Blichmann boil screen for pellet hops

[BrewBeemer]

The Hop Blocker sounds like an idea in the right direction but not the final do all fix all with holding back the hops. I see another better design in the making by them or somone else running with a different design and shape. Time will tell. The above picture of the IC and HB jammed tight against the inside of the BK sure doesn't look like any possible way to allow for any decent concentric IC location allowing for any good whirlpooling action. Even with the HB alone preventing a smooth whirlpool action, more of a blockage. JMO a thin crecent shaped HB unit made longer with more surface area allowing for better whirlpool action.

 

[BlichmannEngineering]

Zymurgy101 - What you have described is exactly how it should perform. If you end up getting a lot of hop particulates on the fine screen you're draining faster than the wort can permeate through the hop sediment. Remember, the HopBlocker works in a completely different manner than a traditional screen filter. I can assure you that if you try it without the shield it'll plug up quickly.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Why not have three different diameters of screen holes for a more gradual filtering plus preventing the smallest bottom perforations from being plugged up as much? Even make the bottom row of perforations slightly smaller in diameter and allow the middle section to handle more of the hops load with smaller perforations? Three equal steps vs large then small perforations is my thinking with suggestions. This without pissing off the Blichmann manufacture, JMO's here.

 

[BlichmannEngineering]

We considered that early on, but the piece cost and tooling cost made it prohibitive. And the performance we acheived with just the 2 sizes really made it unnecessary.

 

[BrewBeemer]

I bet the raw stock is punched from your supplier not a in house item, I agree this would add a retooling price by the supplier as if you started the first time called not cheap. I'm still leaning towards 3 perforation step sizes as a better filtering system than just 2 sizes. Again this is my thinking or opinions only as with a thin cresent shaped design allowing for a smoother perimeter whirlpooling action. Just opinions on my part as each month or year a new design comes up helping us brewers.

 

[Yambor44]

..... Again this is my thinking or opinions only as with a thin cresent shaped design allowing for a smoother perimeter whirlpooling action. Just opinions on my part as each month or year a new design comes up helping us brewers.

You mean like this?

 

[BrewBeemer]

You mean like this?

Not even close.

 

[Yambor44]

I thought all good attorneys were patient??

 

[BrewBeemer]

I thought all good attorneys were patient??

I call mine "patient" as the clock ticks, he's also a patent attorney and a PITA
most of the times dragging things along. This was not a mistype as he will see this forum and my reply, call it a dig back at him. I gave him an egg timer for Christmas, i'm out the door by 3 minutes I keep telling him. A good PITA attorney I can tease.

 

[Yambor44]

Just a thought; wouldn't the original Blichmann Hop Screen work with the same instructions as the HB? A good whirlpool and slower transfer toward the bottom? Seems more symmetrical to be conducive with the whirlpool.

 

[dantodd]

Why not have three different diameters of screen holes for a more gradual filtering plus preventing the smallest bottom perforations from being plugged up as much? Even make the bottom row of perforations slightly smaller in diameter and allow the middle section to handle more of the hops load with smaller perforations? Three equal steps vs large then small perforations is my thinking with suggestions. This without pissing off the Blichmann manufacture, JMO's here.

Manipulating the "cover" would be relatively cumbersome with a 3-level system. I think that a 2 level is much simpler for the homebrewer to work with. I can see an advantage to making the device a bit more of a crescent shape to permit more efficient whirlpooling and also having fine perforations only on the outter perimeter of the crescent. Having the fine perforations only on one side obviously decreases the surface area but would also reduce the risk of pulling trub off of your central cone allowing for faster and safer draining of the last of the wort.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Manipulating the "cover" would be relatively cumbersome with a 3-level system. I think that a 2 level is much simpler for the homebrewer to work with. I can see an advantage to making the device a bit more of a crescent shape to permit more efficient whirlpooling and also having fine perforations only on the outter perimeter of the crescent. Having the fine perforations only on one side obviously decreases the surface area but would also reduce the risk of pulling trub off of your central cone allowing for faster and safer draining of the last of the wort.

