Blichmann boil screen for pellet hops

[BlichmannEngineering]

Per the manual we recommend using a large muslin grain bag for whole hops if you have trouble with plugging. (1) you will get significantly better batch yield since the hops absorb so much wort and (2) hop utilization is negligibly affected in the large bags. (3) cleanup is much easier. When the boil is done just fish out the bags, squeeze out the wort and discard/compost. This will resolve the trouble you are experiencing. Hops that have been boiled for an hour or so get pretty soft and non-permeable so are prone sticking to the filter. Late hop additions don't seem to be as big of a problem.

Immersion chiller - just leave it in the pot the whole time - including draining - that should reduce the chances of hitting it.

As far as starting a whirlpool with 5gal in a 15gal pot - pretty big pot for such a small amount of wort so not a surprise that it is a problem. I use a paddle on a drill myself and that works great for me. But I haven't tried it on a batch size smaller than what the pot is intended for so can't comment further than that.

 

[k1200rsvt]

I must be missing something (I never did a whirlpool prior to getting my BoilerMaker). I can't figure out how you are getting a whirlpool to form with an IC in the pot. Then again I have been trying to do it by hand with a spoon so maybe some mechanical assistance would change that. I will have to see if I can find a paint stirrer or paddle for a drill and play around with it.

Thanks for confirmation that the leaf hops may be causing a lot of the problems.

 

[BlichmannEngineering]

When I was using an IC I just whirlpooled before putting it in. THe whirlpool slows pretty quickly so after about 5min I put the chiller in and 10min later turned the water on after it was heat sanitized. Or you could whirlpool after taking it out I suppose, but you'd need to make sure everything was sanitary at that point. If you're worried about it hitting the finger pull you could just spin it toward the back for the boil, and when you have drained it below the finger pull you could rotate it into position to clear the dip tube when you lift it. I don't think the small amount of fine perf showing would be a big deal.

 

[k1200rsvt]

Thanks for the additional input. I will play around with it. I can't wait to get it dialed in so that I can be 100% completely happy with my new BK.

 

[snail]

It's like one of these.

I just attached it to my cordless drill, put it in the middle of the pot (making sure not to hit the hop blocker or sides of the pot), started slow and got faster which started a whirlpool.

 

[BrewBeemer]

It's like one of these.

I just attached it to my cordless drill, put it in the middle of the pot (making sure not to hit the hop blocker or sides of the pot), started slow and got faster which started a whirlpool.

Those small diameter paint stirs plus the rpm's you mentioned above "and got faster" will suck in air and aerate your hot wort. Going with a larger diameter slower speed stir away from the cold break pile to let you increase the mass in the BK for a better whirlpool. A slow stir then let it settle vs keeping it in suspension stiring will benefit you better. This is what i've found with my trials and errors in the past.

 

[pickles]

Those of that have one, would you recommend it to others? What about large leaf hop loads?

 

[Yambor44]

Mine's sitting on the shelf if you want to buy one.

 

[Bobby_M]

This seems like a never ending engineering problem to solve. After experiencing every chiller style there is and playing around with just about every hop separation design I've ever seen with both pellet and whole hops, it's clear to me that each solution is better suited to different scenarios. It's also interesting that my observations have conflicted with others so who knows...

Chilling with an IC adds cold break to the "filter load" so finer meshes really choke out fast, especially if you're using pellet hops (hopstopper designs). Fortunately, fine filtering is NOT necessary when you use an IC and I'd even argue that filtering hops out is completely unnecessary when you use an IC. Just put your pickup tube off to the side and let it rip.

On the other hand, Hop filtering is of utmost concern when you use an external chiller. The filtering can be very coarse for a large diameter CFC tubes but must be finer for a plate chiller. The hop stopper (fine mesh) style seems to work best for this requirement and is greatly helped by having at least a small portion of whole hops in the mix. The wort has to be run out pretty slow once the level drops to near the screen.

