Hoppinator

[thewurzel]

Hi
I am the process of trying to build a hoppinator. For continues hopping during the Boil
I have pretty much built it to from Paul Zoccos plans But I doesn’t say how big the actual hole for the hops to drop out of should be.

I was wondering if any body had built one and had any suggestions or knew what size hole would work well for hop pellets.

Thanks

 

[Big10Seaner]

I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but it sounds really cool! :rockin:

 

[DonkeyShoes]

It's like the device Dogfish Head uses for their continuously hopped 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min IPA's. Drops hop pellets in at a steady pace throughout the boil instead of only at 2 or 3 times (DFH's original was made from a vibrating football game). This is supposed to blend the bittering/flavor/aroma qualities together through the boil.

I haven't looked at the plans for this, but it would be a good idea to make the hole for pellets adjustable, if that is an option. I have seen hop pellets in at least 2 different sizes, one about half the size of the other. If you could adjust it, it would allow for some fine tuning of the hopping rate as well.

 

[Big10Seaner]

Ok, I see what you mean now. It might be more trouble than it's really worth, but if you're set on doing it I'd like to see what you come up with.

 

[Revvy]

Do you have a link to this Paul Zocco person's plans? I'd like to see what you are talking about....

 

[thewurzel]

Do you have a link to this Paul Zocco person's plans? I'd like to see what you are talking about....

http://www.dogfish.com/news/Zopinator_Plans_Now_Available/696/20070101/index.htm

http://www.dogfish.com/media/unrelated/Zopinator.pdf


Here are links to the pages
On has a couple of pictures and one has a right up and al sorts of calculations on hop schedules included

 

[Lil' Sparky]

This is SOOOO much easier.

 

[thewurzel]

This is SOOOO much easier.


I see how that is much easier to strain the hops after the boil
But you do still have to add the hops manually?

 

[DonkeyShoes]

I see how that is much easier to strain the hops after the boil
But you do still have to add the hops manually?

I've tried adding hops manually at closer increments, 60 min, 45, 30, 15, 5. That was my 2nd batch and I don't really remember what the results were, nor did I have any basis for comparison vs. other batches.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

This is SOOOO much easier.


I see how that is much easier to strain the hops after the boil
But you do still have to add the hops manually?

Sure, but how difficult is that?

BTW - I'm working on training my hops to jump into the hopsock on command so it'll make my brew day easier.

 

[thewurzel]

Sure, but how difficult is that?

BTW - I'm working on training my hops to jump into the hopsock on command so it'll make my brew day easier.

LOL That would be much eisier idea having trained hops

i quess that i just have too much time on my hands
ive been off work for 3 months with a broken leg from a hit and run accident.
so during that time i been trying to make things. as well as brewing some beer

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

If you are using pellets... why not crush them before hand, then you can add them continually using a mechanical linkage. For example, you could use a very slow moving gear motor with a paddle that continually pushes small amounts of ground hops into the boil.

 

[GearBeer]

^ That's exactly what I was thinking, though I was envisioning a vibrating chute. Adding at a continuous rate would be much easier with the hop powder from the pellets than the pellets themselves. Using a gear, while visually cool and having positive volume control, would probably encounter problems as the supply of hop dust ran low.

While I'm no where near doing this yet I'm interested all the same, keep us posted.

 

[DonkeyShoes]

i quess that i just have too much time on my hands
ive been off work for 3 months with a broken leg from a hit and run accident.
so during that time i been trying to make things. as well as brewing some beer

No shame in building/inventing for the sake of beer!

Back to your machine: Have you ever seen the cereal dispensers at hotels etc.? You turn the crank and they dispense a small amount of cereal, then you turn until you have enough. If you hooked one of these to a motor...

I'll see if I can find a picture online.

 

[DonkeyShoes]

This is what I'm talking about:

http://www.chefcentral.com/product1...roogle&utm_medium=dfeeds&utm_campaign=general

You would probably have to build your own so it would be on a much smaller scale. Maybe use a funnel instead of the large clear plastic cereal holder with some sort of crank at the bottom.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Here is what I was talking about (kind of). The hop additions could be broken up into a bunch of small cells that rotate over the kettle and fall in throughout the boil.

Just an idea

 

[jfrizzell]

How about an automatic fish feeder?

Perhaps the gearing could be modified to speed it up?

