Whirlpooling or Hop-Stopper

[MikeSkril]

Hi all,

I’m in the process of building my electric HERMS system (5-10gal, 30 amp).
I’m unsure which way to go when it comes to wort / hop and trub filtering.

I either buy a Hopstopper , or I’ll go the whirlpool way.

Who has experience with whirlpooling on an E-HERMS system? Does that work well? How long do I have to whirlpool 5 gals for and how long do I have to wait when finished, or can I drain right after?

Would be great getting some input before I decide.

Thanks,

 

[jekeane]

I'm using the jaded hydra immersion chiller over a plate or cfc in my eherms system so I'm whirlpooling to chill anyways. Seems to work fine for me.

 

[cod3ck]

The hydra with a whirlpool arm and a stainless "net" to hold the hops works well for me. Way easier to dump the hops after brewing too!

I looked into the hopstopper before going with this approach. The concept seemed great, but I didn't want to have to monitor the flow when draining the kettle (as is recommended to prevent losing suction towards the bottom of the kettle).

 

[augiedoggy]

I use a 6"x14" stainless hop spider and then use a homemade pwm speed controlled stir rod inside of the hop spider to aid in "whirlpooling" the hops inside of the hop spider and keep them from settling to the bottom or plugging the spider screen walls... it works well for me and the use of my small 24v dc p38I pumps and plate chiller.

 

[jmark]

I had the hopstopper... used it for two batches and then dumped it... it was truly a horrible experience trying to drain the kettle with a heavy hop bill. I know Kal says that it can take 20 minutes to get that last gallon or so, but it's not just the time... if you lose siphon on the kettle, then you're done and that wort is just lost in the kettle. In the end, I use a spider (and additional hop bags if necessary) for anything taking more than 1/4lb of hops in the boil... otherwise I just toss them in.

 

[wyowolf]

I have a SS hop spider that works well.. however there is still some proteins and junk in the wort... I think I will go with something like this...

https://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1.html

If you dont have a plate chiller than it probably isnt ness for you...

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

I whirlpool (BobbyM's spincycle replaced my homemade copper arm https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/spincycle.htm) and use a 'hop quesadilla' https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=305073 seems to do the job quite well between the two.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have a SS hop spider that works well.. however there is still some proteins and junk in the wort... I think I will go with something like this...

https://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1.html

If you dont have a plate chiller than it probably isnt ness for you...

Theres a variation of this with an actual screen with more open surface area too that I looked at, not for this problem but to filter my beers further when kegging.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/304...id=ea3d9cb0-755d-4679-ace3-e0129bf2eed6&tpp=1

I do use an 8" piece of braided stainless attached to my diptube to get whatever makes it past my hop spider.

 

[LarMoeCur]

Hi all,

I’m in the process of building my electric HERMS system (5-10gal, 30 amp).
I’m unsure which way to go when it comes to wort / hop and trub filtering.

I either buy a Hopstopper , or I’ll go the whirlpool way.

Who has experience with whirlpooling on an E-HERMS system? Does that work well? How long do I have to whirlpool 5 gals for and how long do I have to wait when finished, or can I drain right after?

Would be great getting some input before I decide.

Thanks,

I'm on the fence. The good idea fairy hit me last month. I made the mistake of listening to a pod cast that talked about cold break and trub in the fermenter.

I was using a hop stopper and CFC with my 20 gallon E-HERMS brewery (10 gallon batches). The hop stopper works great for stopping hops it does not stop cold break trub. I've been wanting to do some really clean lagers/light ales. I've read that cold break and trub can affect the taste of lighter beers. So, I dusted off the old immersion chiller, cut 1/2 piece of stainless tubing into a whirlpool arm. Pulled off the hop stopper and added a side dip tube. I've brewed two batches and the wort in fermenter is really clear. My beers seem to clear faster. It could be that they start clearer so they appear to clear fast. But who knows The jury is still out as to taste. I'm not sure I taste much of a difference. I will say that I did an IPA with a large whirlpool hop addition and it turned out fantastic. Not sure I could duplicated it with out the whirlpool.

I start the whirlpool with about 5 minutes left in the boil. Just to sanitize my pump and lines. Right at power off I turn on the chiller and let it whirlpool/chill down as low as I can get usually around 75F (10-15 minutes). I then pull the chiller out and continue to whirlpool for 3-5 minutes and then stop the pump. The wort settles quickly and I'm ready to pump to fermenters in less than 10 minutes. Total time from power off to in fermenters no more than 20 minutes.

