hop bag hanger

[kjones]

could some one give me links of where to find pictures of the pvc coupling threaded rod type deal that holds the hop bag over the kettle i have googled it and searched on this site and cant find it,, thanks

 

[Professor Frink]

I don't have a picture of mine, but all you need is a PVC coupler, a 12 inch or so clamp, 4 carriage bolts and a hop bag. Works like a charm.

 

[BierMuncher]

Here ya go....

 

[kjones]

Here ya go....

none of the pictures are showing up for me

 

[EdWort]

 

[kjones]

ahh, i i thank you...I see you have the bazooka screen, and i have noticed that most peoples pics i have seen on the forum go to the center of the kettle, I came out of my weld be gone fitting into a compression fitting, into a like less that one inch piece of pipe then into a 90 then like a 3ish inch piece of pipe ending with a 45 pointing down with a srubby on it im kinda looking forward to trying it dont know if it will work or not i would post a pic if i knew how

 

[EdWort]

ahh, i i thank you...I see you have the bazooka screen, and i have noticed that most peoples pics i have seen on the forum go to the center of the kettle, I came out of my weld be gone fitting into a compression fitting, into a like less that one inch piece of pipe then into a 90 then like a 3ish inch piece of pipe ending with a 45 pointing down with a srubby on it im kinda looking forward to trying it dont know if it will work or not i would post a pic if i knew how

Ah, that is my old kettle. I sold it and some other stuff and picked up this puppy.

 

[BrianP]

Bill of Materials

Qty - Description
1 - Paint strainer (painting section of your hardware store)
1 - PVC reducer coupling (4" to 3") - buy the one with the thick walls*
1 - Stainless hose clamp
3 or 4 - Carriage bolts (long enough to reach beyond the perimeter of your kettle)
6 or 8 - Nuts for above carriage bolts**
3 or 4 - Stainless washers to weigh down the bag while boiling ***

Mark and drill holes (I used 3 supporting rods but you could use 4)
Insert and carriage bolts and secure with nuts
Tighten clamp around strainer bag

* I saw a post of one which deformed just due to the heat of the steam from the boil.
** I had to insert threaded end into PVC since the opposite end wasn't threaded all the way. I secured with one nut inside and one nut outside of the PVC ring. If your bolts are threaded all the way to the bolt head, you'll need fewer nuts.
*** Remember to fish out the washers before you dump your hops after brewing. Digging them out of the trash is not very fun.

 

[kjones]

wow, that is pretty cool, i think i saw those in nb magazine or somewhere

 

[beerthirty]

I use a spring clamp to the side of the kettle and a 5gallon paint strainer bag so they can breathe.

 

[kjones]

here is the pic of my dip tube as i was talking about above figured out how to put a pic on
http://i324.photobucket.com/albums/k334/rkj19k/kegglediptube.jpg

 

[kjones]

I swear man it seems like every single time i brew something goes wrong, I even did an extract batch today bc i wanted to hone some of skills bc my last few batches have been all grain. Well to the story: SO i brew today an extract batch of irish red from NB i was like well i think i am gonna just use a nylon hop bag instead of the hanger that i constructed bc in only has one hop addition. Well, low in behold the bag got wedged btwn my chiller and the keggle bottom an scorched, so i guess i will just dump this batch, man it just seems like something goes wrong no matter how hard i try

 

[TerapinChef]

I actually melted mine also, but didn't take pictures, I was too mad. actually had to pick it out of my boiling wort. But it was my own fault.

 

[eriktlupus]

ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR BAG IS CLEAR OF METAL OBJECTS

 

[BlindLemonLars]

A hop bag rig is one the of the better pieces of gear I've made. I decided four spokes was overkill, and the outer nuts/washers on the three threaded rods keeps the rig centered on any size kettle. I get about six batches out of each paint strainer before they start to develop small holes.

 

[FSR402]

This is mine.

 

[lustreking]

All these 3 or 4 legged monsters are overkill. Mine works fine and is very easy to store in my brewday toolbox. It's just an aluminum rod that goes all the way through.

Hop Hanger - Lustreking Brewing

 

[BlindLemonLars]

All these 3 or 4 legged monsters are overkill. Mine works fine and is very easy to store in my brewday toolbox. It's just an aluminum rod that goes all the way through.

I like the stability of three legs, and the open design lets me pull the bag through and adjust the depth to accomodate different kettles. As for storage, I just hang it on a nail in the garage, and it hugs the wall.

 

[Chriso]

PVC works for most people, but at least a couple people (Soperbrew, I think?) have had melting issues.

Fix? I found a 6"-to-4" HVAC Duct Coupler at Home Depot for about the same price as the PVC collar... I think it was $6 and change.

FWIW I do my brace like Lustreking does, 2 holes and a straight bolt, sans nuts.

 

[TheYoshi]

PVC works for most people, but at least a couple people (Soperbrew, I think?) have had melting issues.

