Kettle screen options with plate chiller

[homebrewdude76]

For the past 10 years I have had the same converted kettle configuration.
Weldless fittings, internal copper fittings to move the output down and to the side of the kettle. On the end of this was a standard bazooka screen.

I used this configuration with pellet and leaf hops with a immersion chiller.
When I upgraded to a plate chiller I could only use whole leaf hops
On rare occasions when I had to use a limited quanity of pellet hops the bag worked ok.

Two friends are converting some Sanke kegs, is there an updated preference for the internal dip tube/screen?
Anything that allows pellet hops and a plate chiller?

 

[b-boy]

I had a similar problem and I tried a few different things. I tried a false bottom, but that didn't work well. It still clogged when did IPAs.

I tried using nylon bags to hold the hops. That worked, but was a real pain to deal with.

I ended up getting a hop spider. I really like it. It's easy to clean and it contains ~99% of the hop particles. I have 2 of them for really hoppy beers. They are a little pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

My only concern is that it may impact my hop utilization. As far as I can tell it doesn't, but that's only based on my ability to taste a difference.

 

[homebrewdude76]

Can you clarify?
You have no screen on your dip tube?
You are using pellet and/or leaf hops?
You are using a plate chiller?
What is the micron of the screen?

I assumed I would getting a decent filtering effect of the hot break due to the leaf hops over the screen.

If you have no screen and no leaf hops, I am assume you are not having issues with the plate chiller?

 

[b-boy]

I still have my old false bottom in place on one pot. The other has a pickup tube with no filter.
I have a plate chiller. I have it setup for whirlpooling. I don't have a problem with my plate chiller clogging with hot or cold break. I had issues with pellet hops though.

The screen material is 300 microns. I think 400 would be better and allow for more flow-through.

I also use it instead of vourlafting. I drain through the screen to remove bits of grain before the boil.

I haven't tried leaf hops with this yet but don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[ndinh]

I was using a bazooka inside my kettle with a plate chiller. It works well and I never had any clogging issues. The biggest problem was with a bazooka, I was leaving over 1 gallon of wort behind. Also, it's difficult to whirlpool and get a good hop cone with a bazooka running down the center. The other option is to use some sort of exterior hop back/strainer. I've recently moved to a pick up tube and a CFC and it works well.

 

[homebrewdude76]

I am attaching photo of my typical setup.
Copper tube is used to bring the screen to the side and bottom of the kettle.
When it is near empty I tip the kettle towards the screen.

I probably loose more worst from using leaf hops then my kettle setup.

Looks like the next two kettles I make will be the same way.
In the future if we want to switch to pellet hops we would need one of the bags or stainless strainers either way.

 

[day_trippr]

Man, that just looks sad. And a pita waiting to happen.

You might stuff a stainless steel spring in that poor thing to hold it open...

Cheers!

 

[homebrewdude76]

It has been used and abused over the past 10 years.
Many award winning brews were made in this pot...
Never stuck, never clogged, never an issue.
Little banged up from stirring the pot.

Man, that just looks sad. And a pita waiting to happen.

You might stuff a stainless steel spring in that poor thing to hold it open...

Cheers!

 

[b-boy]

It has been used and abused over the past 10 years.
Many award winning brews were made in this pot...
Never stuck, never clogged, never an issue.
Little banged up from stirring the pot.

If it works then I'd just keep it.

Any reason you prefer to use leaf hops over pellets?

 

[homebrewdude76]

Plan on keeping mine...

Its the two new pots for other brewers.

One wants to use pellet hops, but he has a immersion chiller.
Think he should just skip the screen and go with a dip tube.

 

[normonster]

.... I've recently moved to a pick up tube and a CFC and it works well.

Meaning you ditched the plate chiller? That is exactly what I'm going to do except I'm going to put the chill coil in a cooler with ice and use the freezer of my beer fridge to freeze cylinders of ice to feed it (save water and avoid the plate chiller disaster waiting to happen...

Therminator up for sale soon.

 

[passedpawn]

I ran 25 gallons of pale ale (2 consecutive batches) through my plate chiller Sunday morning, no problem. I use a hanging hop spider, the type with the paint strainer bag. The dip tube in my boil kettle sits right on the bottom with no screen.

 

[dobes]

I use a false bottom and a strainer bag for my hops. Kinda like a hop spider. Never had an issue with my plate chiller. And I leave only a few ounces of wort behind. I have my dip tube about 1/8 of an inch from the bottom of my kettle.

 

[ndinh]

Meaning you ditched the plate chiller? That is exactly what I'm going to do except I'm going to put the chill coil in a cooler with ice and use the freezer of my beer fridge to freeze cylinders of ice to feed it (save water and avoid the plate chiller disaster waiting to happen...

Therminator up for sale soon.

Yeah, I still have the plate chiller as backup but I'm pretty happy with my CFC. My belief was that if you wanted to use a plate chiller you must have some sort of screen/filter, which, in my case, disrupted my whirlpooling. I now use an immersion chiller to get the wort down to ~160 quickly to prevent DMS and then whirlpool for awhile. Afterwards I just run everything through my CFC in one swoop into a carboy. The wort isn't as clear as my old setup with the bazooka/plate chiller but after fermentation and cold crashing, it's usually pretty clear. Good luck with your chill coil/ice cooler setup.

 

[b-boy]

Plan on keeping mine...

Its the two new pots for other brewers.

One wants to use pellet hops, but he has a immersion chiller.
Think he should just skip the screen and go with a dip tube.

Yep - if he's using an immersion chiller I don't really see the need for a screen. Any hops will settle out in the trub.

 

[mlafnitzegger]

With my plate chiller I use a diy spider and a modified strainer at the bottom. I made the strainer by cutting of the handle to a double mesh SS Strainer I had lying around.

 

[homebrewdude76]

I use a false bottom and a strainer bag for my hops. Kinda like a hop spider. Never had an issue with my plate chiller. And I leave only a few ounces of wort behind. I have my dip tube about 1/8 of an inch from the bottom of my kettle.

Wondering if the false bottom helps with anything? I am assuming the strainer bag helps the most.

 

[dobes]

Wondering if the false bottom helps with anything? I am assuming the strainer bag helps the most.

I'd say the bag strains out about 85 to 90% or so. So yeah the false bottom is prob not needed. But I had it and just started using it when I did my new setup. I will still get some build up on the false bottom but not much. Pretty much I use it cause I have it.
Also from some of the pictures Ive seen from other members it looks like they may have a finer mesh bag than mine. So they may get even less particles through the bag.

 

[homebrewdude76]

Did you ever use leaf hops with the false bottom? I have wondered if that would be better than my bazooka screen.

 

[dobes]

I never used whole only pellet hops with my false bottom so I can't give you much info on that. I would think it would work ok just cause of the size of the cones but not sure.