saw.

 

[the_bird]

You don't even really need a hacksaw, just a drill. I built one with two lengths of threaded rod that run parallel, so they can slide into the handles on the keg. This gets the whole contraption a little closer to the wort's surface.

My only issue is that doing 5-gallon batches in a keggle, even using the huge bags the hops sometimes don't want to get submerged - they sometimes end up clinging to the sides of the bag, above the wort's surface. So, I ditched it and just use hop bags tossed directly in the wort.

 

[Catt22]

You don't even really need a hacksaw, just a drill. I built one with two lengths of threaded rod that run parallel, so they can slide into the handles on the keg. This gets the whole contraption a little closer to the wort's surface.

My only issue is that doing 5-gallon batches in a keggle, even using the huge bags the hops sometimes don't want to get submerged - they sometimes end up clinging to the sides of the bag, above the wort's surface. So, I ditched it and just use hop bags tossed directly in the wort.

I ditched the one I built too for much the same reason. Actually, I gave mine to a fellow brewer who was about to build his own. IMO, the hop strainers work fairly well for the early addition bittering hops, but not so well for the later addition flavor and aroma hops and the more hops you use the worse the performance. It's been my experience that the mesh is too fine and tends to clog which inhibits the wort circulation through the bag. OTOH, more than a few of my brewing buddies use them and seem to be happy with the results. I now use a false bottom in my boil kettle and just toss in the hops loose whether whole or pellets. Free ranging hops, so to speak. Now if they were only fair trade, organic free ranging hops I'd be golden.

 

[ultravista]

For the time being, I'll be brewing 5 gallon batches in my soon-to-be keggle.

From the design, if using threaded PVC, you can always add another coupler to the threaded side, or rig something on the top to drop the bag further in the kettle.

I like the threaded option; it allows you to adjust the size as-needed.

Catt22 - how well does the false bottom work for keeping the wort clean when transfering? Do you use a screen in addition to the f-bottom or?

 

[the_bird]

I just didn't find any utility in using the bag-holder instead of just the bag. I suppose you can toss in later hop additions right in the holder, but I just use the smaller paint strainer bags for those. I'm not convinced I lose much hop utilization by doing that.

 

[Catt22]

Catt22 - how well does the false bottom work for keeping the wort clean when transfering? Do you use a screen in addition to the f-bottom or?

The false bottom is working very well. When cooling, I pump the wort through a CFC and back to the kettle in a continuous loop. The hop debris accumulates on the false bottom during the circulation. When the wort has cooled sufficiently, I stop the pump for about 15 minutes to allow any suspended break material settle out, then begin the transfer to the fermenters. The hop debris that accumulated on the FB actually works as a filter bed and the wort going into the fermenters is exceptionally clear. I just brewed a 12 gallon batch of IPA a few days ago using this method. The recipe called for a total of 13 oz of hops. I used 100% pellets this time around. Everything went smoothly throughout the session and the beer is looking very promising. It's a nice clean Alesmith IPA clone with the IBU's at about 75 and an OG of 1.071. It should be a winner.