Hop strainer?

[Waunabeer]

In my last batch I used a hop bag for the pellet hops and also have a 9" mesh screen for the drain. No clogs and worked great; easy to clean up.

 

[redalert]

For the lazy or not diy inclined you can just throw in your pellets in the paint strainer bag, tie it, and throw it in your brew kettle.

 

[jaginger]

True, but the prob with that is you have to use another bag for every hop addition, unless you plan on fishing the old one out and untying.

 

[winstonofbeer]

If you are using pellets, a paint strainer bag tied will work...but digging it out is a pain.

When i used nothing but pellets, And being a tight wad...Go to wally world or ask your g/f or wife if she has any old knee high's she dont want. Throw the pellets in that...tie a knot above the pellets and voila done.

Another hop addition? Simple...just had the sock tied to your handle of your pot or something...untie it and add more hops..make another knot.

The only reason i went to the hop strainer bag was it was it was a sock per hop addition just about for leaf hops.

It was also a pain to get the leaf hops in them to, Alltho if you take a larger dasani water bottle and cut below the rib of the bottle....It makes a nice "funnel" and stays on the bottle really well.

 

[Bachhus]

Well since this thread has been brought back from the dead a few times whats one more. I've been reaserching hop straining for a while now and have read and re-read this thread several times.

The original was based on using a paint strainer bag from HD but i can't find any info on what that bag's filtering ability was, or its micron rating. At one point someone mentioned polyester bags from filterbag.com and that they personally used a 150 micron rated one.

Upon researching this further I found out that a say 800 micron sized bag would be close to a 18x18 or 20x20 mesh filtering which has been mentioned several times for use in stainless screen for hop/break material.

Do you guys think a polyester bag with this much larger opening in the mesh would solve some of the hop utilization problems some were having?

 

[smoa]

I have been brewing for a couple years and have always used one of these a bazooka T and whole hops. I just bought a plate chiller and have some questions.

Should I be worried about the bazooka? Will keeping my chiller from pluging up? What if I decied to use pellets? Will the bazooka work on them?

 

[Dog House Brew]

I found a thread called or from "the pig" It was a take on the Sparky style paint strainer filter. The pig was made of stainless screen though. I made one for $80 out of 20x20 stailess mesh from McMaster and it works awesome. Hops flow freely in the boil, pull it out, wash and use again. Tried the bag and it floated, packed, and thought there had to be something better. If you have the cash, I would make one. Make one to fit the diameter of your kettle would be perfect. It works great with both pellets and cone hops. Search it up, glad I did.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Ummm....searched...The, pig, hops strainer, with no dice. Any suggestions? I'm really interested in this....

Question: How did the 20x20 mesh perform? Did you notice that the pellet hops clogged the screen and formed a barrier to draining, like with the hop bags? It won't even let wort LEAVE the bag, let alone enter.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Ummm....searched...The, pig, hops strainer, with no dice. Any suggestions? I'm really interested in this....

Question: How did the 20x20 mesh perform? Did you notice that the pellet hops clogged the screen and formed a barrier to draining, like with the hop bags? It won't even let wort LEAVE the bag, let alone enter.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/hopster-hopscreen-157529/?highlight=hopster

There you go. I have not had any issues, although I haven't used 100% pellets. I can not see any issue with either. I will know after this weekend. Doing a cream ale with 6 oz of pellets. What makes this work is making it suspend just above the bottom of your kettle. The boil circulates the hops in the strainer. As it rises through the screen it keeps it from clogging. It is really stiff, even though I don't have anything mouted like the pig has. I just used stainless wire and wired it to the three legs of my spider, "Sparky" gizmo. I would have to look up the exact mesh I bought. Mine is 10" in dia. If I had it to do over it would be 14" to catch all the boil movement and give more suface area. Used strainer bag once and knew I had to find someting else. Have not had one clogged dip tube yet. I've been doing 16-18 gal batches. Did an IPA last month that had 22.5 oz of hops, mix of both pellet and whole, not a problem. My fights with hops are over! I tried every way possible. I was so sick of hops clogging my chit. I use a CFC, but would work great even with IM chillesr. make it to the id of the IM chiller. Love It