For me, the ideal solution (although it's not what I have at the moment) is an offset siphon tube with a very coarse screen (bazooka tube mesh size) to deal with whole hops. Bag ALL pellet hop additions for bittering and flavor and try to use whole hops for flame out free floating in the wort. This is for external chillers specifically. If you have to use pellets for finishing, bag anything over 2 oz but make up for the utilization issue by aggressively sloshing it around in the wort.

I can appreciate why Blichmann and the hopstopper dude are trying to solve the problem because it's one of those things all brewers are struggling with. If you use an IC, I say screw it and let the hops into the fermenter.

 

[ScubaSteve]

This seems like a never ending engineering problem to solve. After experiencing every chiller style there is and playing around with just about every hop separation design I've ever seen with both pellet and whole hops, it's clear to me that each solution is better suited to different scenarios. It's also interesting that my observations have conflicted with others so who knows...

Chilling with an IC adds cold break to the "filter load" so finer meshes really choke out fast, especially if you're using pellet hops (hopstopper designs). Fortunately, fine filtering is NOT necessary when you use an IC and I'd even argue that filtering hops out is completely unnecessary when you use an IC. Just put your pickup tube off to the side and let it rip.

On the other hand, Hop filtering is of utmost concern when you use an external chiller. The filtering can be very coarse for a large diameter CFC tubes but must be finer for a plate chiller. The hop stopper (fine mesh) style seems to work best for this requirement and is greatly helped by having at least a small portion of whole hops in the mix. The wort has to be run out pretty slow once the level drops to near the screen.

For me, the ideal solution (although it's not what I have at the moment) is an offset siphon tube with a very coarse screen (bazooka tube mesh size) to deal with whole hops. Bag ALL pellet hop additions for bittering and flavor and try to use whole hops for flame out free floating in the wort. This is for external chillers specifically. If you have to use pellets for finishing, bag anything over 2 oz but make up for the utilization issue by aggressively sloshing it around in the wort.

I can appreciate why Blichmann and the hopstopper dude are trying to solve the problem because it's one of those things all brewers are struggling with. If you use an IC, I say screw it and let the hops into the fermenter.

+1 Bobby, and I'd say that the same goes for a tube-style cfc, like the chillzilla. Really, the fine filtration is reserved for the plate chillers....too much of a headache if you ask me.......

 

[Irrenarzt]

No headache at all once you get it sorted out. My filter bag setup works very well and I see no issues with utilization. In fact my latest IPA (which was made with a hopsack) was dubbed "the best IPA I've ever had, commericial or homebrew" by the brewmaster of my local brewery. I'd say that's a damn good endorsement.

I made the recipe up one day at work during an especially boring meeting.

 

[pickles]

Whats the point of using the hopblocker if your using hop bags? Is it just for hot and cold break? I have an electric element in my BK so nylon sacks are out for me.

No headache at all once you get it sorted out. My filter bag setup works very well and I see no issues with utilization. In fact my latest IPA (which was made with a hopsack) was dubbed "the best IPA I've ever had, commericial or homebrew" by the brewmaster of my local brewery. I'd say that's a damn good endorsement.

I made the recipe up one day at work during an especially boring meeting.

 

[Irrenarzt]

It's either one or the other. I tested the hopblocker and wasn't impressed. So I'm sticking with hop sacks. You have an electric element so you are even worse off as whirlpooling isn't ideal so the hopblocker isn't your solution, and neither are hop sacks.

 

[pickles]

My bad, when I read your post it made it seem as though you were using both. I just got done talking with Jaybird; I'm having him make me a custom hop filtering device. Hopefully it works. I've also thought about making a "hop sack" out of SS mesh.

 

[Irrenarzt]

I've considered stainless mesh as well. I hope it works out for you. In your case, stainless mesh sounds like a viable option.

 

[ryan0914]

So im thinking about getting the HopBlocker but i need it to filter out the trub more than the hops. Does it do a good job doing that. or is it more just for hop filtering. Im trying to find a solution to having to brew extra to compensate.

