Hop Backs

[T.D.]

That's awesome Warren. I have always liked the idea of hopbacks but never made one because it always seemed too difficult (and to be honest I never really understood properly how they work!). From what I gather from your setup, I guess its a bit like a small mash tun, but with hops, and you are kind of fly sparging with wort instead of water... Am I on the right track?

 

[tangent]

from what I've been reading, there seems to be a need to keep the unit sealed with no head space so the aroma has no option but to be infused with the wort.
but i'm sure I've seen a pic of the LC hopback and it did have space above it.

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

Nice work Warren, a Belgian Pale with a great hop aroma sounds great :beerbang: .

C&B
TDA

 

[warrenlw63]

Thanks guys. I'll let you know it's net worth in the final product.

I think sealing it (somewhow) might be a good option. Then I wouldn't have to check the liquid level all the time. The diameter of the pot dictates that you need to keep the outflow slightly more closed than the inflow (a la fly sparging). Otherwise all the hops don't stay immersed and it probably loses effectiveness.

Option 2 will be to grab a ball-valve for the outflow to slow it slightly from the inflow. Then I might look at some way of the sealing and clamping down the lid. Shouldn't be impossible.

There's more than one way to skin a hop. :lol: Where's a cat when you need one?

Edit: TD I just saw your post completely. Yep. mini fly sparging with hops would be a good descriptor.

Warren -

 

[fixa]

So hop backs work well while no chilling?
I thought i read somewhere that the idea was to heat the hops quick then chill rapidly to preserve the aroma?

 

[Stuster]

Fixa, I guess the difference with no chill is that you will be sealing it up in a cube. So any aroma should be trapped in the wort even though it is hot. If you were leaving it unsealed, it would be a different story.

 

[warrenlw63]

I hope you're right Stuster.

Warren -

 

[fixa]

Cheers Stuster!!!!

 

[Lukes]

Digging up this thread from last year as I just joined the hop back club.

Do hop back brewers have any pro or cons worth sharing?


Luke

 

[warrenlw63]

Nah, all good Luke

It's probably only laziness that stops me using mine. Plus when I go all flowers now I've got my 12 inch FB in the kettle means I can toss the flameout additions straight in. :beerbang:

Mine works really well. Really leaves a boat-load of aroma if you use enough hops.

Warren -

 

[Doc]

The only con from me is don't pack it too tight otherwise once the hops expand your flow rate will drop accordingly.
You don't want a high flow rate, but you do want flow

Doc

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Nah, all good Luke

It's probably only laziness that stops me using mine. Plus when I go all flowers now I've got my 12 inch FB in the kettle means I can toss the flameout additions straight in. :beerbang:

Mine works really well. Really leaves a boat-load of aroma if you use enough hops.

Warren -

Or you just hand each person who is drinking your beer a little potpourri of hops to whiff on as they drink. In this way, you can micro-customise your beers by having a selection of hop aromas to complement your beers... h34r:

 

[Lukes]

Sweet,
I was going to start with 1- 2 grams per liter.
That should not pack it too tight but I will bear that in mind.
I am also hoping to catch a bit of the break before the cube.

- Luke

 

[Chris]

Or you just hand each person who is drinking your beer a little potpourri of hops to whiff on as they drink. In this way, you can micro-customise your beers by having a selection of hop aromas to complement your beers... h34r:

Hahahahahahahahah. :lol:

Anyways, you guys have finally motivated me to think about making one.

Cheers

 

[pb unleaded]

Do you guys just throw away spent hops? Can they maybe be re-used for bittering next batch (if making one same day)?
:unsure:

 

[jayse]

Do you guys just throw away spent hops? Can they maybe be re-used for bittering next batch (if making one same day)?

You forgot to add the laugh out loud emoticon on the end. :lol:

 

[pb unleaded]

You forgot to add the laugh out loud emoticon on the end. :lol:

Post edited with more appropriate "unsure" emoticon.

 

[ant]

I might be a feasible question wrt lambics (yes, GL, infected homebrew...), maybe someone with experience brewing them can help, but my understanding was that you used aged hops that had lost their aroma, and were only used to contribute preservative properties. I guess the question is whether the hot wort in a hopback would strip the preservative chemicals out of the hops. If not, you could dry out the hops and reuse them for brewing lambics? (the upside being if they picked up an infection while drying, how would you ever know?)

I use a Morebeer hopback (ie not sealed), and haven't had any problems with flow rate, although you do have to watch them fairly closely and throttle back the inlet. They work great.

 

[warrenlw63]

Re-opening an old thread.

Like the artist staring at a blank canvas... Is it just me that sees the potential here?

Stainless steel, tight fitting sealed lid and only $5 each at Dimmey's :lol:

Craphaus Hopback Mk II COMING SOON!! :icon_drunk:

Warren -

 

[Bribie G]

Re-opening an old thread.

Like the artist staring at a blank canvas... Is it just me that sees the potential here?

Stainless steel, tight fitting sealed lid and only $5 each at Dimmey's :lol:

Craphaus Hopback Mk II COMING SOON!! :icon_drunk:

Warren -

Now your'e talking, I was toying with the idea of converting one of those ss canisters with the little holes in the lid for sprinkling icing sugar onto cakes or chocolate powder onto cappucinos, and even started a wee thread that didn't go too far, but here's a similar idea. I get the idea that hop backs should be small so the wort is forced through them a bit like a catalytic converter in a car exhaust so making one from a pressure cooker, like in some of the early posts, strikes me as being total overkill for the three or four plugs or whatever that would be used.

Edit: I had also considered the use of stainless steel kitchen scrubber pads as a filter, without knowing that this thread existed, and bugger me dead there they are in some of the designs.