Silly question

Can a nylon paint strainer bag be used in the boil as like a makeshift hop spider?

 

Yes

 

Sure can but in my experience the mesh is a little bigger than other brewing bags and will let some hop particle in the boil. No big deal though.

 

Awesome thanks. I was able to find fine mesh.

 

Here's my first/last experience with the paint strainer bag: As always, my hops went commando in the BK, but I put the paint strainer in the fermenter as I transferred, thinking I would then pull out the bag full of hops and leave more space for wort in the fermenter. To my surprise, the bag was full of hops AND WORT, and the wort wouldn't drain out of the bag. I made a mess in the process of trying to drain it, and accomplished nothing. Now, I will go back to draining hops into the fermenter. After cold crashing, they compact nicely on the bottom of the fermenter, so I see no reason to remove them.


You may need to remove them if you're using a pump or plate chiller, though.

 

I don't like the idea of using a non-food grade bag for 60 minutes at boiling temperature. Probably nothing to worry about, but you never know. Why not just use muslin bags in the boil or an actual strainer when you do your transfer?

 

I've been using them with my hop spider for yrs.

 

Look what I found... It's about 149 microns. Seems to be awesome for a hop spider. https://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=SS1P1SSW

 

Yep I use them as well

 

I have found if you use too fine of a mesh in a hop spider, there's not enough flow through and utilization takes a hit. Paint strainer bags are right in the sweet spot for flow vs. fineness.

I'll usually soak new ones in warm PBW solution for an hour or so and rinse very well, just to insure they're clean.

 

So would you think that the stainless steel mesh would be good for a final filter for pumping the wort into the fermenter?

 

I would think that it would clog up in very short order.

I used to have a 6 x 14 stainless hop basket, 400 micron if I remember right. I once tried pumping through it in a quest for clear wort. All I accomplished was overflowing the basket as it plugged up and dumping all my hops into the kettle, causing me headaches with the plate chiller I had at the time.