Stainless hop spider

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CoopsOz

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Hi brewers,
I'm two brews into using my new plate chiller and am having difficulty keeping hop material out of it. I whirlpool with very limited success so I'm looking for a filter of some description.

I found something that looks promising but they come from the US. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BEER-WORT-CUP-STAINLESS-STEEL-HOMEBREW-BEER-HOP-SPIDER-HOPS-FILTER-PELLET-HOPS-/170945571010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cd2668c2

Is anyone using one or something similar? Do any of the sponsors offer such a product?
 
If you get a response it might be worth investigating if sharing the shipping is beneficial.
 
nathan_madness said:
I am waiting to hear back form Stainless Brewing. They don't seem to want to answer my question "Do you ship to Australia".
If you have your heart set on one, use a freight forwarder. I've done it a few times. Seems to work OK.
 
Maybe I should be working on my whirlpooling because it seems that nobody uses these things! Should I just put a SS scrubber over the pick up tube and be done with it? What is everybody else using?
 
You can make a hop spider out of a hop sock and PVC pipe

hop%20filter.jpg
 
swmbo bought me a stainless hop spider from Stainless Brewing, they definitely ship to Oz. Shipping (for the largest one they make) was $70, so not real cheap.

I'd suggest getting a few interested people to purchase at the same time & split the shipping. You'd have to go with different diameter versions so they fit inside each other

Here's a pic if mine in action, love this bit of kit!

ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1396859764.899662.jpg
 
That is awesome breakbeer. It is exactly what I want. The reason being is that I do a lot of singles on a 100litre pot and my normal paint strainer hop spider doesn't reach the bloody wort. I thought a tall rigid one would do the trick nicely.
 
CoopsOz said:
Hi brewers,
I'm two brews into using my new plate chiller and am having difficulty keeping hop material out of it. I whirlpool with very limited success so I'm looking for a filter of some description.

I found something that looks promising but they come from the US. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BEER-WORT-CUP-STAINLESS-STEEL-HOMEBREW-BEER-HOP-SPIDER-HOPS-FILTER-PELLET-HOPS-/170945571010?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27cd2668c2

Is anyone using one or something similar? Do any of the sponsors offer such a product?
Hi CoopsOZ, I use that exact strainer. See the 5th pic down in this post: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/78681-my-typical-brew-day/

I picked it up when I was in the states on business, so don't know about shipping.
 
I never thought of using it like that. Do you have any difficulty getting the last of the wort out with the syphon? I guess it needs to be tall enough to rest on the bottom of the kettle?
 
I usually use it the normal way, by putting the hops in it and then draining the BK in the normal way. But when I have a brew with mostly late-addition hops, I think I get better mileage out of my hops if I put them straight into the BK. It might not matter either way.

I had Chad make the strainer to fit my BK exactly (he, by the way, makes a really top-notch product that I highly recommend) so that it reaches all the way to the bottom. So yeah, I can drain my BK with a siphon pretty easily.

Cheers,

matto
 
I've found with throwing in pellets commando that the sludge at the bottom of a double batch is simply too big and goes out to the pickup tube in my kettle. So, whirlpooling is only partially effective. Flowers act as a natural sort of filter so work a little better, albeit greater wort absorption/retention.

I'd definitely want a hop spider, asked at beer belly but they indicated they are so far behind orders it'd be impractical to jump on yet another thing...
 
practicalfool said:
I've found with throwing in pellets commando that the sludge at the bottom of a double batch is simply too big and goes out to the pickup tube in my kettle. So, whirlpooling is only partially effective. Flowers act as a natural sort of filter so work a little better, albeit greater wort absorption/retention.

I'd definitely want a hop spider, asked at beer belly but they indicated they are so far behind orders it'd be impractical to jump on yet another thing...
I find the same thing when I double batch. I get quite a good cone in the middle but it is just so big that I can't avoid picking up a little sludge. That being said I quite like the idea of my hops being free to move about the kettle as they see fit without the restrictions of a spider (unless it was quite big).
 
GalBrew said:
That being said I quite like the idea of my hops being free to move about the kettle as they see fit without the restrictions of a spider (unless it was quite big).
Yes, I tend to agree. That is why I use my hop strainer as a filter to siphon through.
 
I have been looking into something similar.
A few brewers on here use a SS kitchen waste fitting as it narrows and allows a hop bag to be attached. Have a search around.
I would love one from SS brewing they look amazing!
 
hathro said:
You can make a hop spider out of a hop sock and PVC pipe

hop%20filter.jpg
Damn that looks the goods, that'd save me 20mins of cleaning time after every brew, AND stop my pump copping all that hoppy goodness going through it when im recirculating to cool.

I use a keggle to, does your bag touch the bottom of the keggle when heating. Just worried the bag I have maybe melting if it did come in contact with the bottom of the keggle. Would hate to chop it up so it didn't touch or have it melt if it did. Mines gas fired though.
 
Hi shaunous,

Just cut your hop bag to length so it doesn't touch the bottom of the keggle (or your element if electric). There is a clamp that holds the bag to the PVC pipe and you can see the join on the bottom right of the PVC. Alternately, you can hoist the bag up over this or cut it, your choice.

I went this route as it was cheap and I could get all the materials from Bunnings.
 
I wonder how much benefit the bag spider gives. The bag can still fold over itself unlike a solid side spider. I went on amazon and a bloke is selling on there, I believe same as the guy on eBay. That should get intl shipping.
 
The bag is immersed in the wort and is perforated. It is kept moving by a rolling boil.

If you are concerned, drop a small stainless steel weight in there.
 
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