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Author Topic: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?  (Read 12558 times)

Offline dksucharda

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after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged? I used to always use leaf hops and poor my wort through a colender. I prefer this because it helps to cool my wort, aerates it to some extent and filters out the leaf hops wonderfully. but for the last year I keep having to use pellet hops and I hate them. they leave behind so much sludge. I am looking at a megapot with a bazooka tube on the inside, and has a ball valve outflow on the bottom. My question is has anyone used this to filter this sludge and keep it out of the primary fermenter. if so does it work well or just get clogged up? I would also appreciate any suggestions for other ways to keep the pellet sludge out of my primary.  Thanks
DS

Offline gail

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2009, 06:19:02 am »
I'm thinking you're meaning a "Bazooka Screen" which, in my experience, does well with leaf hops and allows most of the pellet hops through the screen material.  I've used a different type of screen with a finer mesh, which did clog horribly with pellets.  If you can offset the Bazooka Screen to more of the edge of the pot (I have a short copper tube with a fitting on mine to get it over to the edge as far as the curvature of the pot will allow) then you can whirlpool during the chill, let it settle and then some/much of the hops will stay in the whirlpool pile.  The best way I've found is to use both leaf and pellet hops when I want to use pellets.  That way, the leaf hops help strain out the break material and the pellet hops, leading to less of each in the carboy.  That's just what works best on my system.
Gail

Offline majorvices

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2009, 06:26:12 am »
First off, lets get some terminology down. It's "trub" or "break material" ....those are the technical terms we use as brewers to describe the "sludge".

My experience in the screen will clog with pellet hops, but not with whole hops.

Let me give you my scenario - I use an immersion chiller with a wort pump (see http://www.mrmalty.com/chiller.php) that circulates the wort while it is chilling and creates a whirlpool which causes the hops to form a cone in the center. I can't use whole hops with this method because they clog. So I normally use pellets and or use another chilling method when using whole hops.

After the wort is chilled I just let the whole thing sit for about 20 minutes to let everything settle. Then, when I run off I get a small amount of hops and trub for the first few seconds and then it run perfectly clear. Near the end it will start to get murky again and I run for a few moments and then shut off. I always compensate for this by brewing 12 gallons and plan on collecting about 11 (leaving 1 gallon behind.) I then use a little less than 1 gallon in yeast and trub when I tranfer to the kegs so collect about 10.

Anyway, you can do this same method by stirring the wort during chilling to form a whirlpool, most of the hops and trub will form a cone in the center. This is assuming you have a valve on the bottom of your kettle to run your wort off the bottom. If you don't you need to get one. Makes like a lot easier. Also, if you are brewing 5 gallon batches, target 5.5 or 6 so that you can leave as much of the hop and trub behind as possible (and plan on losing some wort in the process). But finally, don't stress too much about getting break material and hops in teh fermenter. Leave as much behind as possible but don't stress if some get through.

You can get very clear beer with pellet hops, in fact it really doesn't matter how many hops get into the finished beer - they will settle out and won;t affect clarity of flavor.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2009, 06:29:00 am by majorvices »

Offline blatz

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2009, 07:48:00 am »
my scenario is similar to keith, though I don't whirlpool, I have a triple stage, Rube Goldbergesque chiller, but it works.

anyway, I discovered long ago that I cannot have >50% of the hop bill be pellet, or there is not enough of a filter bed.
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Offline beerocd

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2009, 09:21:51 am »
I have a triple stage, Rube Goldbergesque chiller, but it works.

That would be a pretty cool topic or section. Rube Goldberg brewing devices.

As the major says - stir vigorously in a circle and let it settle. Clockwise in the northern hemisphere, counterclockwise in Australia.(j/K) I have nothing but a ball valve on my kettle and hardly anything comes through. It just clumps together in the middle of the pot and stays together unless you rock the pot to get that last bit of wort.





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Offline tom

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2009, 04:02:11 pm »
I have my Bazooka along the side. My last brew was a 10 gallon double IPA. I whirlpooled it and let it sit for 90 minutes to try to increase hop flavor. (I always whirlpool and let it settle for 15 minutes anyway.) I pumped the wort out and through my chiller without a problem.
Brew on

Offline majorvices

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2009, 04:14:54 pm »
Tom, whole hops or pellets?

Offline tom

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2009, 06:34:34 pm »
6 oz of whole hops and 13.5 oz of pellets in 10 gallons.

I think that having the Bazooka a little bit above the bottom, using some whole hops, whirlpooling and letting the hops settle for 90 minutes helped.
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Offline dksucharda

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Re: after boil will a bazooka tube filter pellet hops "goop" or get clogged?
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2009, 09:26:14 pm »
Great advice. thanks for the suggestions. Keith, I appreciate the excellent explanation, I am sure it took some tome to type that all out, but the specific advice is greatly appreciated.