# Doc's Hopback



## Doc (18/6/05)

A couple of weeks ago I built myself a hopback.
Todays brewday was the first use of it and it worked flawlessly.

It is basically a "Randall the Enamel Animal" turned into a hopback.

Take one 10" water filter housing, a 50 litre keg dip tube, a couple of cutoffs from some PVC pipe, a couple of barb fittings and you are done.

Here is a piccy of the dip tube.




The diptube in place and a piccy of the inside of the lid.



And here it is in action. Today's brew was an Hourglass IPA which already has a shitload of hops in it with 5 minute hop additions from 30-5mins.
In the hop back was about 100gr of Cascade flowers.



Beers,
Doc


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## Doc (18/6/05)

Here it is after all the wort had passed through it.
With the HourglassIPA brew you end up with a log of hop sludge and you can see it entered the hopback before I stoped the pump.



And another pic of it in line with the pump, cfwc and inline aerator.



Beers,
Doc


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## jgriffin (18/6/05)

Nice!


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## Aaron (18/6/05)

Yeah looks like a really good set up. 

You will have to let us know if the results are good.


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## big d (18/6/05)

good to see the randalised pics doc.now all we need is to hear how the beer turned out.  

cheers
big d


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## sosman (18/6/05)

How does the filter stand up to the hot wort?


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## Doc (18/6/05)

sosman said:


> How does the filter stand up to the hot wort?
> [post="64020"][/post]​



I was worried about it sosman.
I boiled up the jug and filled up the hopback. Left it in there for 10mins and did a taste test with a control. All was good. I shouldn't think the hot wort should be any different and the contact time would be less too.

And the pics of the unit (without hops) were taken after brewday, so all held up well.

Beers,
Doc


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## Hopeye (18/6/05)

Looks the goods there Doc.

goodonya mate.


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## Hoops (18/6/05)

Top stuff Doc, looks like it worked a treat.
Still have plans for my Stainless Steel one but like everything else it gets put on the back-burner

Hoops


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## ozbrewer (18/6/05)

Doc how does the wort get out, are there holes in the diptube?.....


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## Doc (19/6/05)

ozbrewer said:


> Doc how does the wort get out, are there holes in the diptube?.....
> [post="64056"][/post]​



Yep. About a dozen smallish holes in the bottom of the dip tube.

Beers,
Doc


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## Pumpy (19/6/05)

Great to see real innovation better get your patent on it Doc it looks a winner for the Craft brewer .Nice to have the clear plastic housing to see whats going on .

Pumpy


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## Pumpy (19/6/05)

Doc how do you attach your 2 micron SS diffuser stone I can see the line going from aquarium pump to the air filter then to the SS fitting ,did you have to modify a fitting .?

Pumpy


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## Doc (19/6/05)

Pumpy said:


> Doc how do you attach your 2 micron SS diffuser stone I can see the line going from aquarium pump to the air filter then to the SS fitting ,did you have to modify a fitting .?
> 
> Pumpy
> [post="64087"][/post]​



Nope. I bought the MoreBeer SS Aeration stone with 1/2" MPT fitting. See here

Beers,
Doc


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## Pumpy (19/6/05)

That is neat ! Pumpy


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## Batz (19/6/05)

I have mine mounted this way

Wort comes in the top from the CCFC then is airated and passes to the fermenter

It works so well that I have to turn the air pump off at times as the wort foams to much and would overflow the 30 lt fermenter.

I bought the stone from 'more beer' like Doc , other bits easly to obtain here


Batz


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## Doc (20/7/05)

Drinking the Hourglass IPA I brewed using the hopback tonight.
A slightly more noticable aroma than what I remember from brewing the same beer without the hopback.
No off tastes from the plastic and assembly, the same as my pre-brew tests.
I think next time I'll try to cram more hops in it though to see how much more aroma I can extract.

Beers,
Doc


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## Sean (20/7/05)

This is off the main topic of the thread but...

anyone know when the term Hopback got applied to this sort of device? A hopback in a traditional English brewery is a large vessel similar to a mash tun or lauter tun, for separating the (whole) hops from the wort. Any additional hops added to it are incidental to it's main purpose as a false bottomed separating vessel.


