How do you deal with hop pellets?

[woodwormm]

I brewed last night for the first time with hop pellets free form. Ie no hop socks.

I've always been paranoid about them blocking things but thought as it was a no chill (due to time etc) I'd just throw them in.

Completely blocked my bazooka screen and was a PITA. hindsight says I shoulda taken the screen out pre boil and just dumped the whole lot in the cube.

I don't want to be restricted to flowers only and I'd like to use my plate chiller again soon.

How are people getting wort out a their kettles when using pellets and not blocking everything?

 

[manticle]

I have no screen, no filter, no problem. Only ever get blockages with flowers if I neglect to use a hopsock (thus I use a hop sock if I use flowers/plugs).

 

[woodwormm]

So you pump pellets through a plate chiller?

 

[indica86]

Turn kettle off and let things settle. I don't get blockages.

 

[panzerd18]

Whirlpool with the pickup the opposite direction of the whirlpool direction.

 

[manticle]

So you pump pellets through a plate chiller?

No chill sorry. Missed the plate chiller bit. Basic hop screen the limited number of times I used one though (someone else's rig).

 

[Yob]

No screen, just a pickup, decent whirlpool and it all settled in the cone

 

[rude]

I no chill use pellets no screens or sock
Throw in kettle bittering hops sometimes 5min additions the rest in the cube
Tip everything in the fermenter then let it all settle to the bottom
This is for ales 2 week ferment then cc
Lots of trub loss but happy with beers fill a keg plus a few litres bottled
I did use some termi mesh once but same got blocked
Have just bought some stainless type tea balls will try them should have got some smaller one for the cube

 

[Brewman_]

Plus 1 on a good whirlpool. If I am making a massive IPA with loads of late hops I use a hop sock.

I love pellets.
I love flowers
I love plugs
I love hops.

 

[dblunn]

I did use some termi mesh once but same got blocked

Hi Rude,
I'm interested in your termimesh trial. How much surface area did you have, was it similar to what the 'Electric Brewery' system uses? I ask as I want to do something like the Electric Brewery product but I'm not sure of the mesh specs required or where to source the mesh. The Termimesh could be an answer.
Regards, Dave

 

[Eagleburger]

Three brews ago I forgot to use my hop basket and just threw the hops straight in. It was a 25L batch done on my 50L system and the numbers didnt quite line up, I was only 20L into fermenter. So I figured I would let some hops go in the plate chiller to maximise the amount of wort. Suffered no blockage and gave the PC a thorough flush both ways with percarb. and cooked it in the oven. Three brews later it still spits a few hop particles when I give a hit of starsan before use. I figure with the oven cook etc nothing will survive and I will ignore it till I get an infection.

 

[takai]

Where do people get their termimesh from? Is it just commercially available at hardwares etc?

 

[whitegoose]

I use a hop sock/filter regardless of whether I'm brewing with pellets or flowers.

I have a super-fine mesh filter (like a rigid hop sock/tube, that sits inside my kettle) that doesn't let any pellet particles through... but is prone to gumming up and not even letting worth through! So I don't use it every brew. Other times I just wack the pellets in a normal hop sock, which obviously lets some (but not all) pellet particles through.

I always try to make a good cone from a good whirlpool, and give it ample time to settle, then I gravity feed through my plate chiller... Sanitise with Spartan before and after each brew, and clean out with sodium perch bout every fifth brew. No problems at all!

 

[MiskatonicBrewhaus]

Gents, I am looking to setup a whirlpool in my keggle. What fittings do I need ? I get the gist of it but can't figure out the details. Any links ?

 

[spog]

My 2 cents.
I have the outlet on the bottom of my keggle,I sit a nest of 3 kitchen sieves ( 1x large then smaller then smallest) over the top of the fermentor then drain the keggle.
As one sieve fills with hop ( pellets) I take it off ,bang against the side of the cleaning bucket to empty it then put it back in position.
Having 3 sieves like this, as one fills and I remove it the other 2 catch the crap still flowing from the outlet.
You just need to keep an eye on it so it doesn't clog all three sieves and end in a mess.
Works a treat and costs about $ 3.00 from the cheap shop.

 

[whitegoose]

Gents, I am looking to setup a whirlpool in my keggle. What fittings do I need ? I get the gist of it but can't figure out the details. Any links ?

Haha I just stir my kettle furiously for a bit and then wait for it to stop moving and settle down!