Hop Pellet Question

[bob downe]

Hi,

I'm about to do my first AG brew this coming weekend. I've ordered hop pellets but have been reading bad things about them.

My boiler has a peice of 15mm pipe with 2-3mm holes in as a hop strainer. With not using hop leaves but hop pellets, will the 'gunk' get into my FV?

If so, would simply passing the output of my boiler through a kitchen seive help?

If anybody has experience with hop pellets in their brew, I'd be grateful for some advice.

Many thanks.

 

[Dunfie]

I've not used pellets but I believe that you would be best trying to create a whirlpool effect when emptying your boiler. The cone of the whirlpool will attract the hops and trub meaning that you will leave most of it in the boiler.

At least thats the theory. :wha:

 

[bob downe]

Ok Thanks,

Been doing a bit of research and am now thinking of putting a wire strainer in the boiler. :wha:

 

[markp]

Have a look at this topic

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5760

I built something similar and it works very well.

ATB

 

[bob downe]

Great stuff.

I've just oredered some wire mesh so I'll be straight on it as soon as it arrrives.

Thanks.

 

[phettebs]

I almost exclusively use hop pellets. They can be a pain. I whirlpool in the brew kettle to get them to form a cone in the middle. Then I use an auto siphon to carefully siphon out the cooled wort. Inevitably, I end up short on volume and dump the remaining sludge through a kitchen strainer to catch most of the hops. I end up with some in the FV but it doesn't hurt anything.

 

[rabbie]

I'm another one who gets by on pellets only, to be honest it's never posed a problem.
I use a hop bag, which ends up full of "sludge", but does keep some of the pellet together. The rest of the hop material drops out quite nicely with cooling, and the wort is quite easily siphoned off.

 

[markp]

I use a hop bag

Do you lose any efficiency with the hop bag rabbie?
Do you have to add a few more hops to compensate at all?