pellet hop filtering

[mikeham57]

these pellet hops are a pain .When useing a hop bag the utilization seems low
what is the compensation as opposed to putting them loose in the pot.I have yet
to find a good way to keep them out of the fermentor.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

thats the million dollar question that has been debated for years, your not alone
ask 10 people your get 8 answers lol

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I personally like a 500 micron or 35 mesh stainless screen made into a hop filter connected to your ball valve going out, there are several names for this, one that comes to mind is a Hop Stopper, you can buy these already made up but their not cheap, you can also make one your self

http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/hop-stopper

 

[mikeham57]

thanks looks like exactly what I need. gets the grub to.does it seal well
to the bottom of the kettle?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

https://www.google.com/search?q=hop-sto ... 80&bih=615

it doesn't necessarily sit flat on the bottom otherwise the filter would only work from the top

 

[Nosybear]

I've tried bazooka screens, they don't work. I've tried screening when I rack from the kettle to the fermenter. No bueno. Hop bags, the pellet hops get through that easily when they disintegrate. The thing I've tried that DOES work is a cool rest, after you've chilled the wort, let the break material and hop debris settle to the bottom of your kettle or rack the wort into a carboy and let it settle there. Rack the clear wort off the trub. It takes an hour or two for the gunk and break material to settle out but you get clear wort and at this stage, oxygenation isn't a bad thing. Another thing that works with screens is to use leaf hops for at least one of your late additions - creates a filter much like a grain bed. A little trub isn't a bad thing, though. Provides food (amino acids, mostly) for the wort.

 

[mikeham57]

thanks not a bad idea.wait a bit have a couple of beers and rack it off.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I do that sometimes too, instead of a filter and a chiller I just put the carboy in the freezer over night, everything drops to the bottom, then transfer whats on top to another carboy and ferment from there, makes a clearer beer too

 

[jeffpn]

On my last batch I tried counterflow chilling into a temporary container so I didn't get cold break into my fermenter. I think that's a little more effort than is worth it. On this batch, the cold break was in the primary fermenter. This is the secondary fermenter after two weeks, 68°F. I didn't do any sort of filtering. Just a Whirlfloc. You can see the rings of the carboy on the other side. That's clear beer!

 

[GernBlanston]

I do none of those things.


(1) Only an open hop sock to remove the majority from the kettle after the boil, and



(2) Time in the fermenter, and time in the keg.
If you get into too big a hurry to package you loose the natural settling that occurs. Also about 3 to 6 months in the keg BEFORE YOU TAP, will clear it right up. no finings, extra transfers, secondarys, or complicated processes. Just patience.



Of course I'm old, What do I know.

 

[mrscrogneugneu]

I whirlpool with a sanitised mashing paddle and let it set for 1h before racking to my fermenter, brings most of the trub to the centre of the kettle in a cone. Rack with an auto-syphon. Whatever still ends up in my fermenter drops to the bottom as I don't do secondary, I leave it all in the primary for 2 weeks after fermentation has stopped. Makes for a decently clear beer. With a bit of Irish moss at the end of the boil, I get a very clear beer - saying this I've only brewed saisons as I'm quite new to all of this and I like a bit of cloudiness.

 

[jeffpn]

I go through a 5 gallon batch in about 2 weeks. I'd have to have dozens of batches in the pipeline if I had them all sit for 6 months!

 

[mikeham57]

hey glen nice glass.seen them 5 times.You guys all have great ideas I was just
getting a bit annoyed with the pellets.In the last 3 months I had to make 20
all grain batches to supply my 2 nieces weddings and my brother in laws retirement party.Im almost finished the portable 5 tap 8 keg jockey box (rustic
style) to dispense all of it(me and my big mouth)

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

another completely different way to get hop aroma "not bitterness" that doesn't leak into your fermenter is to create a hop tea ahead of time, all you do is add some dme to a pan on the stove, put your hops in a bag and steep the hops, completely submerged at 150 or so dunking and swirling around extracting oils mostly in the dme, do it for as long as you want but I wouldn't go over 30 minutes my self. add to any time at the end of your boil

this is also an easy way to experiment with different hop tastes since your not making a full beer

 

[mikeham57]

sounds good .5 gal of beer with a hop you don't like can be disappointing.

 

[GernBlanston]

I go through a 5 gallon batch in about 2 weeks. I'd have to have dozens of batches in the pipeline if I had them all sit for 6 months!

Yes. That's the idea. Go big or go home.

 

[jeffpn]

Big enough?

 

[GernBlanston]

Big enough?

Your in the neighbor hood.
I can't drink massive amounts for health reasons, so my beer may last longer. Also most of my friends also brew, and we exchange and trade, so I don't lose any that way. When my process is going strong, and with a full pipeline, I only brew when a fermenter is open, which is about every two weeks.
Sometimes three.

Ales cycle through faster than lagers, and occasionally I will throw in the English mild, or pale ale with a fast grain to glass timeline. That way I can let my lagers sit longer. I got a Vienna that's about a year old.

 

[jeffpn]

I wouldn't mind brewing only lagers, but as you know, they take far longer to brew than they take to drink! I am set up to do 2 independent lagers at a time, though. I have 2 primary carboys. I also have a bucket I use as a third primary when needed. I think I have 5 secondary carboys. 2 of them are always in the fermentation chambers, unless there's a primary occupying the space.

 

[GernBlanston]

SWMBO has said that my refrigerator collection has reached its maximum number allowed, at three, so I'm hitting the limit of what I can process.