Using Whole Grains iun a Hopback/HopRocket

[dionbill]

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forum and fairly new to home brewing. Been trying to improve my process (extract and partial mesh, eventually all-grain) and been reading about trub removal techniques. In the process, been reading about hopbacks and the Hoprocket. Has anyone run anything other than hops to filter trub in one of these units? How about using whole grains (same as the grains in your brew but not crushed). I'm curious if anyone has tried it or if there are any foreseeable issues with it? may affect the color slightly, i guess... thanks everyone and great forum...

D

 

[brewmeister13]

I'm not sure that I have an answer to your question, but instead another question instead. Why are you looking to use uncrushed grain instead of hops?

 

[dionbill]

My primary reason for the hop back would be to filter the grub, without adding much flavor. Using 3-4 oz of hops every brew can add up in cost as well so jousting thinking of alternatives. Thanks.

 

[bilderback]

My experience has been that the Hop Rocket's screen hole diameters are too large - thus Blichmann's recommendation of avoiding pellet hops. Unless you physically overstuffed the HR chamber with grains, I think a good portion of the uncracked grains would either work their way through the screen pores and/or not provide much filtration capability.

Having said that, I read on HBT that some are using the HR for filtration by putting a small hop bag filled with presoaked rice hulls in it. The brewer who makes Janet's Brown Ale, I think, perfected the technique by turning the HR upside down and mounting it onto his boil kettle.

I have used this technique to remove a significant portion of trub and hot break. I don't see why you couldn't replace rice hulls with grains, cracked or uncracked...