Getting the hops out of the wort?

[Polock Joe]

How are you guys filtering the pellet hops out of the wort before putting it in the fermentor? We used a funnel with a filter and that took f o r e v e r.

THX

 

[anthrobe]

I use a funnel with a strainer. Usually I am left with about 1 quart in the pot before I dump out the strainer and pour the rest through.

 

[david_42]

Straining is good enough. What's left will settle out.

 

[Speranza]

Are you Gentleman/Ladies just using like a flour sifter to strain or something with a bigger mesh?

 

[Yooper]

I use a sanitized colander over the opening of the bucket. I siphon the first few gallons (I'm too wimpy now to lift 5.5 gallons) from the middle where there is little "gunk". Then when it's light enough to lift, I pick it up and pour through the colander. Usually goes really quick. Once in a while, if I make a beer with more than 2 ounces of hops, it clogs a little and I have to use my sanitized spoon to clear out the stuff and then pour the rest. It still works pretty well.

 

[brewt00l]

I whirlpool the kettle then siphon through a strainer

 

[Glibbidy]

I use a sanitized colander over the opening of the bucket. I siphon the first few gallons (I'm too wimpy now to lift 5.5 gallons) from the middle where there is little "gunk". Then when it's light enough to lift, I pick it up and pour through the colander.

This method also helps with aeration of the cooled wort. :rockin:

 

[Funkenjaeger]

I started out using strainers but no matter what strainer I used, it always wound up clogging, requiring me to keep scraping at the inside of the strainer with a spoon to keep the flow going. I recently bought a big nylon mesh bag at the LHBS (something like 18"x24") and it can just barely be stretched over the rim of my bucket. Sanitize it, put it in the bucket, pour your wort, then pull the bag out. It's not fine enough mesh to completely block pellet hops (since they manage to go through practically anything) but it does quite a good job.

 

[Ol' Grog]

I use a nylon bag I got from LBHS. The kind with strings that you have to close really tight or they will come out. Once I figured all that out, it works. So much easier than filtering. I also don't get any hops stuck on my IC when I'm cleaning up.

 

[sublimebrew]

try irish moss, it's cheap and ez to use 1 teaspoon per 5 gallon batch, put in about the last 10 mins. of your boil.

 

[zoebisch01]

Just to chime in, if you use whole flower hops then you're in business with a strainer. I use a tomato processing type strainer (aluminum cone with holes that are farther spacing, not like a mesh) and just dump my whole cooled wort amount carefully into the strainer, everything no whirlpooling. The Hops flowers are a perfect filter for the break. I hardly ever have much trub in the bottom of the fermentor, at least not compared to when I was using pellets. Just a thought...

 

[malkore]

I strain nothing, but use only hop pellets at present, and irish moss in the last 15 mins (pre-mixed with water to hydrate it).
after I chill with a water/ice bath, all the trub is on the bottom. I just pour off like I do a bottle of beer...being real careful with the last inch or so, to avoid pouring trub into my bucket.

my beer is not hazy. I do a secondary for 2 weeks to help anything fallout to the bottom.

 

[deharris]

A quick question: Is there anything wrong with using a bag to steep the hops? We've done this for our last couple of brews with no muss, no fuss. But we also haven't had a chance to taste the beer yet. Does using a bag have any effect on taste?

 

[Drunkensatyr]

Not really. If you don't mix the bag around enough, you will not get your full hop utilization, but it is negligible at worst.

 

[CBBaron]

I have a jumbo strain bag that is as big as my plastic fermenter. I put the bag in the fermenter and pour the wort into the bag. Then I just remove the bag and with it comes the hops.
You have to remember to soak the bag in sanitizer and then you have to clean the hops out of the bag at the end.

My understanding is they sell pain strain bags that are similar at paint dealers.

Craig

 

[eriktlupus]

paint filter bags at lo9wes/ hmoe depot etc...
splatter screens for cooking work very nicely as well:rockin: