Stupid Hops

[Gfei]

I would like to publicly state that I will never, ever... EVER, be putting hops into the boil without a strainer bag again. It worked great the first time I tried it (using a scouring pad as a filter on the pickup tube), but it has screwed me every time since.

So never again. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Clann]

I dont know, sounds like operator error

 

[jiggs_casey]

boilover?

 

[Gfei]

No boilover. The pickup tube gets clogged and the kettle stops draining.

The things I had to do to get the wort out of there would make your hair curl.

 

[greenbirds]

I feel your pain. Makes you want to tear your hair out. I eventually got a false bottom for my keggle and never looked back... As long as I use leaf hops, or a mix of leaf and pellet. Just pellet? Strainer bag to the rescue.

 

[Gfei]

I'm using leaf mainly. Used pellets last weekend with a strainer bag, worked perfectly. A false bottom may not be a bad idea, I could put one of the tops I cut off my kegs to use for cheap.

If this last batch isn't infected I'll be shocked.

 

[RM-MN]

I don't have any problem getting the wort out of the kettle once it cools. I just pick it up and dump it all into the fermenter. When the yeast gets done with the ferment, all the hops are stuck to the bottom of the fermenter with the yeast on top.

 

[ipscman]

This used to drive me crazy. I tried all the suggested options. Then I read in Kunze, Technology, Brewing and Malting, 2010 ed. p. 371: “Many breweries mill the hops very finely immediately before adding them, and then precipitate the finely milled particles in a whirlpool.”

Mitch Steele at Stone, said that some pros mill their leaf and even pellet hops before putting them in the boil kettle as well (CBC 2010, Dry Hop Seminar). An additional benefit is increased utilization, especially with leaf/cone hops.

I grow hops and grind the cones before using. Pellets go in straight. No bag, strainer, hop catcher, false bottom, braid, etc. Just a ball valve at the bottom of the kettle with a 90 degree elbow on the inside.

I now mill all leaf hops (in a coffee grinder) and after doing a whirlpool and rest, the hot break mix stays in the middle enough to allow me to drain out through the bottom ball valve without any problems (drain very slowly to keep the trub mass in the center of the kettle). Once it starts to pickup the trub, shut the valve. Virtually no hot wort transfer and no need for any type of strainer at all.

Good luck.

P.S. I have a lot of that stuff (bag, strainer, hop catcher, false bottom, braid, etc.) in a box now. ;-)

 

[mrbobble]

I used to get frustrated with this. I tried whirlpool and failed miserably and the reason why is because I didn't wait for the whirlpool to stop and drained my keggle full bore into the hopback and plate chiller.
Now that I wait and drain slowly I drain very clear and theres a big load of gunk left in the middle that used to make it into my fermenter. I'm a fan of the whirlpool now. I just need to get a nice curved drain arm/elbow to really help it along.
Try it!

 

[lumpher]

i use a false bottom and leaf hops. have a ball valve on my boil-keg, and i drain it through a strainer bag. comes out very clear.

 

[HerotBrewer]

Found pellet hops are a great recipe for incipient boilover, now I use a bag.

 

[JayB240]

I made a Stainless Steel Screen to go around my pickup tube in the keggle.
Works great. I am careful to clean the screen at the end of Brew Day.

Jay

 

[Irishpenguin13]

Ive had good luck with the ss screen for years. Ive got mine connected from the ball valve right to the sight glass. Prevents anything from clogging up the sight glass and from anything escaping.