My design the screen is locked down or fixed only the shield is pulled up no added hands or tools needed to hold down the perforated filtering system while pulling up the shield. Two fingers on a pull, if you can pick up a pen you can pull up the slide shield. Two sizes of perforations holes, i'll stick with three perforations sizes with my idea. Kind of like a Honda car tire is good enough for a pickup, sure it will work but how good? I'll take three different sizes in perforations thank you.

 

[Yambor44]

Finally got a chance to try it out. This is only 1.25 ounces of hops. Even though I forgot to whirpool it did pretty much as advertised. I still ended up with a good bit of hop debris in the Therminator probably due to the no whirpool.

For some reason I had the same amount of hop debris stuck to the inside "ceiling" of the HB too.










This was after flushing with 4 gallons of boiling water. Still had this amount left inside the Therminator.

 

[BrewBeemer]

just think what a 15 gallon net in the corny's to tap system would add up to as the hops passed or missed thru the system?
Sorry to hear about your results Rob, to me this acts like a dam or brick like obstruction in the whirlpool flow stuck in the bottom of the BK not allowing for a smooth clean whirlpooling action like the BK had no object at all inside preventing this smooth round inteior radius flow for a perfect whirlpool action process I've got a planned that will not only allow more surface area than what is manufactured, (someone stated my design would be less in surface area, they are WRONG!) as more surface on my design of perforated area exposed than what is manufactured) plus three stages of screen perforations reductions plus the unit stays mounted solid with only one finger used to hook and lift the shield up as needed during the different draining stages as time progresses on. Remember the "KISS" system? I'm a little guy not a big manufacture i'm just thinking all the time on better ways to do things not dollar signs being the first new item on the market. JMO's, Carl........

 

[Yambor44]

Thanks Carl. Even though I didn't whirlpool at flame-out, you can see the loc-line I use to recirculate and that's what created the pile in the bottom. I am thinking some or most of that hop debris got into the Therminator because I went straight to recirculation instead of whirlpool first??

 

[BrewBeemer]

Rob, remember after the strong whirlpool you must wait and let things settle down like 10 to 15 minutes then you can drain off nice and clear vs the particles still in suspension not settled out yet.

 

[Catt22]

A quick question on the Hop Blocker. Is the bottom open or is it similar to the top. I'd like to see what the bottom end looks like. Could someone please post a pic of the bottom? I'm considering using one of these on my converted keg, so it won't be plug and play like with a Blichmann kettle.

 

[Julohan]

The bottom is open.

 

[Yambor44]

 

[BrewBeemer]

Open bottom. less labor, materials plus fits a flat bottom blichmann pot vs your keggle conversion, a win win for Blichmann to get you to buy their pot.
Smart business thinking. I can already hear the fur fly, LOL!

 

[Catt22]

Thanks guys!

BB,

I'm thinking I might rig it up to sit on top of the FB I am currently using in the converted keg. The FB has a flat top, so it wouldn't be much different than sitting on the flat bottom of a kettle. I will probably have to make a new hole through the side of the HB for the dip tube and plug the original hole somehow. That shouldn't be too difficult. The HB will then be in the center of the kettle instead of off to the side. Someone like GreenMonti should consider fabricating something similar for use with the kegs It might work even better if it was maybe twice the diameter and enclosed on the bottom. I see no advantage to having the bottom open other than what you mentioned above. I'm still trying to figure out if this could work for me or not. It's not all that expensive, so I may give it a try.

 

[BrewBeemer]

We keep this up and Blichmann will be PO'ed at us, oh the joys of thinking as a homebrewer. Sounds like you have a plan, plasma does wonders with SS, Tig to add SS back.

 

[Catt22]

We keep this up and Blichmann will be PO'ed at us, oh the joys of thinking as a homebrewer. Sounds like you have a plan, plasma does wonders with SS, Tig to add SS back.

