Hop bags? Or bazooka filter?

[Buxton]

We seem to get loads of hop sediment when we brew. We use bazooka filters but there is always lots of mush in the fermenter before we prime and bottle. Even then, we get sediment after bottle fermenting.

we are toying with using hop bags to minimise sediment. Do you simply add the hops to the bag and let it float around during the boil? Our recipes ask us to add hops at the end of the boil, therefore should we leave the hop bag in the fermenter during fermentation or remove it altogether?

 

[Minbari]

I have used both, not much difference and hop spiders are alot easier to clean.
While hops do contribute to fermentation trub, there isn't much you can do to reduce it. Protein, hops, grain leftovers.

If you are getting allot of "stuff" in your bottles after bottling, then a fining agent and a separate bottling bucket are your friend.

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

I usually dump 98-100% of the whole kettle into the fermenter so I have plenty of trub in the fermenter. I run the output of the kettle trhough a double-mesh strainer. That keeps out most of the hops but, I still have a fair amount of trub in the fermenter. The only things I do for wort clarity is a whirlfloc tablet near the end of the boil and cold crash the fermenter for a day or two before bottling. Also, be sure to pour your beer into a glass smoothly (no glug-glug-glug) and leave the last 1/2 inch in the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Semper Sitientum]

For boil addition hops I use a spider, which is a much finer mesh than a bag. I’ve never used a bazooka, but I believe the spider is a much finer mesh as well. For dry hoping I use bags in the ferment or and I also get a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle, which I don’t worry much about. Like @BarbarianBrewer stated, reduce “glugging” and leave a little behind.

 

[Steve Ruch]

Tossing this in as soon as the boil starts.

 

[Herm brews]

My process is BIAB, and I bottle my beers. For boil hops, I use my homemade hop spider fitted with an old grain bag. My grain bag is a nylon paint strainer, which is a pretty fine mesh. I pour the entire contents from the kettle into the fermenter, so there is a fair amount of trub in the end. For those beers that I dry hop, I add loose pellets directly into the fermenter - my fermenters are ported with spigots. When ready for bottling, I transfer from fermenter to bottling bucket with clear tubing via the spigot. If the beer has been dry hopped, I hold a small hops bag over the outlet end of the tubing to catch loose hops debris. After bottle conditioning, I do not notice any debris in my poured beers, just a tiny amount of yeast slurry at the bottom of the bottle. I try to keep things simple.

 

[Nosybear]

I just chuck them in. Exception being if I'm using whole hops rather than pellets. I recirculate continually as I'm chilling the beer (when I'm not doing the 1-gallon thing) so the hops debris tends to bunch up in the middle of the kettle.

 

[Donoroto]

Do you simply add the hops to the bag and let it float around during the boil?

I do. Well, I tie it off to a boil kettle handle do I can retrieve it, but it just floats around. Unless I'm dry hopping, the bag definitely does not make it into the fermenter. If your recipe calls for hops at the end of boil I just let it sit there and Kinda cool off a little bit with the hops in there for maybe 10 or 20 minutes.

some of the pellet hops are extremely fine, and leaked through the bag. I don't think you can eliminate that in the fermenter. But I only take the top 90% of what's fermented and leave the yeast and other Trub in the bottom.

 

[Buxton]

Thank you all, it is reassuring. I have been just adding hop pellets when the recipe suggests. I avoid the trub when I come to bottling by siphoning the liquid out of the fermenter into a clean bucket containing the measured amount of corn sugar dissolved in boiling water and leaving and discarding quite a large amount of liquid with the trub.

We are considering moving to Corny Kegs (particularly for Christmas) so I figured that any sediment is a big no no. Presumably no sugar needed as we would gas it up with a CO2 regulator? The recipes I use suggest that it needs to condition for 4-6 weeks but I’m assuming this is just if it is bottle conditioned with sugar to develop the carbonation? I’m assuming that after a week after filling a Corny Keg with desired amount of CO2 it should be ready to drink?

 

[Minbari]

Thank you all, it is reassuring. I have been just adding hop pellets when the recipe suggests. I avoid the trub when I come to bottling by siphoning the liquid out of the fermenter into a clean bucket containing the measured amount of corn sugar dissolved in boiling water and leaving and discarding quite a large amount of liquid with the trub.

We are considering moving to Corny Kegs (particularly for Christmas) so I figured that any sediment is a big no no. Presumably no sugar needed as we would gas it up with a CO2 regulator? The recipes I use suggest that it needs to condition for 4-6 weeks but I’m assuming this is just if it is bottle conditioned with sugar to develop the carbonation? I’m assuming that after a week after filling a Corny Keg with desired amount of CO2 it should be ready to drink?

That is about all you can do with home bottling. I did it that way for 5+ years. yes, the 4-6 weeks is for for bottle conditioning.

With a keg you will still want to keep out as much trub as possible. I transfer directly from the fermentor without disturbing it, after a cold crash and fining (geletin), usually comes out pretty clean. One thing I would suggest it getting floating dip tubes for the kegs. Draws beer off the top instead of the bottom, even if you have some trub in there it will not draw into your taps.
As for carbonation, it still takes a week or so, but no where near as long as bottling. Just be prepared to drop a grand easy.

 

[Donoroto]

@Buxton Kegging: yes, you do not use sugar, instead using CO2 to carbonate, usually a day or two.

Big trub is a problem, it clogs things, but fine dust is ok. What happens is it all falls to the bottom and the first couple of glasses from the keg pick it up and dispense it. After that the beer is pretty clear. At least clear of trub.

Lots of people lager their beer in the keg. Lagering is a purely mechanical process allowing the yeast a few months to drop to the bottom leaving Clear beer above. The top pickup will draw clear beer sooner, but the bottom pick up, after the first few glasses, also draws just clear beer.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

I just add everything to the boil loose.
After the boil, a whirlpool will help center things and if you're chilling with an immersion chiller, that's ok to be in there too.
Transfer from the side of the BK to your Fermentor. Pitch and aerate.
After 2 weeks or so, cold crash for a minimum of 1 day and longer is fine. Try to avoid oxygen suck back during cold crash. Look up the balloon filled with CO2 idea.
Then either transfer to a bottling bucket being careful not to splash and keeping the beer covered and out of direct light.
If you're transferring to a keg, cutting a 1/2 " off the bottom of the pickup tube will help you avoid settled debris.
Also, purge the keg before transferring.
Easy least!
Cheers,
Brian

 

[Donoroto]

Revisiting: you CAN carbonate by adding bottling sugar, like the keg was a huge bottle, but you still need CO2 to dispense the beer, so most just use the CO2 to carbonate.

 

[Ward Chillington]

What kind method and hardware do you use to siphon out the finished beer from the carboy? Are you getting trub and yeast cake in your bottling bucket because you are scrapping the end of your wand or hose along the bottom of your carboy? A little yeast at the bottom of the bottle is part of home brewing culture.... literally!