1) i doubt there is a noticeable difference between 208 and 212*FI think I will always worry about getting the right utilization with the temperature differential inside the filter, lack of boiling action, and potential for clogging and not actually getting wort circulation through the filter mesh during the boil.
Just wanted to drop in a comment on the dry hop tube for better bottles I got. I had a 5oz dry hop a batch or so ago so I just threw all the hops into the fermenter without the tube and transferred to the bottling bucket by putting my autosiphon inside the dry hop tube. It worked beautifully, I got a lot more beer out than I normally do and it was very clear. The mesh didn't clog at all. I think I'm going to use the tube in this fashion going forward, that way I can definitely maximize utilization by leaving the hops loose and get the max amount of beer out possible every time.
I guess I shouldn't call it a dry hop tube anymore, haha.
People have been using cheap paint strainers like this foe a long time. One thing to note, any time you push wort through a filter like that you are also aerating it.
If you use a good amount of hops with a bag it clogs up. Same with dropping it all the way down into the trub. With this I can just set it down and let it rip and it doesn't get stuck. I've strained with bags before and it was a pain, had to wiggle them around to try to get enough crap off of them to keep the flow going.
I don't understand what you mean about aeration in this case, if the filter is submerged there's no air mixing with the beer at all, just beer running through a stainless screen 'underwater'. This is on the pickup side of the siphon, not the output.
Just wanted to drop in a comment on the dry hop tube for better bottles I got. I had a 5oz dry hop a batch or so ago so I just threw all the hops into the fermenter without the tube and transferred to the bottling bucket by putting my autosiphon inside the dry hop tube. It worked beautifully, I got a lot more beer out than I normally do and it was very clear. The mesh didn't clog at all. I think I'm going to use the tube in this fashion going forward, that way I can definitely maximize utilization by leaving the hops loose and get the max amount of beer out possible every time.
I guess I shouldn't call it a dry hop tube anymore, haha.
Just wanted to drop in a comment on the dry hop tube for better bottles I got. I had a 5oz dry hop a batch or so ago so I just threw all the hops into the fermenter without the tube and transferred to the bottling bucket by putting my autosiphon inside the dry hop tube. It worked beautifully, I got a lot more beer out than I normally do and it was very clear. The mesh didn't clog at all. I think I'm going to use the tube in this fashion going forward, that way I can definitely maximize utilization by leaving the hops loose and get the max amount of beer out possible every time.
I guess I shouldn't call it a dry hop tube anymore, haha.
Oh wow that's an interesting idea.
Question: Has anyone tried doing sort of the reverse of this? What popped into my head looking at the picture and reading the above is a different approach (well, maybe doing this too if dry hopping):
I use an immersion chiller. What I was thinking is to just to just toss the hops into the kettle for the boil. Then, run the wort into the fermenter without worrying if any of the hop/break crap got out of it. But I'd have this little Better Bottle thing in the fermenter, and run the wort through that. Then take it, and hopefully the hops/break, out before pitching the yeast. Idea being to leave that stuff in the tube and clear wort in the kettle.
Thoughts? Am I missing something? Thanks
same happened with me when i tried racking through the filter. first half went really well, but as i got lower down the break material clogged the outside of the filter. i had to knock the filter on the side of the kettle to dislodge the gunk. not the best situation since it slowed down my transfer, had me keeping the lid open over cool wort, etc. going to have to re-think this. maybe i'll let the cooled wort sitting longer before racking, so that the break material settles down more, then rack really slowly as to no disturb the settled gunk.I tried it using the 4" x 10" filter. It didn't work well at all due to break material clogging the outside of the filter. I kept running out of wort to draw from inside the filter.
That might work, my only concern is that all the break material will clog it up if you run literally all of the wort though it. When it's in the fermenter most of that protein and crap is compacted at the bottom. I haven't tried it so I don't actually know if it would work well... in the fermenter it seems to pull beer through the gunk at the bottom just fine, but for some reason I get the feeling that hot wort leads to more clogging than room temp beer.
Anyone who's done this wanna chime in? I personally let most of the gunk run into the fermenter since I don't use a plate chiller.
It does work really well to put your siphon in when racking to a keg out of the fermenter. Leaves the true behind.
I had Chad make one specifically for a Better Bottle to do exactly what you want to do, strain coming out of the kettle going into the Better Bottle. No luck at all. It clogged immediately from the break material. The diameter of these seem to make a huge difference in how much they clog. One that fits in a Better Bottle has no chance.
It does work really well to put your siphon in when racking to a keg out of the fermenter. Leaves the true behind.
ResumeMan, this is basically what I do. I have the 6x14 filter that I only use as a post-chill filter. I throw my hops in the boil free style and after chilling (I recirculate), I run the wort-out line into and through the filter in my boil kettle. Aerates and filters at the same time. Sometimes it will clog, and when it does, I just take the filter out and shake the hop/break material into my compost and drop it back in. Takes 2 mins to filter the whole thing running my march pump at full bore.
A $3 mesh bag works very well for this as well.
This is an excellent idea, and I have been contemplating the same.
But I have a hard time picturing how you route the wort-out line. You're not using the regular bulkhead on the bottom, I guess.
Is this how you do it?
You chill by recirculating, using a pump with a plate chiller or a counter flow chiller.
Do you send all your hop and break matter through the pump and chiller, unfiltered? Do you use a false bottom in the BK to trap some of that trub? Don't you have any clogging problems in the chiller or pump?
Then when chilled, do you stick the output hose into the hop basket and pump clear wort into your fermentor? Or is the basket in another vessel, your fermentor perhaps?
Thanks for any clarifications.
There is actually a little more clearance. If you look at the ruler/straight edge in one of the pic, the coil is about inch inside from the ruler's outside edge.
Also, the handle on my false bottom is not centered like they appear on More Beer's website. It is toward the edge, and I can orient it in such a way to
keep it from obstructing a hop basket.
My FB came from More Beer but it looks like they altered the design. The "handle" is the same as the feet used to elevate it. So they are about 2 inches in height.
I've never tried using an FB to minimize hot break but need to try it.
Maybe it helps when doing large volumes of wort. Doing 10 gallon batches,
there may be other more practical ways.
Anyone, does it really help or are there other ways to filter the wort effectively keeping it out of the fermenters etc?
Or is an FB used for other purposes in the boil?
It may be more practical for me as well to disregard the FB altogether.
Having a conical, for example, seems to accomodate dropping this problem You could drop out any stuff that has settled after a few hours/days.
But I get minimizing it to begin with helps too.
HefeLibre said:Nah I didn't get around to it.
Going with the standard 6X14 filter.
Has anyone tried one of these kettle height hop screens on the VALVE INTAKE of their kettle? In other words put the hops in the kettle instead of in the strainer, and have the strainer on valve, kind of a giant kettle screen.
Great thread...
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