BB,

That thought did cross my mind, but he shouldn't be too upset as I'm probably going to buy one of his HB's and if I can make it work on a keg, I'll report back and his sales may increase as a result. There's also nothing preventing him from marketing an alternate version more suitable for use on a converted keg. There are a lot of kegs in use as BK's out there. When you build your version, maybe keep that in mind and use it to your advantage if you decide to market them.

Come to think of it, maybe he should offer one without a dip tube hole and enclose the bottom. That way one could cut the hole as needed to customize it and it would also work on converted kegs with the concave bottoms.

 

[BrewBeemer]

I bet Blichman farms out all his items like this HB hence "KISS" to keep the price down without adding a sealed and slanted bottom to match our keggles. Why should he make these additional units when a possible flat kettle sale can be added netting him another sale item and another profit vs a pot sale loss? Look at it from a business standpoint, in it to make money. With the very few that can design and make plus are DIY brewers with a Tig, Mig, Plasma, lathe and Bridgeport mill at hand plus a head full of wheels turning having many new ideas pop into their head. Example, NASA wasn't built by one person either.

 

[Catt22]

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is how utterly cheap most home brewers are. Not a lot of them will want to spring for the Bling kettles just to be able to use the HB gizmo. OTOH, you are probably right to some extent as there can't be much of a margin on the $59 HB thingy.

 

[Augie]

So I brewed a Pliny clone and I have to say the hops were blocked but so was the wort. I can say due to the fact it was a huge hop load it worked well for the circumstances.I didn't get blockage until I got to the fine mesh, but the hop load was the culprit. I will have to try it on a regular beer and see what I come out with.

 

[BrewBeemer]

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is how utterly cheap most home brewers are. Not a lot of them will want to spring for the Bling kettles just to be able to use the HB gizmo. OTOH, you are probably right to some extent as there can't be much of a margin on the $59 HB thingy.

I wouldn't call us "cheap most home brewers are", we in our own way have our design ideas to add or change to a given product from a planted seed that has become avilable to us. Adding to this the satisfaction of building it ourselves vs just shelling out money for an item offered by any given manufacture at the moment. Just because it's available doesn't mean it's the best, maybe at this moment it is but can be improved upon over time with better ideas coming up daily. Those constant thinking minds working 24/7. I bet 5 years from now what's considered the best product on the market would look like it was used during the prohibition era. We progress forward all the time.

 

[k1200rsvt]

I used my 10 gallon BoilerMaker & HopBlocker for the second time last night and both times have been a major failure for draining resulting in me pouring the wort out of the BK like I did before I got my BoilerMaker. Both batches have had leaf hops so I am not sure if the leaves are messing things up. Last night's batch had 3 oz of pellets and 3 oz of leaf and the HopBlocker ended up completely FULL of hops. That might have been my fault though because I caught the hook of the HopBlocker on the IC when I was pulling the IC out of the BK. I wish they had designed it with the hook on the side.

I have tried to get a good whirlpool and wait 15 - 20 minutes but it seems virtually impossible with 5 gallons of wort in a 10 gallon BK with all the other stuff in the BK...HopBlocker & Temperature Probe. I think my next batch is going to have no leaf hops so that I can see if they are causing any of the issue.

Any suggestions or thoughts (especially on how to get a good whirlpool) would be greatly appreciated. I am keeping an open mind so far, but I have to say as of right now my BoilerMaker and HopBlocker are more work then my old BK with no valve.

 

[snail]

Any suggestions or thoughts (especially on how to get a good whirlpool) would be greatly appreciated. I am keeping an open mind so far, but I have to say as of right now my BoilerMaker and HopBlocker are more work then my old BK with no valve.

I had the same problem as you. Doing a 5 gallon batch in a 15 gallon pot does not allow me to make a whirlpool using just a spoon. The hop blocker is only 1-2" from the top of the wort and you cant stir in a circular motion without hitting it. So I just bought one of those grout mixers/paint stirrers to try on my next batch. I tried it out with water and it seemed to make a pretty good whirlpool.

 

[k1200rsvt]

So are you holding it in on an angle at the side of the pan and using the propulsion to form the whirlpool?