Who uses a funnel screen?

[SevenFields]

I brewed my 1st Homebrew tonight and when I poured the wort into the funnel, the screen got clogged up and stopped the flow of wort into the primary. I used a pair of sanitzed tongs to pull the screen out and just poured the rest in. I figured it wasnt that big of a deal since I plan on using a secondary. What does everyone else do? Screen or no Screen?

 

[Yambor44]

No screen especially with pellets. I've tried the funnel screen, a bazooka tube, a bucket strainer, etc.... They all clog up. I've recently experimented with hop bags (aka paint strainer bag) but not sure about the hop utilization yet.

Dont worry about it. Transfer it and let it settle.

 

[Nurmey]

No screen for me, too much trouble.

 

[weirdboy]

I use a 5g paint strainer bag. It is large enough that I am not worried at all about hop utilization, assuming I have a vigorous boil. The hop free to roam about in the pot the same as if the bag wasn't there. This past time when I transferred to the fermenter I also used a fine wire mesh normally used to strain tea essentially duct-taped to the inside of a funnel. It did seem to help a bit to cut down on the amount of trub, if not completely eliminate it. I didn't get any clogs, but I did get a bit of buildup on the mesh. The lack of clogging is probably more due to the use of a paint strainer bag; that thing is always full of gunk when I'm done.

 

[android]

+1 for the 5g hop bag. i still end up with some hop stuff in the fermenter, but it all settles out.

 

[SevenFields]

Does anyone put their hop pellets in a muslin bag or just throw them in?
I just threw them in?

 

[Munsoned]

I toss the hop pellets in, and my screen seems to clog a lot too. Last brew was an IPA--what a mess. I decided to just pour it all in, give it a few weeks, then transfer to secondary.

 

[Tripod]

I used to always use the screen in the funnel but it just took to long to transfer because of all the clogging. Now I siphon to the carboy instead and screen the input side instead of screening the output at the funnel

-Tripod

 

[Jeffro]

I use a big grain bag to line my funnel when pouring the chilled wort into the glass fermenter.

When one part gets cloged I just shift it around to another part.

When I'm going to use the bucket fermenter I just use hop bags and dunk them up and down and squeese them out every 5 minutes or so.

FWIW.... I only use leaf hops.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

That's pretty much why I stopped using pellets (unless I have no other choice). I do always use the screen, but it is a HUGE hassle when using pellets.......when using whole hops in a hop bag it's not big deal at all.

 

[wormsgetsold]

no screen here. too much trouble.

 

[zzees]

I tired using mine a couple times, and just like everyone else said it clogged up rather quickly. I just use five gallon paint filters now. got two for like five'ish dollars from home depot.

 

[beersydoesit]

I use a hand strainer. Still kind of a hassle but not as bad as the screen.
2 advantage
1 it introduced a little extra air
2 holding the strainer is a job SWMBO enjoys.

 

[homebrewflyfish]

If you use a carboy as a primary this wont work, but I always pour my wort through a large kitchen strainer that rests on top of my primary bucket. It works great, gets a lot of crap out, and also does a heck of a good job aerating.

Something like this:
10" Single Mesh Strainer (13-0652)

Filter in the funnel is a complete waste of time. I've been using large mesh bags in the boil that I clip to the pot with binder clips, and just throw the hops in. When I'm done I just lift out the bag, squeeze it out with tongs, and throw the hops out. Then through the strainer and into the fermenter.

 

[gimmebeer]

I brewed my 1st Homebrew tonight and when I poured the wort into the funnel, the screen got clogged up and stopped the flow of wort into the primary. I used a pair of sanitzed tongs to pull the screen out and just poured the rest in. I figured it wasnt that big of a deal since I plan on using a secondary. What does everyone else do? Screen or no Screen?

My first experience was pretty much identical to yours. Now, I just dump the wort straight into the funnel, trying to leave most of the trub and such behind. If I have a lot of free-roaming hops, sometimes I'll put a 6 or 8 inch kitchen strainer over the mouth of the funnel.

 

[Borisbbadd]

I used a screen once...........then frisbee'd the sucker.

 

[WilliamstonBrew]

I tried a screen on my first batch and it clogged instantly with hops and break material. Now I just decant the wort into the fermenter and leave behind the heaviest gunk in the pot.

However, I did learn one great use for the funnel screen: filtering the water used to top off the fermenter. On my second batch I was filling the fermenter with spring water and sloshing it around to aerate. I was looking at the water (got pretty bored) and noticed, to my extreme dismay, a teeny tiny hair (probably from my arm) floating around in there. I poured the water through the funnel screen back into a gallon jug and captured the hair pretty quickly.

Now I always use the screen to top off with water.

 

[rsmith179]

I prefer to use a 7.9 gallon wine bucket for my primary. Because of that, I simply use a kitchen type of strainer. Something similar to this : KitchenAid 7" Strainer - Red : Target

I assume that you are using a carboy as your primary hence the use of the funnel. You may want to put a hop bag at the end of your siphon and transfer to the carboy that way. You can also whirlpool your wort when cooling to try and get most of that trub into a cone in the center.

+1 on using hop bags as well. Although I have not used them in a while while brewing, I have notice an increased amount of hops in my brews when not using one. I'm racking a Green Flash IPA clone right now to the secondary and need to use cheesecloth around the end of the siphon cause there are still quite a few hop particles, especially after dry-hopping.

 

[Beezer94]

Likewise tried the funnel screen just once. Huge PITA.

Now I use a paint-strainer bag and an EZ-Strainer from US Plastic that perfectly fits the 6.5gal bucket.

EZ-Strainers™ - US Plastic Corporation

 

[user 30639]

I toss the hop pellets in, and my screen seems to clog a lot too. Last brew was an IPA--what a mess. I decided to just pour it all in, give it a few weeks, then transfer to secondary.

That's what I do. The first time I brewed I used the funnel screen and it was a mess. Now I just dump everything and use the secondary.

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Break material is healthy for the yeasties, however, some will say that the trub from the Boil Kettle can impart off flavors. I pour it all in, and have yet to have any noticeable off flavors. Screens are a PIA!

 

[SevenFields]

Screens are a PIA!

This was the 1st thing I learned during my 1st homebrewing adventure, last night.