 

[BlichmannEngineering]

Ryan, the HopBlocker will work for trub as well. But I do need to reiterate that it is really designed specifically for pellet hops, not loose leaf hops. For leaf hops we recommend using large muslin grain bags for two reasons - the main reason being wort loss. With the bags you can retreive a large portion of wort that would normally be lost. The second is to keep them out of the HopBlocker. The HopBlocker will then filter out trub and any pellet hops you've used that remain.

Of the feedback I have gotten where brewers are struggling with the HopBlocker, it has been a matter of technique. This product works much differently than a typical strainer so following the technique in the manual is vital:

(1) Ensure that the shield is pushed all the way to the bottom of the screen and both are resting flat on the bottom of the pot. If you are using a keg (which has a rounded bottom), you will need the filter centered on the bottom. Note that this does decrease the effectiveness of the HopBlocker.
(2) At the end of the boil use your stir paddle to feel for the HopBlocker and confirm that it is still sitting properly on the bottom of the pot and not at an angle. Use the paddle to right it if needed. Normally this is not a problem and the product rights itself after being bumped.
(3) Stir the wort vigorously with a stir paddle to create a whirlpool. This causes the hops and trub particulates to settle to the bottom center of the pot away from the HopBlocker. Allow 15-20 min for the thermal convection currents to slow and allow the break material and hop particulates to settle before begging to drain. Alternately, stirring gently continuously for 10 min followed by a 10-15 min rest works very well. Failure to whirlpool and let it settle will limit the filtration efficiency of the product.
(4) Drain your pot until you see the top of the kettle drain fitting.
(5) Reduce the drain flow rate to about 1/3 the initial flow rate. (this will allow the wort to slowly permeate through the hop break material and flow to the HopBlocker without carrying the break material with the wort. Again, this is vital to proper performance of the product.
(6) Use your stir paddle to hold the filter down and quickly pull the shield up with a gloved finger or a racking cane (or similar) so that it is out of the wort completely. It is important to move quickly through steps 6-7 so you do not lose the siphon which will stop flow.

There are pics in the manual that give more detail.

 

[ryan0914]

Great thanks. This is going to be my next project. I do BIAB and have a problem with a lot of trub so this will be great. I just need to add a valve and then get a plate chiller. i figure that this will not work well with a wort chiller.

 

[SoundBoy4]

I'm resurrecting this thread with a quick question:

As I understand it, at flame out you are supposed to whirpool for 10-15 minutes and then wait 10-15 minutes for the hops and break to settle. After verifying the hopblocker is seated properly using the mash paddle you are supposed to begin draining through a plate chiller if you have one. Do any of you have any concerns with aerating the wort during the whirpool before cooling? Everything i've read says to avoid aerating before chilling at all costs... what am I missing?

 

[pickles]

You're not going to cause any issues by whirlpooling. According to Charlie Bamforth; hot side aeration on a homebrewers scale doesn't cause any noticeable oxidation issues. He claims that storage is really the main culprit behind oxidized beer.

 

[Julohan]

I don't even whirlpoool. At flame out, I just put the lid on and let the hops settle to the bottom. I have not had a problem with clogging.

 

[Whiskey]

I was thinking of getting one of these. In the past I have used balls of stainless pot scrubbers as a basic filter.

Has anyone tried putting a couple of pot scrubbers inside the HB as an additional filter? I am somewhat concerned as I use a whirlpool IC and clogging can be show stopper.

 

[musicis]

Just started brewing. Drank two batches and two waiting. I was under the impression the hops, orange peel etc are good in the fermenter no? I was thinking of buying the HB just so i don't get aggravated when it plugs trying to drain.

 

[stux]

In Australia, it's virtually impossible to get flowers for imported hops so we have to use pellets, but I'm getting sick of the sludge absorption.

Hop blocker looks like the perfect solution. Anyone know what the ideal inlet height would be if you we're getting a new port put on a new kettle?