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## Batz (20/7/05)

Here's the hop back at LCB

50lb of Cascade in there

Batz


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## Linz (20/7/05)

Sean said:


> A hopback in a traditional English brewery is a large vessel similar to a mash tun or lauter tun, for separating the (whole) hops from the wort. [post="67923"][/post]​




Is it not a device for separating whole hops from the wort???? therefore a Hopback??


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## Sean (21/7/05)

Linz said:


> Sean said:
> 
> 
> > A hopback in a traditional English brewery is a large vessel similar to a mash tun or lauter tun, for separating the (whole) hops from the wort. [post="67923"][/post]​
> ...


I'm not saying the usage is wrong (although it get's me everytime) - words mean whatever everyone understands by them. Just curious.

To me hopback implies: large, open or unsealed, false bottomed vessel where the wort is allowed to sit before being run off clear. Primary purpose to separate (boil) hops and trub from wort. Extra hops are occasionally added at this stage. 

This device: small, sealed vessel that wort is pumped through. Primary purpose to add extra hops for flavour, although it does also have a filtering effect.

Unfortunately, the only picture I can find of a hopback in a traditional English brewery is a physical photograph of the one at Adnams, and I'm not even sure where that's hiding at the moment. (Most UK micros have a false bottom in the copper instead.)


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## Justin (21/7/05)

Hey Doc, nice bit of gear.

Do you sterilise it before use or just let the hot wort act on it before chilling? Or do you recirculate hot wort through your pump, hop back and chiller before flame out.

Cheers mate.
Justin


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## mikem108 (21/7/05)

the word "back" in this usage comes from an old word for bucket but as with many words the meaning gets distorted over time.


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## Doc (21/7/05)

Justin said:


> Hey Doc, nice bit of gear.
> 
> Do you sterilise it before use or just let the hot wort act on it before chilling? Or do you recirculate hot wort through your pump, hop back and chiller before flame out.
> 
> ...



Yeah I sterilise it when I sterilise my CFWC and inline aerator. I just fill a 5litre jug with sterilising solution and pump it through and leave it overnight. 
Flush out the sterilising solution with water just before it is time to cool the wort.

Doc


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## Doc (30/9/06)

First run of the Dual Hopback has just been completed on an American Amber Hopburst.

I love the aroma and flavour the hopback gives, but being restricted by mainly Cascade in flower form bugged me.
So I've gone dual hopbacks. The first hopback gets a bed of Cascade, and today I then used 20gr of Columbus, 20gr Chinook and 20gr of Challenger mixed in with more Cascade.
The second hopback is all Cascade flowers to act as a filter for any of the pellets that make it that far. 

It all seem to work a treat. The internal tube is just PVC with a bunch of small holes at the bottom in each hopback. As you may see some pellets made it to the second hopback, but little to none made it to the fermenter. 
The aroma is awesome. Smells like a hop garden 

Only thing I'll change next time is cut back on the flowers a little in the first hopback. It was a little tight.

Beers,
Doc


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## mika (30/9/06)

That many hops is starting to point some serious issues Doc...is it time for an intervention ? :huh:


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## Doc (30/9/06)

Yes, Lupulin Threshold Shift has well and truely taken over.






Beers,
Doc


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## Doc (1/10/06)

I think there might be, but it would involve a week off beer drinking tastless liquids like water. Not something I'm prepared to do 

Doc


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## Pumpy (10/12/06)

Hey Doc , 

Do you still use your double Hopback ?

I was thinking about making one ,and wondered if you regard it as a process worth including .

Pumpy


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## Doc (10/12/06)

The double hopback is relatively new. I've been using the single one for quite sometime, but the double has only been around for a couple of months. I've used the double twice, and it will be staying around.
Start with one and see how you go.
I've used the double on a Hopburst and my Infinity + 1 brew.

Beers,
Doc


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## Pumpy (10/12/06)

How many time do you pass the wort over the hops ?

Pumpy


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## Doc (10/12/06)

Pumpy said:


> How many time do you pass the wort over the hops ?
> 
> Pumpy



Just the once Pumpy, while it is hot (ie. before the chiller).

Beers,
Doc


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