Filtering the mash?

[Geneticjim]

Hello all,
I'm going to brew Tomorrow! My first batch alone and all grain. Has anyone put a fine mesh paint strainer over the bazooka tube in the mash tun or will that clog too easily? I do have a plate chiller so I want to get the wort with the least amount of particles. Or I can pump the wort from the mash tun into the strainer as it goes into my boil kettle. I also got muslin bags. Should put hop in the bags OR in the paint strainer bag? Lol sorry for all the questions.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

I have never used a bazooka tube but I wouldn't try to modify it to much. Once that mash is in there and is hot as hell and it gets clogged its a pain in the a$$ to get it fixed.

I also use a plate chiller its a little bit more forgiving than you might think I don't do any extra type of straining other than my false bottom.

Also if a little grain gets in the wort its not the end of the world, you still have to go through active fermentation and it will all settle to the bottom especially if you do a cold crash.

I would just relax and just try and have fun its your first time man.

 

[jodell]

I have never used a bazooka tube but I wouldn't try to modify it to much. Once that mash is in there and is hot as hell and it gets clogged its a pain in the a$$ to get it fixed.

I also use a plate chiller its a little bit more forgiving than you might think I don't do any extra type of straining other than my false bottom.

Also if a little grain gets in the wort its not the end of the world, you still have to go through active fermentation and it will all settle to the bottom especially if you do a cold crash.

I would just relax and just try and have fun its your first time man.

+1, I have a plate chiller and have never had a clogging issue. I even had one that had 12 Oz of hops for a 10 gallon batch and it was fine. I do use a hop spider though

I have used a bazooka tube. If you are recirculating the mash you for sure will have no problem as far as grain is concerned.

Crack open a cold one and have a good day!

 

[jodell]

What are you brewing BTW?

 

[Geneticjim]

Thanks guys! I'm brewing a Citra double IPA. I pulled the recipe from Beer Smith. I'm excited! Luckily I have a full size fridge in the garage so I am using that for controlling fermentation temp with an inkbird controller

 

[pvpeacock]

I use a hop spider to filter the wort after it comes out of the mash tun. I put it in my brew kettle and then put the hose from the mash tun to the kettle in the center of the spider. When I done draining, I just pull the hop spider out of the kettle and dump any grain in it down the garbage disposal.

 

[kh54s10]

Don't have a Bazooka Tube, a pump, or a plate chiller. Btu, from pictures the mesh on a Bazooka Tube looks almost as fine as a paint strainer bag. I don't think it will gain you much trying to get a strainer bag over the tube. I bag my hops in a 5 gallon paint strainer bag during the boil. There is not much debris that comes out of the boil kettle and all pretty small particles. I only get about a 1/4 inch layer of yeast and trub in my fermenters.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

So how did it go? Any update?

 

[Redtab78]

I put the tube coming out of my mash tun into a fine mesh "hop bag" which then drains into my brew kettle, and I have noticed (even after an extensive vorlauf) that I can catch an extreme amount of additional smaller particles and when I use my home made hop spide during my brewing, the end result is not very much trub in my fermenters.

I do not use a plate chiller or a counter flow (only immersion) so it is somewhat needless...but I try and filter as much as I can, and if I had a plate chiller or counterflow, I would be absolutely happy and worry free running the wort through it by doing this method.

 

[Geneticjim]

Update I need to find a better way to filter the wort just before going into the fermenter. The bazooka tube filtered extremely well so there was no need for me to use a filter going from my mash tun to my boil kettle. My plate chiller worked very well. I went from boiling to 64*f in under 20 min. I really just need to figure out what filter i should use for my cool wort going into my fermenter.

 

[Geneticjim]

I think I should get a pickup tube since I use ball valves. That may help by getting the wort from the side of the kettle.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

Update I need to find a better way to filter the wort just before going into the fermenter. The bazooka tube filtered extremely well so there was no need for me to use a filter going from my mash tun to my boil kettle. My plate chiller worked very well. I went from boiling to 64*f in under 20 min. I really just need to figure out what filter i should use for my cool wort going into my fermenter.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about this until after you see how much fermentation will naturally filter your beer. It leaves whats called trudge at the bottom of the fermenter and if you are careful while packaging to not suction that part up you won't have an issue. When you move the fermenter to package let it sit on the counter for a few mins so it all settles back out to the bottom before you start your process.

Also research cold crashing, this will help to make sure all of that stuff falls to the bottom for sure and create a heavier bed that wont disturb as much.