Hop Spider or False Bottom?

[reuliss]

Hi all:

So, I've tried the whirlpooling method in my boil kettle and just can't get it right. I'm tired of getting all of my hops and trub in the fermentor. I make lots of hoppy beers, so the juck actually takes up considerable real estate in the car boy. I need to do something, and I'm torn between a false bottom for the kettle (a three level like the ones sold at NorCal) or a hop spider. I realize that the hop spider will have no affect on filtering the trub, but that aside, I'm wondering if anyone out there has tried both solutions and found one to be clearly superior to the other. I have the ability to recirculate if that is at all relevant. I'm also wondering if one is significantly easier to clean than the other. Honestly, hop spiders look like a PITA in that regard.

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[bknifefight]

A hop spider can be built for about $10 and in less than an hour. I recommend trying that first but have no input on a tri-level false bottom.

 

[grathan]

Ever tried letting the stuff settle before moving it to fermenter?

 

[jbaysurfer]

Hop spiders are as easy as anything to clean. Non issue. Same as a hop bag if you make that version, an easy spray clean after a quick dunk or two in your kettle with PBW if they're the SS screen version. False bottoms in the brew kettle can affect the amount your immersion chiller goes into the wort and consequently affect your cooling rate if you use an immersion chiller, so keep that in mind. If you chill some other way, that's not an issue. But I'd buy a stainless hop spider before I'd buy a false bottom if I were you...but then again, I DID do that.

 

[NathanL85]

I've had good luck straining through a hop bag. Can't stand to use them in the boil but for straining they work great. I brewed a zombie dust clone today with 5 oz of pellets and used two hop bags while transferring to my primary. I stick them in a kitchen strainer/collander in the funnel to allow more surface area for them to drain out and put my drain tube in the bag, swap out when flow gets ridiculously low like a half a bag full. Works for me and didn't cost me anything since when I started I had a few that came the kit I bought a few years ago

 

[Bull_Brewer]

I always use a hop sock clothes pinned to the side of my kettle. simple solution, very effective

 

[hunter_le five]

I always use a hop sock clothes pinned to the side of my kettle. simple solution, very effective

This. Except i use a paperclip.