My HopStopper & Blichmann HopBlocker Upgrade

[John Beere]

So - first off, I stole a lot of this directly from this thread ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/hopster-hopscreen-157529/ ) but I thought I'd start my own as I started out with the idea of just modifying a Blichmann HopBlocker I recently picked up on the cheap.

Here are some photos:

All put together:

HopStopper:

Inside the HopBlocker:

And the HopBlocker with the SS mesh taken out:

The wire mesh inside the HopBlocker is McMaster part #85385T858 with the following specs:

Mesh Size: 35 x 35
Square/Rectangle Size: .017"
Wire Diameter: .012"
Percentage of Open Area: 33.8%

The wire mesh for the HopStopper basket is McMaster part #9226T852 with the following specs:

Mesh Size: 30 x 30
Square/Rectangle Size: .02"
Wire Diameter: .013"
Percentage of Open Area: 37.1%

Top top and bottom are 10" SS pie rings I picked up off Amazon. The SS hose clamps are McMaster part #54155K44. I used two boxes of SS rivets which are part #97550A105 to clamp it all together.

My current boil kettle is a 20 gallon Blichmann Boilermaker. I made the HopStopper basket where it sits around 1" off the bottom of the pot.

I use hop pellets exclusively and have my fingers crossed that my choices in the wire mesh will allow for optimal hop utilization as well as the finer mesh inside the HopBlocker filtering out anything that might escape as well as the hot break. We'll be brewing with it next weekend and will definitely report back.. but if you have any questions - ask away!

 

[John Beere]

To make the bottom of the HopStopper basket, I cut a 14" circle from the 36"x36" sheet, drew a 10" circle in the middle, and then cut into it every inch or so. Then I folded each of those cuts up at a 90 degree angle, placed a hose clamp around it, pulled it as tight as I could, and tightened up the clamp. Then I took my wire cutters and cut the excess SS mesh off as close to the clamp as I could. It worked out really well..

 

[Layne]

cool!

 

[Andynewbom]

kick ass idea!!! thanks for the input

 

[day_trippr]

Looks very well done! I followed that same thread and building a HopStopper is definitely on my "Gotta Do That" list

Will be interested in how well your HopStopper works given the mesh size...

Cheers!

 

[wyzazz]

I dig it, I'm very interested in seeing how well it works out for you. I was thinking of doing the same thing for a 55gal drum/boil kettle. Are you using a Plate Chiller?

 

[John Beere]

Yes.. I use a plate chiller. You can read about it here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-new-wort-chilling-station-73900/

From others experience, as well as my own using a hop stopper I created out of two kitchen strainers, I believe the mesh size will be right for me.. but will find out for sure next weekend!

 

[jcav]

Nice job John Beere, please post the results on how it worked after you brew with your new creation!

John

 

[stamandster]

Just found these and thought they may help some future hop stopper creations...

http://www.sciplus.com/recommend.cfm/recommendid/13891

6-1/2" dia x 1-3/4" Stainless rings for $3.00 you get 6!

 

[kactussjack]

John Beere- How did the mesh size work out? I am ready to have a large hop basket fabricated but can't decide on the mesh size. I am looking for something that will retain hop pellets since whole hops seem to be harder to obtain. I am going with 12" dia x 17" high in a 20 gallon pot.

Thanks

Kactussjack

 

[John Beere]

All I've used it with so far is a pumpkin ale.. I am still torn on it to tell you the truth. It retained around 75% of the hops pellets in the basket but even though I had a very rigorous boil, it was pretty stagnant inside the basket. So I don't know if I achieved optimal hop utilization, etc. However, the second screen definitely helped further clear the wort on the way out of the kettle and it very clear..

 

[kactussjack]

You are using the hop blocker inside of the hop stopper?

What kind of bottom is on the hop stopper? The same mesh?

 

[cino101]

Was about to sell my Blichmann hop blocker and found this thread. How have you liked it as a final screen? Already have a spider made using a 5 gal paint strainer bag, worried I still need an additional screen before pump takes it through my platechiller.

 

[GRBC]

Was inspired by this thread. Thanks John Beere!

 

[John Beere]

You are using the hop blocker inside of the hop stopper?

What kind of bottom is on the hop stopper? The same mesh?

Damn.. sorry guys - have no idea why I didn't see your replies.

There isn't a bottom to it.. it just sits flush on the bottom of the kettle. I have noticed that a lot of gunk still made it through, but the two batches I've used it on so far have been the clearest wort I've probably ever made..

 

[John Beere]

Was inspired by this thread. Thanks John Beere!

For a second there I thought you came and stole mine.. heh. Looks great!

 

[ggltd]

Thanks for all the great ideas posted. Here is my version using a flour sifter for the base, a cake / pie ring for the top and the McMaster 37% screen. The one twist is I installed the flour sifter upside down. In theory because of the deep dish effect, it should channel the air bubbles up through the bottom and stir the hops better. I also took some wire strands and stitched the long seam instead of using pop rivets. Will be brewing soon. And yes that's my Brutus in the background.

 

[wyzazz]

So shiny! Very cool, you'll have to report back with how it works for you.

 

[res291que]

Thanks for the ideas ... Now more toys to buy.

 

[ggltd]

Interesting results after first use. First surprise: as the boil increased, the basket had a tendency to float up and bob and sink back . I will be adding some clips on the top of the keg rim to anchor. This really shows the turbulence that was going up through the hops. At the end of the day I pulled the basket for cleaning. The pictures show the results. The whirlflock goop attached itself to the bottom of the unit at the flour screen on the outside. I didn’t expect this, as I was whirlpooling to the inside of the basket. It caught almost all of the trub- the wort was very clear. This really is a great addition to my system. Can't wait to try this out on a huge IPA with lots of hops. This was just a small Belgian with 2 oz of hops.

 

[mbaker33]

Very cool project! I have the exact setup you do (20 G Blichmann with HopBlocker) and have not been impressed by the HopBlocker at all. I will probably be buying the spider from StainlessBrewing eventually, but I'd like to first try out the HopBlocker liner by itself to see how much it cuts down on the crap going into my plate chiller. I just don't know how much money I will actually save by doing the spider myself by the time I pay for shipping and then get it all together.

Question: The mesh for inside the HopBlocker, is that a 12" length? By my measurement, the HopBlocker itself is just a pinch shy of 12", just wondering how long your mesh is by comparison, and if there is any overlap.