 

[ScubaSteve]

Aha....I HAVE seen that. That's a really nice one. I'm essentially doing the same thing but it's inside of a steamer basket....that way I can use it for hops AND grain. I'm using 2 ply of 6x6 with 0.028 wire. It's essentially 12x12 but with thick wire.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Mine is made with 304 20x20 stainless mesh with . 018 wire.
McMaster-Carr # 9226T49 Works great with both types of hops and is strong enough to last. The boil really keeps things moving and doesn't pack like strainer bags. Hated the bags~! I when I pealed the bag apart the hops in the middle where packed like a rock.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Hated the bags~! I when I pealed the bag apart the hops in the middle where packed like a rock.

EXACTLY. This is why I think utilization suffers. There is a HUGE difference in beers that have "free flown" hops and those that have been bagged. The hops are barely even getting touched at the center of the "rock'. The bags do a great job of filtering; too good. If you're absolutely going to use a bag, it should be 800+ microns, maybe even 1000. There WILL be some hop matter that makes it through, but it's a necessary evil if you want the alpha acids. Good to know about the mesh, I'm experimenting right now on a slightly larger scale with my basket. So far so good, but only a solid brew day will prove its worth.

 

[Dog House Brew]

So far so good, but only a solid brew day will prove its worth.[/QUOTE]

I will let you know how my brew day goes tomorrow, if I can beat the rain. Although 6 oz of pellets isn't a massive test, it should be enough to give adequate feed back. I really need a garage to brew inside, or go all electric. A little rain never hurt anything, cover the pumps and wing it.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Ok, I did my first all pellet batch with my 20x20 mesh strainer. When I added the hopst some particles did make it into the boil outside the screen, but not a lot. I ended up using 9 oz of pellet hops in my batch. I don't think it is a bad thing to have some roaming in the brew. This is fine with me as long as there is no clogging problems. I whirlpooled through the pump and pumped through the CFC with no problems. I did let the trub settle for 10 minutes. When I examined the trub there was a minscule amount of hop bits in it. I'm satisfied that this mesh is perfect for me, whether using cones or pellets. The bottom of the mesh is about 3" from the bottom of the kettle. The boil really circulates the hops. I have a 1/2" stainless dip tube running to the side of the BK. For anyone struggling with hops and clogging things up I recommend this. Lift and let drain, set it until cooling is finished, dump, and rins out with the hose. Really that easy.

 

[flyerwire]

did you just get two sheets and stitch them together with the wire? Did you use anything to help keep the form?

 

[Dog House Brew]

Here is what I bought. I looked it from my McMaster history. What I posted as far as item was not correct.

9226TOO1- 36"x36" 20x20 304S Mesh .016 wire size
9317T311- 10" 304s Mesh disk ,016 wire size
9882k31- 30 wire .010 dia

I justrolled the panel to match the 10" disk for the bottom. I took a yard stick to make a crease and tapped the seam to make a nice crease. So where I used the wire to sew together the tube it made was 4 layers thick. I just cut small pieces to loop through and tie. I din't have any stainless pop rivets to make the seam. They would be ideal. I the used the wire to sew in the bottom. I just hung it from my stand I made for the strainer bags. When I find something 10" I will make a new top that is more stable. Once it is all "sewn" together it really is pretty rigid. I can't believe after using it, that you don't see more people using them. Hope this answers your questions.

 

[flyerwire]

Great thanks, agree that IMO its a better solution. Ill be using this with a bazooka screen so hoping this contains most to keep the screen from clogging.

 

[jaginger]

Here is what I bought. I looked it from my McMaster history. What I posted as far as item was not correct.

9226TOO1- 36"x36" 20x20 304S Mesh .016 wire size
9317T311- 10" 304s Mesh disk ,016 wire size
9882k31- 30 wire .010 dia

So $110 in materials approximately? Hmmm, i was hoping this would be a little less costly...