I did start something new last batch. Living is South Texas my ground water is always in the mid to high 70's. So, I started filling my HLT with ice and I send my chill water through the HERMS coils before the immersion chiller. Last brew day it worked like a champ! I have 45F water coming out of the HERMS to the chiller. Dropped 10 gallons to 70F in no time flat.

 

[MikeSkril]

I'm on the fence. The good idea fairy hit me last month. I made the mistake of listening to a pod cast that talked about cold break and trub in the fermenter.

I was using a hop stopper and CFC with my 20 gallon E-HERMS brewery (10 gallon batches). The hop stopper works great for stopping hops it does not stop cold break trub. I've been wanting to do some really clean lagers/light ales. I've read that cold break and trub can affect the taste of lighter beers. So, I dusted off the old immersion chiller, cut 1/2 piece of stainless tubing into a whirlpool arm. Pulled off the hop stopper and added a side dip tube. I've brewed two batches and the wort in fermenter is really clear. My beers seem to clear faster. It could be that they start clearer so they appear to clear fast. But who knows The jury is still out as to taste. I'm not sure I taste much of a difference. I will say that I did an IPA with a large whirlpool hop addition and it turned out fantastic. Not sure I could duplicated it with out the whirlpool.

I start the whirlpool with about 5 minutes left in the boil. Just to sanitize my pump and lines. Right at power off I turn on the chiller and let it whirlpool/chill down as low as I can get usually around 75F (10-15 minutes). I then pull the chiller out and continue to whirlpool for 3-5 minutes and then stop the pump. The wort settles quickly and I'm ready to pump to fermenters in less than 10 minutes. Total time from power off to in fermenters no more than 20 minutes.

I did start something new last batch. Living is South Texas my ground water is always in the mid to high 70's. So, I started filling my HLT with ice and I send my chill water through the HERMS coils before the immersion chiller. Last brew day it worked like a champ! I have 45F water coming out of the HERMS to the chiller. Dropped 10 gallons to 70F in no time flat.

Thanks for the answer!

I will go the whirlpool way. I have no CFC at the moment and I plan using the HERMS coil as chiller. It seems to be a good idea to chill and whirlpool at the same time. My water comes out at 50F, so I guess it should work quiet well.

 

[dirtybear7]

I had the hopstopper. I got it because I use a CFC. It worked well enough. Sometimes it drained everything, other times not. I found cleaning it to be biggest draw back. I now use a spider now.

 

[LarMoeCur]

I had the hopstopper. I got it because I use a CFC. It worked well enough. Sometimes it drained everything, other times not. I found cleaning it to be biggest draw back. I now use a spider now.

I've been kicking around building a hop spider for months. Do you see any difference in hop utilization? I've read some posts where the temperature in the spider is dramatically lower than the rest of the kettle.

 

[dirtybear7]

I've been kicking around building a hop spider for months. Do you see any difference in hop utilization? I've read some posts where the temperature in the spider is dramatically lower than the rest of the kettle.

I don't pay attention to the temp in my boil kettle once it is boiling. There does seem to be good movement of liquid around inside the spider. I could see an issue if you packed the spider with too many hops to allow movement. I'm brewing an IPA this weekend, I will measure the temps and report my findings. Unless the temp inside the spider is below 180F, I don't think it is an issue.

 

[MikeSkril]

I've been kicking around building a hop spider for months. Do you see any difference in hop utilization? I've read some posts where the temperature in the spider is dramatically lower than the rest of the kettle.

I was using a spider all the time and it worked well. Make sure to change the bag often! I did use the same nylon bag for 6 month and got a sweet IIPA. Seems to be it got clogged.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have a house pilsner by brewing buddy and I have made a few times.. now the last time we made it two things changed, I went from a 4500w element to a 5500w element, and I I picked up a small brass brush to clean my 6x14 hop spider because a good portion of the screen material had become plugged.
We we kegged the last batch of pilsner last night while brewing a dry stout and the first thing that hit me when sampling from the hydrometer vial was there was more hop flavor. So either the stronger boil (which caused numerous almost boil overs to happen because we had the element at like 90% to achieve a faster boil off) or cleaning the screen on my hop spider changed my hop utilization.