 

[DonkeyShoes]

How about an automatic fish feeder?

Perhaps the gearing could be modified to speed it up?

Yes! That's a much more appropriate scale for hop pellet additions!

 

[digunderground]

what about something like this LINK attached to a motorized device? then you could build something to dispense the hops at a constant rate and actuate it with the timer?!

thinking....

-DIG

 

[thewurzel]

Yes I agree I like the idea of the fish feeder if it could be speeded up.
Anyway I have already built my operator.
It has a 1 RPM gear Motor with 3/8 SS Threaded rod through a 3" down pipe and a caped off end which I have to cut a hole for the hops to drop through.
I just have to do some testing to see how many hops drop out in timed intervals.

 

[DeadDoc]

Beware of the humidity! It could cause gunking up... example... DME into the wort. U might loose little to a very noticeable amount.

But sounds cool. I love the training the hops I wish I could get them to move for me.

 

[DeadDoc]

Yes I agree I like the idea of the fish feeder if it could be speeded up.
Anyway I have already built my operator.
It has a 1 RPM gear Motor with 3/8 SS Threaded rod through a 3" down pipe and a caped off end which I have to cut a hole for the hops to drop through.
I just have to do some testing to see how many hops drop out in timed intervals.

Wicked looking!

 

[atfan]

Here's my interpretation.....

never got around to motorizing it ,though......White Labs liked it -they sent me a hat!

 

[thedude123]

That is awesome.

 

[thewurzel]

Here's my interpretation.....

never got around to motorizing it ,though......White Labs liked it -they sent me a hat!

looks good like the idea

 

[thewurzel]

The latest

Now waiting on right hops to make dogfish clones

 

[IrregularPulse]

How about a running video? doesn't have to be dropping hops, maybe pebbles to to show function. Looks cool.

 

[thedude123]

ya a video would be cool.

 

[Matovichi]

Looks like you're holding your kettle hostage with a bazooka

 

[MNBugeater]

Seems like you have it all figured out already, but I just got to reading the thread. Sounds to me like you want a screw drive like an auger. Similar to what they use to fill grain elevators.

With a container or hop pellets being the grain truck, a small 1" or smaller auger slowly turning and moving hop pellets up and into to the boil kettle (grain elevator). If you could gear this slow enough it would just slowly drop pellets into your kettle.

 

[thewurzel]

if i get some time this weekend, i try to make video

 

[Plan9]

Any detail on what's in that tube would be great.

I'm thinking a small conveyer belt with a slow motor would also do the trick.

 

[Medo]

Ahoy hoy,
If you click on my brewblog link in my sig below, and find the blog post for my building of my hopinator, which I just call the Alaskan hop gun, (the post you need is Alaskan Hop Gun, Beta 2) Ive got a video on there showing the thing running, and hops a shooting out of the end. I tweaked the design a little and it helped quite a bit, including a second hole on top down by the hop manifold, so you can actually see what is going on. I also used something different for the hop manifold (which is what i call the part with the hole the hops fall out of) and have multiple hole sizes for different rates, as well as different sized pellets. Im drinking a stone ruination clone I brewed using it a couple months ago, and its a fine drink. If anyone needs any fine points explained, PM me and Ill do my best to answer them for you. I am very happy at this point with my hop gun.
I bid you all a great day.

 

[scinerd3000]

watch out for the ATF....that thing looks like a bazooka. What will the neighbors say?

 

[ptra1004]

Ahoy hoy,
...I just call the Alaskan hop gun...
...I am very happy at this point with my hop gun...

George Clinton would say "...gonna hit you with the Hop Gun...":rockin:

 

[fat x nub]

This looks pretty cool but can't you continualsly hop by hand? But hey...its always fun to start a little DYI project. Keep us posted

 

[Medo]

Ahoy hoy,
As a matter of fact my first try at dogfishhead 90 was continuous hopping by hand. In a word, 2 actually, .....it sucked.
Trying to throw hops in every 2 1/2 minutes, while drinking beer and such, is an effort in futility. The timer would err, i would err, err would err
It was really way too much effort for the effect. The hop gun, on the other hand, is a fill it and forget it thing, though i keep an eye on it in case it might plug up or whatnot. That being said, if you have the patience, continous dry hopping by hand may work for you.
I bid you all a great day.