 

[Dog House Brew]

So $110 in materials approximately? Hmmm, i was hoping this would be a little less costly...

I got so sick of clogging up. I would think it could be found some where cheaper. $100 for no more hassles, and add in all I've spent on this hobby, $100 wasn't too much. It has sped up my brew day too. Some can toss them in the wort and whirlpool, not me. It was a PIA every time I would brew. I also have to add this is made to fit a 25 gallon kettle. If you do 5 gallon batches you wouldn't need anything this large, which would cut down the cost.

 

[ScubaSteve]

You should post pics of this thing!

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

Despite costing more, this sounds way more effective than a blingman hop blocker.

 

[Dog House Brew]

You should post pics of this thing!

I need to take a pic, but its all packed up under the tarps and crap I have the rig under. It really looks like the original I linked you to. Just hanging below the "Sparky" spider. When I find something 10" dia I will make a top like the Pig made his. Worth every dollar for sure. Next time I brew I will take a a few pictures of it in use and post back.

 

[nu2brewing]

If using a keggle to boil you can buy this 304 SS 12"x12" Sheet cut it 12" round, cut a hole in the center for your dip tube, and you have yourself a hop strainer. I've got the PVC style hop bag holder but find it difficult when using an IC. Just my 2 cents....

 

[conpewter]

Best thing I have found is just to use whole hops and a small round false bottom from Jaybird, I have a bottom drain on the keggle so no hole, but you could do as nu2brewing said and drill a hole for your dip tube if you have that setup.

All the big brewers seem to whirlpool so if I didn't have the center bottom drain setup I'd look in to that. With the electric element though I don't think it would work well. So whole hops for me. They come off the plants out back that way anyway

 

[jaginger]

Could this be done with aluminum window screen? I know aluminum kettles are fine; is this OK too, or a different animal altogether?

 

[Bachhus]

Could this be done with aluminum window screen? I know aluminum kettles are fine; is this OK too, or a different animal altogether?

I've search all over researching how I wanted to build my version of this. From what I have gathered the window screen stuff is a No-No because of coatings they put on the screen material, either stainless or aluminum. The screen material that looks like metal is either a gray plastic type coating or clear plastic type coating.

 

[balto charlie]

Best thing I have found is just to use whole hops and a small round false bottom from Jaybird, I have a bottom drain on the keggle so no hole, but you could do as nu2brewing said and drill a hole for your dip tube if you have that setup.

All the big brewers seem to whirlpool so if I didn't have the center bottom drain setup I'd look in to that. With the electric element though I don't think it would work well. So whole hops for me. They come off the plants out back that way anyway

I hear you. I'm 95% whole leaf, they look cooler too. I want to use a false bottom or hopstopper style. Currently using scrubby(clogs w/ trub) and a paint bag(don't like) so time for a change.
Quick question: Does Jays False bottom come with feet? My drain spigot is very low in my pot so I figure I could put his bottom very near my bottom but above my valve. This would make cleaning much easier.
Another Q for the pellet crowd: Why not switch to whole hops. Less AA?? Seems a clog at the most crucial time in the brewing process is just not worth it, IMHO.

 

[wildwest450]

If your going spend $100 on making one, the original hopstopper can be shipped to your door for $67, and it's proven.

_

 

[ScubaSteve]

I hear you. I'm 95% whole leaf, they look cooler too. I want to use a false bottom or hopstopper style. Currently using scrubby(clogs w/ trub) and a paint bag(don't like) so time for a change.
Quick question: Does Jays False bottom come with feet? My drain spigot is very low in my pot so I figure I could put his bottom very near my bottom but above my valve. This would make cleaning much easier.
Another Q for the pellet crowd: Why not switch to whole hops. Less AA?? Seems a clog at the most crucial time in the brewing process is just not worth it, IMHO.

I love whole leaf, but it's harder to get. My LHBS never has whole, so I have to special order from another vendor like FresHops, etc. The shipping adds to the cost.

