Hop baskets

[Alex4mula]

Hi. Always wondered if using a hop basket had any bad effect on taste or other thing. I like mine a lot because after cleaning the plate chiller is a breeze. Just checking. Thanks.

 

[Snowblind258]

I've used a hop basket for my last two beers, with a strainer in the kegs. I have not noticed any change in the beer at all. Plus its easier than pouring the beer through a strainer later.

 

[Jag75]

I think using it hinders the hops a bit . Not huge imo. I've done massive hop additions and it's a pain because it drains so slow . I'm honestly going back to bags because I cant stand cleaning the spider. If I'm not adding a lot of hops I dont use it at all. The spider is also a pain to clean

 

[Alex4mula]

Mine cleans easily. What I have seen is it seems since I started using it I never had to use fermcap drops again on any brew. That’s what got me thinking.

 

[Jag75]

Mine cleans easily. What I have seen is it seems since I started using it I never had to use fermcap drops again on any brew. That’s what got me thinking.

What are you using exactly. I have the hop spider. It's very very fine mesh

 

[Alex4mula]

What are you using exactly. I have the hop spider. It's very very fine mesh

I’m using this from AIH. It is super fine. But with hot water and pbw cleans quickly for me.
400 Micron Stainless Hop Filter - 6" x 14"

 

[Jag75]

Hmmm I'm not sure how many microns my Grainfather hop spider is. Probably 800 . It takes a while to drain.

 

[Alex4mula]

Hmmm I'm not sure how many microns my Grainfather hop spider is. Probably 800 . It takes a while to drain.

Actually that is more coarse than de 400. PBW helps a lot to get off the last bits.

 

[kh54s10]

I use paint strainer bags. Because I have not bought a cylinder yet. I have always used it when adding more than 2 ounces total. I do it to get more beer without brewing a bigger volume. (less trub soaking up precious beer!) When I am looking for a very hoppy flavor, I use a little more hops.

 

[Jag75]

Actually that is more coarse than de 400. PBW helps a lot to get off the last bits.

Oh ok so the higher the number the easier it is for particles to pass through. Then its definitely not a 800 lol

 

[Jag75]

I use paint strainer bags. Because I have not bought a cylinder yet. I have always used it when adding more than 2 ounces total. I do it to get more beer without brewing a bigger volume. (less trub soaking up precious beer!) When I am looking for a very hoppy flavor, I use a little more hops.

I use same for dry hopping . Works like a charm . Never used them in a boil though.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Oh ok so the higher the number the easier it is for particles to pass through. Then its definitely not a 800 lol

It's just the opposite. The higher the number, the tighter the openings. I use a 4" hop cylinder that hangs over the rim of my BK when I'm using more than a few ounces of hops. I always put my brew spoon in the BK with my IC chiller near the end of the boil to sterilize so I can stir the wort during cooling. Then I can also use the spoon to scrape the inside of my hop cylinder so it drains faster. Otherwise, it takes forever to drain. My sink sprayer makes quick work of cleaning out the cylinder.

 

[cheesebach]

It's just the opposite. The higher the number, the tighter the openings. I use a 4" hop cylinder that hangs over the rim of my BK when I'm using more than a few ounces of hops. I always put my brew spoon in the BK with my IC chiller near the end of the boil to sterilize so I can stir the wort during cooling. Then I can also use the spoon to scrape the inside of my hop cylinder so it drains faster. Otherwise, it takes forever to drain. My sink sprayer makes quick work of cleaning out the cylinder.

You need to pay attention to the units. If it's specified in microns (as in 300 micron or 400 micron), the opposite is true. In this case, it's giving the size of the opening. So a 300 micron mesh is a tighter mesh than a 400 micron mesh.

If they give a number like "40 mesh" or "50 mesh", then your comment is true, but I don't think I have ever seen a homebrew hop spider advertised in that way.

 

[Alex4mula]

You need to pay attention to the units. If it's specified in microns (as in 300 micron or 400 micron), the opposite is true. In this case, it's giving the size of the opening. So a 300 micron mesh is a tighter mesh than a 400 micron mesh.

If they give a number like "40 mesh" or "50 mesh", then your comment is true, but I don't think I have ever seen a homebrew hop spider advertised in that way.

Exactly. 800 micron is 0.8 millimeter opening and 400 micron is 0.4 millimeter opening. You can easily see the difference in the pictures.

400 micron:
https://www.homebrewing.org/400-Micron-Stainless-Hop-Filter--6-x-14_p_7115.html

800 micron:
https://www.homebrewing.org/The-Grainfather--Hop-Spider_p_6784.html

 

[Beer-lord]

I was worried too and after going electric and not wanting to spend more time cleaning the element plus wanting clearer beer in the fermenter, I started using one and I can't tell one bit of difference at all. I really thought I would.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

You need to pay attention to the units. If it's specified in microns (as in 300 micron or 400 micron), the opposite is true. In this case, it's giving the size of the opening. So a 300 micron mesh is a tighter mesh than a 400 micron mesh.

If they give a number like "40 mesh" or "50 mesh", then your comment is true, but I don't think I have ever seen a homebrew hop spider advertised in that way.

You're absolutely right! I was thinking mesh, not microns.