Is a Hop Rocket worth the investment?

[goodgodilovebeer]

I've been debating about buying a Blichmann Hop Rocket since I started using a plate chiller to help filter out any remaining kettle break material before it goes to the chiller, and give the hot wort one last blast of hop oils.

Recently, I started to do a manual whirlpool and hop-stand. From what I've read, there's really no replacing this method of (high temperature + low turbulence + extended time) to get a good amount of hop character.

Has anyone tried a recipe using the Hop Rocket to infuse wort immediately before chilling and the same recipe by doing a whirlpool and extended stand to get a feel for the difference in hop character (if any)? How much difference in character do whole cone hops have vs. pelletized?

I guess my question is; should I spend $130ish on something else to clean or keep on whirlpooling?

 

[microbusbrewery]

I use the filter from Brewers Hardware (http://www.brewershardware.com/FILTER1.html) to filter before the plate chiller. I also have the hopback from morebeer. This past weekend I did my first hop stand and judging by the aroma coming from primary fermentation, the flavor/aroma contribution from a hop stand is way better than anything I've ever gotten from using my hopback. So if it were me, I'd probably skip the hop rocket, stick with hop stands, and spend 130 on the filter to provide some insurance against clogging the chiller.

 

[goodgodilovebeer]

Yeah, I was pretty amazed at how much hop punch came from just leaving it the hell alone after the end of the boil. I guess as homebrewers we're told to chill ASAP to prevent bacteria. But, at least with a plate chiller, its at close to boiling until it enters the chiller. Nothing to worry about.

 

[luhrks]

I whirlpool recirc, and chill the whole batch before going to the fermenter. Yeah, the trub filter is awesome.

 

[mpcluever]

The Hop Rocket is cool and all, but I wouldn't count on using it for EVERY beer. Best to have a different plan in place for actual filtering before the chiller.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I like my hop rocket, and use it for most pale ale's and IPA's. For non-hop-heavy beers, I leave it out of the loop.

MC