Keeping hops out of your plate chiller...

[Tim Bulin]

Been using a plate chiller for a while now, tried a couple different filtering solutions, however I've found that either they don't stop the finer hop particles or they are prone to clogging up. Settled on just using a false bottom and whole hops, even then i backflush the living hell out of the chiller and still have hop matter after several flushes.

Trying hops bags today, hopefully will see less hop matter floating without loosing too much hop character, Anybody have anything that has worked exceptionally well as a filter?

 

[Sandy Feet]

I'm a simple BIAB brewer. I also do not do closed transfers into the fermenter. Because of that, I can just throw the hops in the kettle. My filtering is from a small filter inside the funnel that goes in the fermenter. That does catch most of the hop debris. I can clean the ball valve plumbing before I brew the next batch with some PB cleaner. Unless I use an absolute shit load of hops, the ball valve usually will not clog.

 

[Tim Bulin]

The hops bags seem to have worked, next to nothing out of the chiller when I backflushed it. Remains to be seen how it will alter the flavor of the beer, I did add about 20% more at the last addition, can't imagine that I'll get as much out of them in a bag.

 

[Dave Y]

I am also BIAB; Anvil kettle, which has a filter attachment to the spigot valve. I also use hop bags. After the t/f to the fermenter, I divert the leftover sparge water and flush the chiller. If I'm feeling ambitious, I put a light cleaning on the kettle, pbw, sparge water, and wash that through the chiller, repeat, repeat with water. when it's all done I flush with star san.

No issues with clogging.

 

[Craigerrr]

Kind of why I bought a counterflow chiller with the tube running through the hose. Plate chiller is compact, and crazy efficient, but I worried abou the cleaning...

 

[Donoroto]

For me, hop bags still let the ‘dust’ through. No big chunks at least. But I have to rinse out the counterflow chiller well, and hit it with pbw every fourth or fifth batch.

 

[Minbari]

Been using a plate chiller for a while now, tried a couple different filtering solutions, however I've found that either they don't stop the finer hop particles or they are prone to clogging up. Settled on just using a false bottom and whole hops, even then i backflush the living hell out of the chiller and still have hop matter after several flushes.

Trying hops bags today, hopefully will see less hop matter floating without loosing too much hop character, Anybody have anything that has worked exceptionally well as a filter?

I use one if these for post fermentation and it keeps out all the gunk. Just put a ball valve on the input side so you can clean the filter if it clogs

https://a.co/d/05Mf65Nx

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

Been using a plate chiller for a while now, tried a couple different filtering solutions, however I've found that either they don't stop the finer hop particles or they are prone to clogging up. Settled on just using a false bottom and whole hops, even then i backflush the living hell out of the chiller and still have hop matter after several flushes.

Trying hops bags today, hopefully will see less hop matter floating without loosing too much hop character, Anybody have anything that has worked exceptionally well as a filter?

I clean the grain out of my BrewBag while ramping to boil and re-suspend it from my ladder (used to raise & squeeze after the mash) as a hop bag. I like to keep it partially raised so it just floats on top. I've used it for both T-90 & Leaf. (200 micron if I recall correctly)

Hop 'socks' (cloth, not muslin) are really only good for Leaf as T-90 goes right through them.

Previously, I used small muslin fine-mesh hop bags, but I've now relegated those to fermenter use.

I have a spider, but don't care for it. It either doesn't sit right, or the hops just don't get good contact.

As for cleaning, I made a garden hose adapter to immediately backflush after racking. My every-brew cleaning procedure involves a PBW recirculation through everything after initial kettle scrubbing and rinsing.

 

[Craigerrr]

I bag my kettle hops, otherwise I have pump clogging issues. I also do a PBW recirc every few brews. I've never been certain that the recirc would be completely effective, so I do turn the pump off and let it sit for 10 minutes once the return flow is up to temperature. Does it make a difference? In me head it does

 

[Larsen]

Hi Just want to let you know that for the last about 10 years i have used

a mesh prefilter i my kettels bottom outlet, to block most of the trup. Depending on the type of beer, i have 1 or 2 inch left in the kettle after transfer.
Filter: https://www.brewershardware.com/Wor...lover-Compatible-Strainer-with-3-OD-Body.html
Plate Exchange: https://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=HX3630

We brew 140 l batches once a month, and have never had a problem with the setup. Ok, with heavyly hopped beers , i sometime have to empty the filter once during transfer.

Power: 63 A 3 phase 400v
Brewhouse: 3 tier 55 gal stainless steel barrels with 3pcs 5500 Watt heating elements in each
Fermenters: 5 pcs 200 liter stailess steel glycol cooled pressure vessels
Clycol chiller with pump

1 pcs Duofiller Core G3 can filler
1 pcs Cannular Semi-Auto Pro Can Seamer

Have a nice summer.

Best regards

Lars, Brewers Guild Beeria

 

[Craigerrr]

Hi Just want to let you know that for the last about 10 years i have used

a mesh prefilter i my kettels bottom outlet, to block most of the trup. Depending on the type of beer, i have 1 or 2 inch left in the kettle after transfer.
Filter: https://www.brewershardware.com/Wor...lover-Compatible-Strainer-with-3-OD-Body.html
Plate Exchange: https://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=HX3630

We brew 140 l batches once a month, and have never had a problem with the setup. Ok, with heavyly hopped beers , i sometime have to empty the filter once during transfer.

Power: 63 A 3 phase 400v
Brewhouse: 3 tier 55 gal stainless steel barrels with 3pcs 5500 Watt heating elements in each
Fermenters: 5 pcs 200 liter stailess steel glycol cooled pressure vessels
Clycol chiller with pump

1 pcs Duofiller Core G3 can filler
1 pcs Cannular Semi-Auto Pro Can Seamer

Have a nice summer.

Best regards

Lars, Brewers Guild Beeria

Great input @Larsen !
Haven't seen you post before on the forum, welcome!