HopCat - Rubber Washers

[HeavensBrew]

After giving significant hints before my recent birthday, without success, I recently bought a HopCat.

I have set it up and note that it included 2 rubber washers, but these are not mentioned at all in the manual. Does anybody know if these are just spares or where I should have used them?

 

[Magog]

After giving significant hints before my recent birthday, without success, I recently bought a HopCat.

I have set it up and note that it included 2 rubber washers, but these are not mentioned at all in the manual. Does anybody know if these are just spares or where I should have used them?

Trying to find that out right now! Did you have any luck?

 

[HeavensBrew]

They were spares. I wanted to double-check as I was worried I might have a boiling wort start to spray across the room or I would bugger the machine on the first use.

 

[Flan]

They were spares. I wanted to double-check as I was worried I might have a boiling wort start to spray across the room or I would bugger the machine on the first use.

How is the hopcat performing, I’m thinking of this as my next big purchase.

 

[HeavensBrew]

Fine so far and easier than what I was doing before, but I can't compare it to any other system.

They have a Facebook group which would be worth you checking out. I personally avoid Facebook and so I have been picking up the tips here and there. For instance: Mash 900w, bring to boil with 2500w and then boil at 1600w for a rolling boil.

 

[Flan]

Fine so far and easier than what I was doing before, but I can't compare it to any other system.

They have a Facebook group which would be worth you checking out. I personally avoid Facebook and so I have been picking up the tips here and there. For instance: Mash 900w, bring to boil with 2500w and then boil at 1600w for a rolling boil.

Good to know ta. Have you brewed more than the regulation 23l in it yet.

 

[HeavensBrew]

Not yet. I'm still creating my list of preferred brews before doing that.

 

[Maxonian]

I have a HopCat Mk II. 88 brews in and still going strong.

 

[HeavensBrew]

I have a HopCat Mk II. 88 brews in and still going strong.

How do you do your water calculations and have you ever tried larger batches? For a 23L batch I have read 19L to mash + 12L for the sparge for a 28L boil and a 23l batch of wort.`

 

[Maxonian]

I mainly do 23l batches, usually with an 18 litre mash or thereabouts and two slow sparges of 4 litres each. It depends on how much grain is in the grain bill really and what my efficiency is from an initial gravity reading.

There’s 8 litres of dead space between the bottom of the mash tun and the bottom of the kettle so I’ll adjust the water volume slightly each time. I try and do as thick a mash as I can with no dry pockets in it so it could be anywhere between a 16l mash or 25l if I’m brewing a really big beer. When I raise the mash tun after the mash, I unscrew the top part of the malt pipe and compress the grain bed with the filter and sparge on top of it.

My biggest fermenter has a 33 litre capacity and I’ve done a few 30 litre batches in that but only with yeasts that I know will not produce a tonne of krausen and burst out of the airlock.