[oscarvan]

How large are these bags? I'm doing a full 10 gallon boil in a keggle....

[dzlater]

5 &1 gallon
take a look here for a few ideas
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hhP&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&biw=1245&bih=568&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=paint+strainer+bags+homebrew+hops&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

[oscarvan]

Aaaah.... good stuff. Led me to these:

http://www.filterbags.com/filter_bag_pricing.htm

Which brings up the question: What micron rating to keep the hops in, but allow sufficient wort flow?

[tubercle]

I use 1 gallon paint strainer bags from lowes. Just tie a knot and throw them in. Use 2 or 3 if necessary to keep from crowding the hops. I never fill them over 1/4 full of leaf hops.
 
Those in the know say that you have to bump up the amount of hops to get the same extraction without the bags but I don't know what that ratio is.

[oscarvan]

OK, did I mention I use pellets, and would the bags work for those?

Next question..... I have a pickup tube with a 90 that gets all of the wort out of my BK, including the hot break... I am now starting to read that that is not good. Some people have just the drain valve on the side of the kettle, and whirlpool the wort to keep all the trub from getting out. Don't worry about the 1/2 gallon or so you may leave behind, just figure it into the grain/water bill.....??

[Mark G]

OK, did I mention I use pellets, and would the bags work for those?

Next question..... I have a pickup tube with a 90 that gets all of the wort out of my BK, including the hot break... I am now starting to read that that is not good. Some people have just the drain valve on the side of the kettle, and whirlpool the wort to keep all the trub from getting out. Don't worry about the 1/2 gallon or so you may leave behind, just figure it into the grain/water bill.....??

That's basically what I do. I have all my recipes scaled to 6 gallons. Usually half a gallon or so stays behind in the BK with most of the hops/break. Then I lose another quart or so to the yeast cake at the bottom of the fermenter. Then I always end up with just over 5 gallons into the keg.

[tubercle]

....I have a pickup tube with a 90 that gets all of the wort out of my BK, including the hot break... I am now starting to read that that is not good. ...

 You're starting a whole new argument now

Tubercle will go on the record by saying if trub gets in the fermenter, I just stretch, yawn, scratch and pitch the yeast. YMMV.

[maxieboy]

Bags. Been there, done that. I'd much rather toss the hops straight in. Love watching the cones rolling around in the boil, giving up the goods. No futzing with bagging hops, cleaning bags, calcs for utilization, etc. Economy of movement and process is the way I roll...

[denny]

I use bags for whole hops and the pellets go through the pump and into the fermenter.  I've found that I like using the bags.  It makes cleanup easier and I haven't found any detriments to the beer.

[alikocho]

+1 on using bags. Also allows you to press wort out of whole hops as you drain.

[euge]

OK, did I mention I use pellets, and would the bags work for those?

Next question..... I have a pickup tube with a 90 that gets all of the wort out of my BK, including the hot break... I am now starting to read that that is not good. Some people have just the drain valve on the side of the kettle, and whirlpool the wort to keep all the trub from getting out. Don't worry about the 1/2 gallon or so you may leave behind, just figure it into the grain/water bill.....??

Mine is at 90 degrees too. It's not a wrong approach and I rarely leave more than a cup of wort in the kettle. When using whole hops I use bags to keep the seeds out of the pump. The bags work very well- very little mess. I think (not sure) one might need to scale up the amount by 30% if using bags though I haven't done so yet.

I plan to use the scrubbies for my next large batch and toss the whole hops in au natural.

[alikocho]

I plan to use the scrubbies for my next large batch and toss the whole hops in au natural.

I've found the scrubbies work well to block stuff, but it's securing them in place that always gets me. They seem to have an inherent desire to wander away from where you put them.

[euge]

I plan to use the scrubbies for my next large batch and toss the whole hops in au natural.

I've found the scrubbies work well to block stuff, but it's securing them in place that always gets me. They seem to have an inherent desire to wander away from where you put them.

Nice bit of info there. Thanks. Was wondering about this happening. Zip-ties and hose-clamps are wonderful...

[punatic]

SS tie-wire.

[alikocho]

I plan to use the scrubbies for my next large batch and toss the whole hops in au natural.

I've found the scrubbies work well to block stuff, but it's securing them in place that always gets me. They seem to have an inherent desire to wander away from where you put them.

Nice bit of info there. Thanks. Was wondering about this happening. Zip-ties and hose-clamps are wonderful...

except that zip ties tend to melt in the boil...