# Do You Use Pellets In Your Hopback



## Hogan (9/5/09)

Just finished putting together a hopback and during the course of my research I found a lot of negative comments about putting anything but flowers in the container. I have a good piece of ss gauze that should stop the discharge of pellet mud as it breaks down in the hopback. Is there some other reason/s why pellets are frowned upon.

Here's a pic for those interested in making one. It holds a litre and set me back a whole $15.







Cheers, Hoges.


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## Pumpy (9/5/09)

Hogan said:


> Just finished putting together a hopback and during the course of my research I found a lot of negative comments about putting anything but flowers in the container. I have a good piece of ss gauze that should stop the discharge of pellet mud as it breaks down in the hopback. Is there some other reason/s why pellets are frowned upon.
> 
> Here's a pic for those interested in making one. It holds a litre and set me back a whole $15.
> 
> ...




Hogan 

Looks great Hogan .

I think the trick is if you wish to use pellets you may need to combine them with flowers, so put your flowers in next to the mesh and then the pellets on top of them. the flowers will then stop the pellets going into the wort .

As it is a not a screw lid take care the lid dont come off when the hot wort expands the metal .

Hogan a couple of questions 


Are you recirculting the hot wort through the Hopback or it it just gravity into the fermenter ?
Are you running the hot wort into your plate chiller directly after the Hopback so it gets the hop aroma and flavour locked in after immediately chilled ?
Are you no chilling into a cube ?

Pumpy


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## Doc (9/5/09)

I've used pellets in a hopback.
However only when I use two hops backs (in serial) and only in the first one and as Pumpy states in combination with flowers.
Basically they break right down, and my be prone to clogging your mesh if you use too many, or too fast a flow rate.

Doc


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## Hogan (9/5/09)

Pumpy said:


> Hogan
> 
> Looks great Hogan .
> 
> ...



Hey Pump. 

Did a trial run with some pellets and they did not break up but that was not under real post boil conditions. Always considered that combining the pellets with flowers was a good alternative if they did break up to the extent where the gauze would not hold them.

As the lid does not screw down I just use a squeeze clamp from top to bottom to hold the cannister tight to the lid.

To answer your q's.

1. Just using gravity feed. The wort volume draining from the hopback is less than what is entering it - so the cannister is always full.

2. Yes.

3. No.






Doc said:


> I've used pellets in a hopback.
> However only when I use two hops backs (in serial) and only in the first one and as Pumpy states in combination with flowers.
> Basically they break right down, and my be prone to clogging your mesh if you use too many, or too fast a flow rate.
> 
> Doc



Thanks Doc. Trial and error should show the result but I can check the flow rate by adjusting the ball valve. 



Cheers, Hoges.


edit, sp.


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## Pumpy (10/5/09)

Hogan if you are going from the hopback into the chiller will the mesh be enough to stop particlesblocking your plate chiller ?

another couple of links to hopbacks

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=hopback

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=28477


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## Hogan (10/5/09)

Pumpy said:


> Hogan if you are going from the hopback into the chiller will the mesh be enough to stop particlesblocking your plate chiller ?
> 
> another couple of links to hopbacks
> 
> ...





Won't know until I try Pump. Would not like to have a blocked HE and that is why I posted this query to see if anyone else had done it first. Not much problem in putting in a handful of flowers to cover the base - I've got sufficient on hand.


Cheers, Hoges.


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## Nashmandu (17/5/09)

Heya

Besides the slow run-off/clogging issue, i think using pellets this late on in the piece can impart a harsh 'pellet flavour' in the beer. Flowers or hop plugs much better idea.


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## Hogan (17/5/09)

Cannot see a huge difference in temps between 7 minute addition, flameout and hopback when using pellets - so I don't see why the latter should impart any harsh flavour.


Cheers, Hoges.


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## Nashmandu (24/5/09)

Hogan said:


> Cannot see a huge difference in temps between 7 minute addition, flameout and hopback when using pellets - so I don't see why the latter should impart any harsh flavour.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.










There are reactions which only occur if the hops are boiled...7 minutes will do it, but running hot wort through a hop back wont. This 'harsh' character im talking about is most obvious when using high alpha hops.


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## Nashmandu (24/5/09)

Hogan said:


> Cannot see a huge difference in temps between 7 minute addition, flameout and hopback when using pellets - so I don't see why the latter should impart any harsh flavour.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.










There are reactions which only occur if the hops are boiled...7 minutes will do it, but running hot wort through a hop back wont. This 'harsh' character im talking about is most obvious when using high alpha hops.


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## smollocks (24/5/09)

Hogan, where did you buy the hose and brass valve/fittings? Were these spares, or part of the $15? I'm impressed if it's the latter because I haven't been able to find these things at decent prices around here.


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## Hogan (24/5/09)

The hose is from Bunnings and is hot water rated. Not expensive. The spear fitting is from Tradelink and was $5. Don't go to Reece as they wanted $15 for the same thing. It screws straight into the 1/2" ball valve.


Cheers, Hoges.


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## TidalPete (24/5/09)

Hogan said:


> The hose is from Bunnings and is hot water rated. Not expensive. The spear fitting is from Tradelink and was $5. Don't go to Reece as they wanted $15 for the same thing. It screws straight into the 1/2" ball valve.
> 
> 
> Cheers, Hoges.



And those ss bits Hoges? How come they fit the container so neatly & where did you get them? 

Slightly OT but I have just put down an ESB where I took the advice of someone on the forum & added my aroma hops after the boil cooled down to 80 deg c (Used an IC to bring it down), added the hops, waited 20 minutes, then chilled right down to 19 deg c before whirlpooling & draining into the fermenter.
Be interesting to see how this works out aroma-wise. :icon_cheers: 

TP


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## Hogan (24/5/09)

TP. The container is a an 'off the shelf' I got from the local 'House Hardware'. It has a 100mm diameter. The insert is the cut off base of a cheap ss mug I got from the same place. Just under 100mm diameter. Just drilled some 19mm holes in it and covered with ss gauze. Fitted great. Have to make sure that its completely dry when stored as it's cheap ss. If this works OK I'll see about getting it made out of quality ss.


Cheers, Hoges.


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