That being said, leaf hops are a lot easier to clean and WAY easier to filter.

If you're just going to use whole hops, a bazooka tee will work awesome....cheaper than a hopstopper, and VERY well built.

 

[bruin_ale]

I hear you. I'm 95% whole leaf, they look cooler too. I want to use a false bottom or hopstopper style. Currently using scrubby(clogs w/ trub) and a paint bag(don't like) so time for a change.
Quick question: Does Jays False bottom come with feet? My drain spigot is very low in my pot so I figure I could put his bottom very near my bottom but above my valve. This would make cleaning much easier.
Another Q for the pellet crowd: Why not switch to whole hops. Less AA?? Seems a clog at the most crucial time in the brewing process is just not worth it, IMHO.

I use all leaf hops right now.. but availability is one of the main reasons for pellet use. A good example is to try getting Simcoe in leaf form right now, it's hard enough to get pellets these days.

 

[EROK]

Or make yourself one of these. Easy and works great.

Where can I get the parts list for this hop filter setup?

 

[jaginger]

I have the parts available that i can get to you a good bit cheaper than you'll have to pay retail. Shoot me a PM and we can work out details.

 

[EarthBound]

Sparky,

I use the PEM150P2POSS Polyester Multifiliment Bag which is 150 Micron in Size 2 (7.25" Dia x 31.5" Long). I purchased the long bag in case I do a 5 gallon batch. They are well long enough to reach down into a 5 gallon batch. As I mentioned, you will get no Hop debris and the Hops incorporate themselves into the wort very well. They are $4.60 ea and are washable and reuseable.

I plan on buying some of these bags. They have a minimum order of $35, and they're $6 a pop, so I have to buy 6 of them.

Has anyone else tried these bags out? I look forward to trying them myself and posting the results on this thread.

 

[EarthBound]

Scrap that idea! Those filters will hurt the hop utilization, for sure. I decided to DIY a hopstopper instead. I'm making it out of a $3 SS strainer from BB&B and stripped copper wire. Talk about cheap! It'll be done tonight. If someone shows interest, I'll post a pic.

 

[Lou1998]

Earthbound,
I would be interested to see how that works for you. I built a copper manifold and it works well with whole leaf but not pellets and am looking for alternatives I can use with a heating element.

 

[EarthBound]

Earthbound,
I would be interested to see how that works for you. I built a copper manifold and it works well with whole leaf but not pellets and am looking for alternatives I can use with a heating element.

Sweet, I will post a pic then. A hopstopper, IMO, is your best bet if you intend to use pellet hops, a heating element, and no whirlpooling. That's my intention, as well. I've done a lot of research on this forum, and all signs point to the hopstopper or at least a DIY version of the hopstopper.

I bought this colander, took the top ring off, and will sew the sides together in the shape of a taco. Leaving the bottom ring attached will provide adequate structural integrity. I'm open to any criticism or suggestions.

 

[EarthBound]

Here' a couple pics. I plan on hacksawing some slots at the bottom tip of the diptube, of course. Think it'll work?!

Edit: BTW, the copper tubing is 5/8" OD, and I had to change out the compression fitting shown in the picture because it was the wrong size.

 

[bruin_ale]

Only one way to find out! Let us know.. right now I'm using a bazooka screen - but not using any pellets for fear of clogging. Also, you may want to think about changing that hose clamp out for a stainless clamp.

 

[EarthBound]

I certainly will. If it works fine, then I found a very cheap DIY hopstopper!

I'm pretty sure that it is a SS clamp. That's what it says on the bag it came in. If I see any rust after the trial run, I'll definitely switch it out.

Speaking of a trial run. I was thinking of just boiling about 6-7 gallons with about 4 oz. of hops. The hops to be used have been already opened up and sitting in my freezer for many months, so it's not too much of a waste. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[bruin_ale]

test run sounds ok, but you won't get any hot or cold break like you would in a real brew. So it will give you an idea, but not 100% definitive - better than no test at all though.