[tschmidlin]

Ok, I need to build some kind of hop screen - no more hoppy beers until I do.  I've had to back flush the chiller twice now, and it's ruining my day.

I need something that will block pellets, is totally removable, and preferably attaches to the kettle via a tube that I can just shove into the kettle outlet.  I think a short piece of 1/4" copper will fit in the hole just fine, perhaps tightly enough to stay in place.  I'll figure that out.  But I need some kind of filter.  I'm thinking stainless mesh folded, crimped, and attached to the copper.

Anyone have any other ideas?

[duboman]

Not sure if this will work with your set up but it's an in-sinkerator flange for a disposal clipped to the kettle with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag inserted into it and clipped. Works great!

[The Professor]

The perforated false bottom in my ghetto (homemade)  electric keggle holds back the hops (whole or pellet) just fine.  I've never had a clog in the lines to or from the counterflow chiller in the 23 years I've been using the setup.  Wouldn't  a perforated false bottom with legs do the trick in your kettle? (or does the flat bottom of the kettle still let stuff sneak through?)

[HoosierBrew]

Not sure if this will work with your set up but it's an in-sinkerator flange for a disposal clipped to the kettle with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag inserted into it and clipped. Works great!

 Nicely done!  Never thought of the insinkerator flange.  When I strained my back a year ago swapping out a new garbage disposal, it never occurred to me to save f** (translate "darned") flange. Would've cushioned the blow.  Kudos!

[Pinski]

Have you seen the
hop stopper

[tschmidlin]

Oops, forgot to mention that this is for a 100 gallon kettle, I used about 5 lbs of pellets today.  So the paint strainer thing won't really work, but the hop stopper is kind of what I had in mind, I vaguely remember seeing that before.

The bottom of the kettle is curved, I'm not confident that a false bottom would be very easy to construct compared to something like the hop stopper.

[duboman]

LOL! Yup, my set up will definitely not handle 100 gallons and 5 lbs of hops!

[bronxbrew]

I use a SS 300 micron filter. Works really well !

[blatz]

tom

in my experience the hop stopper is a POS - proteins from break clog it pretty fierce and you wind up losing a lot of wort when it loses suction.

I have used the hop spider from stainlessbrewing.com and it worked well, except for the fact that you can't whirlpool or recirc with it since the same problem arises (break clogging the screen).

i'm sure zack at stainlessbrewing.com could build you something to your specs if needed.

[mmitchem]

Tom,

Is a dedicated whirlpool an option for you? I whirlpool before I run wort through my plate chiller and have never clogged it. Really clear wort with a TON of hops that never make it out of the kettle. Plus it really maximizes your yield.

My wort leaves the kettle through the bottom valve. I have one of these handy dandy pickup tubes attached that pulls wort from the side of the kettle. here is a link:

http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=46&product_id=157

It goes through my pump and comes back into the kettle through the top valve that has a 90 degree street elbow. Nice whirlpool making for a super tight dry cookie.

Five pounds is a lot of hops and to me it seems like a hop blocker really isn't the way to go with that much  kettle hops. Just throwing it out there.

[narvin]

I made a hop stopper for my 20 gallon kettle. 



http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=7293.msg89018#msg89018

I hear that cold break can clog it, but if you're going to a plate chiller then you don't need to worry about that.

100 gallons is pretty big, though... at that scale you might clog it due to the weight of the hops.

[bluesman]

Another idea is to use a prefilter over a hop stopper. The dip tube will go through the pre-filter into a hop stopper meshed filter. The pre-filter will build up with hops and create a layer of hops that will act as a filter in and of itself, while the hop stopper inside of the prefilter will filter out the residual hop particles down to the opening size of the meshed screen.

Pre-filter (Use a hole diameter appropriate for the application)



Hop stopper



The hop stopper will be fitted inside the prefilter.

[yso191]

I use a SS 300 micron filter. Works really well !

I just ordered the boil and dry-hop filter!  Thanks for the idea.

[AmandaK]

I use the Hop Stopper and love it. That guy will custom make any size for you too.

I had some issues with losing the suction, but I tilted the screen until one side hit the bottom of the kettle and it drains all but 0.25 gallons from my 10 gallon kettle (5.5 gallon batch). Worked pretty well for the fiance's IIPA a couple of weeks ago. I think it was 8 oz of hops in the boil??

[tschmidlin]

Thanks for all of these ideas, I'm going to have to think about what will work best for the setup.  I like the idea of a pre filter Ron, but I think the pre filter might be all I really need.  I'm not worried about little particles ending up in the fermenter, as long as they flow through the chiller without plugging it.

I whirlpool manually with a paddle before turning on the recirc, but the pump isn't strong enough to give me a great cone.  It's not a problem unless I'm making something hoppy, but if I am the pile of hops in the center comes above the level of the outlet.  It's a rounded bottom kettle with the outlet towards the bottom.

I like the hop spider idea, maybe add leg extensions so it will fit over the kettle. The existing ones say it fits a 22" pot, this is more like 90".  Although I keep the lid partially on, so maybe it would work out.

It's all frustrating, but I'll work something out.  Thanks again, if you have more ideas let me know.