It's purpose is to allow full hop utilization in the brew kettle while still allowing for hop sludge and cones to be removed easily from the wort after the boil. I stumbled upon this on the homebrewing forums while researching other stuff. I though, 'Gee, why didn't I think of that?' It's so simple and functional (though I have yet to test it). With $10 in parts from the hardware store and 5 minutes of easy labor, it's ready to work. Here's what you need:
(1) 4" to 3" PVC reducing union
(1) 3-4" worm clamp ( I think that's the size...just feel it up in the store to be sure)
(1) 5 gallon paint strainer (I had to buy a 2pk, and you may have to also)
(3) 5/16" x 8"L carriage bolts
(3) 5/16" locking washers
(3) 5/16" flat washers
(6) 5/16" hex nuts
Construction is very easy, as long as you have a drill. On the 3" side of the PVC union drill three holes 120degrees apart and about 3/4" down from the top. I started with 3/16" pilot holes and then finished with 5/16" holes. Install worm clamp on 3" side of the union below the drilled holes. Assemble bolts into holes using a hex bolt, followed by the flat washer, followed by a pvc hole, followed by a locking washer, followed by another hex nut. Do this at each PVC hole. Finally feed the paint strainer bag over the outside of the 4" side of the union and then tuck it under the worm clamp on the 3" side and tighten down the worm clamp (if you worm clamp the bag on the 4" side a heavy hop bag from will 'pull' off the clamp and your bag will fall into your kettle.)
That's it!
Here's a close up of the finer points on the spider:
A pic of the spider in the kettle:
These come in handy for hoppy hoppy beers and I have read that utilization is not affected because the bag is so big that the hops basically swim free.
I will be testing it this weekend when I brew one of my wedding brews this weekend. I'm gonna need it because the boil is going to have 9 oz. of hops.
I would highly recommend this project to any brewing friends. It is very easy and highly praised by others who have done it.
Some might ask, 'Does the PVC cause any concern for plasticy flavors from it sitting over a steamy kettle? Do the carriage bolts (zinc coated steel, not stainless) possibly rust up and cause issues?'
The answers are no and maybe. No one who has used one has reported issues of plastic flavors from the strainer or union. Though the bolts are basic steel, they are also very cheap. If I ever see issues of rusting I'll just replace them.
Stay tuned for a report on how it works!
Dagmar yo, lookin good. I wish we had this for the Pliny clone we did!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had that for the Eruption and Nuptiale. Do you think it will be easy clean up or just use new strainers every time?
ReplyDeleteI used it this afternoon and it was pretty easy to clean up! I left it in the kettle during cooling and when I was done cooling I took it out and let it drip dry outside. Once dried out I dumped the hops and gave the bag a good rinse. Almost as good as new. Either way, each bag costs about a buck and I think for very hoppy beers its almost worth it for the avoidance of hop sludge.
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