 

[MikeSkril]

I have a house pilsner by brewing buddy and I have made a few times.. now the last time we made it two things changed, I went from a 4500w element to a 5500w element, and I I picked up a small brass brush to clean my 6x14 hop spider because a good portion of the screen material had become plugged.
We we kegged the last batch of pilsner last night while brewing a dry stout and the first thing that hit me when sampling from the hydrometer vial was there was more hop flavor. So either the stronger boil (which caused numerous almost boil overs to happen because we had the element at like 90% to achieve a faster boil off) or cleaning the screen on my hop spider changed my hop utilization.

I was impressed how my clogged hop bag changed IBU'S.
I made an IIPA, 120 IBU.

I'm having a glass of that brew right at the moment and I would say....I can taste around 60 IBU's.

I will not use hop bags again. :rockin:

 

[kevink]

Hi all,

I’m in the process of building my electric HERMS system (5-10gal, 30 amp).
I’m unsure which way to go when it comes to wort / hop and trub filtering.

I either buy a Hopstopper , or I’ll go the whirlpool way.

Who has experience with whirlpooling on an E-HERMS system? Does that work well? How long do I have to whirlpool 5 gals for and how long do I have to wait when finished, or can I drain right after?

Would be great getting some input before I decide.

Thanks,

Hop spiders, stoppers, and bags are gimmicky gadgets that are unnecessary. I have tried them all in my electric kettles. Place your outlet near the kettle wall, spin the wort for 15 seconds, let settle for up to 15 minutes, and drain the wort. I have had 51 ounces of pellet hops in a 25 gallon BK and whirlpooling is all that was necessary. All of the hop crap is left behind. For huge kettle additions, I sometimes lift the outlet slightly and lower it while transferring to the fermenter to make sure no hop sludge is sucked up if the cone is so big that it extends to the kettle wall.

 

[sredz]

I use a 6"x14" stainless hop spider and then use a homemade pwm speed controlled stir rod inside of the hop spider to aid in "whirlpooling" the hops inside of the hop spider and keep them from settling to the bottom or plugging the spider screen walls... it works well for me and the use of my small 24v dc p38I pumps and plate chiller.

Interesting idea. Is the stir rod controlled by a 12V motor? Would love to see a picture of this if you have it.

 

[augiedoggy]

Hop spiders, stoppers, and bags are gimmicky gadgets that are unnecessary. I have tried them all in my electric kettles. Place your outlet near the kettle wall, spin the wort for 15 seconds, let settle for up to 15 minutes, and drain the wort. I have had 51 ounces of pellet hops in a 25 gallon BK and whirlpooling is all that was necessary. All of the hop crap is left behind. For huge kettle additions, I sometimes lift the outlet slightly and lower it while transferring to the fermenter to make sure no hop sludge is sucked up if the cone is so big that it extends to the kettle wall.

They are no more a gimmicky gadget then brewing with electric is vs a cauldron over a fire I dont need a whirlpool with it and the hop spider is a good alternative over a $100 pump and waiting for whirlpools that only work in certain setups... not ever system is the same.

 

[kevink]

They are no more a gimmicky gadget then brewing with electric is vs a cauldron over a fire I dont need a whirlpool and the hop basket is a good alternative over a $1`00 pump and waiting for whirlpools that only work in certian setups... not ever system is the same.

You don't need a pump to wrirlpool at all. I have two and don't even use them for that purpose! I think a properly placed outlet and a little spinning is all that's necessary. There is just no need to keep every little hop particle out of the fermentor unless you have serious space limitations. I love gadgets, but these are ones that I will gladly never use again.

 

[augiedoggy]

Interesting idea. Is the stir rod controlled by a 12V motor? Would love to see a picture of this if you have it.

I believe theres one in my build thread below if not Ill add one.

 

[augiedoggy]

You don't need a pump to wrirlpool at all. I have two and don't even use them for that purpose! I think a properly placed outlet and a little spinning is all that's necessary. There is just no need to keep every little hop particle out of the fermentor unless you have serious space limitations. I love gadgets, but these are ones that I will gladly never use again.

I like to keep the hops out of my plate chiller and this solution does a good job of that and keeping it out of the small pumps I use.