Large Infuser/Spice Ball?

[Drunkagain]

Anyone know where to get a tea infuser/spice ball thats big enough to hold 2 oz of hops? Been looking around the local stores, Target, Wallmart, ect, and cant seem to fnd anything that would hold even an ounce.

I've seen some of you post that you use them for dry hopping, which seems like a great idea. Are you using multiple balls or have you found one big enough?

Thanks

 

[EdWort]

Here's a Mongo one from Amazon for $6.99.

Here's a 3 incher too from Amazon for $3.99

The 3 incher should handle 2 ounces just fine.

 

[talleymonster]

Edwort uses one. It's called an Herb Ball, I think. Maybe he'll chime in here and tell you more. I looked for it at Target but did not find it anywhere. The sales associates didn't even know what I was talking about.




EDIT.

Looks like Ed beat me!

 

[Drunkagain]

Great! Thanks guys.

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

To be clear, I think EdWort mentioned in another post that he uses pellet hops in his tea ball. I use leaf hops and get about a third to half an ounce in them, so I use 3 balls per keg.

 

[Drunkagain]

Ah, good to know since I use whole leaf hops as well. I think I'll give that mongo a try.

 

[Grimsawyer]

In a keg I've used a small grain bag from my LHBS. The smallest one there held 2oz NO PROBLEM and I could probly fit 4 without any trouble. Not as fancy as the aforementioned tea balls but a possible cheaper substitute. Wonder if there's a product out there that would do the same thing but was the right shape and size to fit inside a bunghole in a carboy.

 

[wild]

Wonder if there's a product out there that would do the same thing but was the right shape and size to fit inside a bunghole in a carboy.

It's called the brew infuser.

Wild

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

That is pretty cool. Just doing a bit of math and it appears that it holds about the same amount as the 3" tea ball.

 

[Brewer3401]

Here's a Mongo one from Amazon for $6.99.

Here's a 3 incher too from Amazon for $3.99

The 3 incher should handle 2 ounces just fine.

I can't do 2 oz in my 3.50". Pellets swell up like a baloon.
I'm pushing it at 1.50 oz.
Try it before you do, cuz if you hydrate the outside pellets first, they will blank off the screen and a lot of the inside hops won't get wet.

 

[BierMuncher]

I use a 1-gallon paint strainer bag from lowes with a small zip-tie to sinch the bag. A 20" piece of kitchen twine to tie the bag to the lid and a handful of sterilized marbles to wiegh the bag down and....done.

Like I said...my junk is ugly.

 

[Grimsawyer]

It's called the brew infuser.

Wild

SWEET!!!!!!! Kinda rough on the old wallet though. All SS... Fits inside a carboy... So sweet... and a good shape too. It wouldn't be hard for wort to penetrate that diameter of hops. Pellet or otherwise.

 

[Joe028]

maybe this question should be a new thread, but I'll try anyways. Do your balls sink? I just used two balls with leaf hops, 0.4oz in each one, for a dry hop in the keg. They are the 3" ones that edwort posted a picture of. I dropped them in the keg expecting them to sink, but they are floating. There is really no room for any marbles, but do you think they will sink a bit once they become wet? I was lucky enough to find these at Marshall's, the store like TJmax with all kinds of odds and ends stuff. Saved on the shipping.

 

[Bearcat Brewmeister]

maybe this question should be a new thread, but I'll try anyways. Do your balls sink?

I am in my forties, but mine have yet to sink. I hear it does happen as you age.

I dropped them in the keg expecting them to sink, but they are floating. There is really no room for any marbles, but do you think they will sink a bit once they become wet?

Ah, much more clear. Yes, they eventually do sink. Not sure when, but I know that I have moved a keg and heard them in the bottom instead of the top.

 

[anojones]

I have a brew infuser, works great for dry hopping with pellets, couldn't do much whole hop dry hopping with it. I had contacted them before it was available in the states and they emailed me as soon as it was available at Midwest.

 

[G8S]

I can't do 2 oz in my 3.50". Pellets swell up like a baloon.
I'm pushing it at 1.50 oz.
Try it before you do, cuz if you hydrate the outside pellets first, they will blank off the screen and a lot of the inside hops won't get wet.

I too found that with just over an ounce of pellets the 3" hop balls (got my from Midwest) seem to end up too packed once the pellets expanded during the boil. They did appear all wet when I emptied them, but so dense it is hard to think that utilization is as good as it could be. I think I will be going back to bags, or perhaps try to split the hops between 2 balls (which would mean I need more to cover even 2 hops additions)

 

[Toecutter]

I too found that with just over an ounce of pellets the 3" hop balls (got my from Midwest) seem to end up too packed once the pellets expanded during the boil. They did appear all wet when I emptied them, but so dense it is hard to think that utilization is as good as it could be. I think I will be going back to bags, or perhaps try to split the hops between 2 balls (which would mean I need more to cover even 2 hops additions)

Use a cheap nylon stocking less than .99 a pair at Walmart. Take 1 stocking, cut it in half, tie off one end with butchers twine or fishing line. fill it and tie off the other end. as the pellets swell, the nylon stretches just like it was going over a leg.

 

[HopSong]

I bought 5 large tea balls from Amazon.. def NOT big enough IMO. I put 1 oz pellets in them and the hops expand so much they totally fill the ball and are compressed enough that there is no good exchange with the wort. I'm going to sell these and head back to a grain bag. Plenty of room to keep the hop particles loose.

Here are the ones I got..


Anyone want to buy some large tea balls?