Fix? I found a 6"-to-4" HVAC Duct Coupler at Home Depot for about the same price as the PVC collar... I think it was $6 and change.

FWIW I do my brace like Lustreking does, 2 holes and a straight bolt, sans nuts.

That looks galvanized, I forget what the temperatures are but I know that galvanized metals are horrible for you to cook with....

 

[Walker]

That looks galvanized, I forget what the temperatures are but I know that galvanized metals are horrible for you to cook with....

this never touches the wort or hops. It's just a holder for a bag, like a basketball rim. the bag hangs in the wort, like the basket ball net.

 

[drumming102]

Got Mine done today. (the trash can is just for display) lol

 

[jackers252]

Do you guys have to weigh down (i.e. marbles) your hop bags to keep them in the wort?

 

[sudbuster]

Got Mine done today. (the trash can is just for display) lol

Yep, there is no doubt, that's Lil Sparky's hop bag...... Now where is Lil Sparky??

 

[drumming102]

huh?

 

[kmat123]

Do you guys have to weigh down (i.e. marbles) your hop bags to keep them in the wort?

Nope, once I put the hops in there I just push them down into the bag with a paint stirrer stick and once they are wet they stay down pretty well.

 

[r8rphan]

How well does that bazooka screen work at filtering out the trub? Does it ever clog? Do you whirlpool while using it?

I guess it's just a copper tee and two braids/hose clamps?

 

[logdrum]

I use a 5 gl. paint strainer with an oval embroidery ring and a clothes pin, both wooden.

-d

 

[resslerk]

In case anyone cares, I just use multiple bags and do a double loop over my kettle handle. I have one bag for each addition. They are just kind of on a leash circulating around in the boil. I have had as many as 6 in the boil and they don't get tangled or anything.

Here is what it looks like after I've drained my boil kettle. I realize you can't see the handles in this picture, but I'm sure you can imagine how I'd double back the drawstring to keep them in place. In the picture, the bags are actually full of whole hops. They looks a lot less stuffed when I use pellets!

 

[Sawdustguy]

In case anyone cares, I just use multiple bags and do a double loop over my kettle handle. I have one bag for each addition. They are just kind of on a leash circulating around in the boil. I have had as many as 6 in the boil and they don't get tangled or anything.

Here is what it looks like after I've drained my boil kettle. I realize you can't see the handles in this picture, but I'm sure you can imagine how I'd double back the drawstring to keep them in place. In the picture, the bags are actually full of whole hops. They looks a lot less stuffed when I use pellets!

Nothing wrong with that! It will get the job done. I built mine as an excuse to get out of the house and in to my shop so I didn't have to hear the wife ***** at me for not doing my chores that day.

 

[aragornss]

In case anyone cares, I just use multiple bags and do a double loop over my kettle handle. I have one bag for each addition. They are just kind of on a leash circulating around in the boil. I have had as many as 6 in the boil and they don't get tangled or anything.

Here is what it looks like after I've drained my boil kettle. I realize you can't see the handles in this picture, but I'm sure you can imagine how I'd double back the drawstring to keep them in place. In the picture, the bags are actually full of whole hops. They looks a lot less stuffed when I use pellets!

Hi! Do you use muslin or nylon bags? The last one doens't melt touching the pot?

Thanks!

 

[resslerk]

Hi! Do you use muslin or nylon bags? The last one doens't melt touching the pot?

Thanks!

I use nylon bags. They do not melt. The melting point of nylon is between 373 and 663 F. In my setup I have a stainless screen that stops the bags from coming in contact with the heating element and I actually had someone comment that it isn't necessary. The bags can come in direct contact with the element and not melt, but I haven't tried that.

 

[orangehero]

Mine did not melt in direct contact with an element. I used old curtains to make mine.

 

[DrBrewDC]

Sorry to bump an old thread... however, I have not seen anyone address the following:

Besides the difficulty of cleaning the cotton bag, are there any other down sides? The one thing I am thinking is absorption. Is there any threat of the fiber bags absorbing some of the oils? In support of natural fibers like cotton or hemp, it seems that they would last much longer.?.?

Any thoughts?

 

[kjones]

personally i would buy the nylon paint strainer bags from lowe's or HD. They come in two packs and are inexpensive and can be used over and over. But, one suggestion would be to NOT use pvc for the mount. I started out using pvc from this thread but it does not work well the heat deforms it. and actually one of the last times i used it the bag fell off of it all together when i lifted it to put my chiller in. The one i use now is made out of a 4 inch long by 4 inch diameter ss coupling and it is nice way better than pvc.

 

[logdrum]

I switched to a wooden embroidery hoop for exactly this reason. Who wants melting plastic in their beer?

 

[Artemisag]

So I don't have to worry about nylon touching the immersion chiller? Iogdrum, how big of a hoop did you use and how do you hang it from the keg? Pictures would be awesome!

 

[heckels]

There's a thread on here where a guy took a stainless steel drain trap and used that instead of a pvc reducer coupling. They're all of 5 bucks at menards.