BM Hop Spider

[barneey]

Finally got my hop spider from the US

[LeeH]

I have one of these in my buffalo, I struggled to get all the hops in it yesterday and the temperature in the middle was a few degrees cooler the the wort.

Have you tried it Barneey?

Think I'll just use it for pellets or very small doses of leaf.

[barneey]

Nope not tried the thing yet, I was waiting for it to arrive, I don't have anyother filter in the pot at the moment.

Will test the thing out + take temps in use.

One idea I did think of was to use the pump during the boil to try and help disbursement.

[BrewerBen]

Hi, have you had the chance to give the hop spider a go yet? I'm using hop pellets in bags at the moment but something like this is certainly more befitting the braumeister.

Also as a side question have you fitted a dip tube at all or do you tip the braumeister? I'm toying with the idea of replacing the tap and trying to incorporate a dip tube. I'm not fussed about a hop filter as i'll stick to bags or get a hop spider but it would be nice to not have to tip.

[barneey]

Nope my BM build is still waiting the control panel to arrive, until then I have been using my large setup.

[barneey]

It doesn't look as though I will be using the filter anytime soon, so to free up some cash will be selling the item on.

[hambrook]

To give you an idea of what this hop spider looks like 'in action';

This was in my BM 20L which I have now sold on and moved up to the BM50L. Some feedback;
- It's a great way to keep the boil clean and get the hops out
- The Spiedel immersion chill slides wonderfully round the hop spider
- If you use pellets you'll need one of these (or pop them in a muslin bag) or your BM tap will clog
- It's mighty expensive - over £120 including import duty
- it does not help cooling as it stops any kind of whirlpool so I tended to lift out the spider and rest it on the centre post whilst it drained. Not ideal as BM is open whilst chilling increasing the chance of infection
- In a heavy hopped recipe you do have to keep prodding down the hops to get them initially in the malt spider

I have not gone for one again in the BM50L and gone for the Spiedel hop filter instead. This only works for whole hop flowers and on it's first use I had some issues!

[themadhippy]

sod the brewing,wotcha doing with a par can in there?

[hambrook]

sod the brewing,wotcha doing with a par can in there?

Beer party ?

[BrewerBen]

To give you an idea of what this hop spider looks like 'in action';

IMG_3514.jpg

This was in my BM 20L which I have now sold on and moved up to the BM50L. Some feedback;
- It's a great way to keep the boil clean and get the hops out
- The Spiedel immersion chill slides wonderfully round the hop spider
- If you use pellets you'll need one of these (or pop them in a muslin bag) or your BM tap will clog
- It's mighty expensive - over £120 including import duty
- it does not help cooling as it stops any kind of whirlpool so I tended to lift out the spider and rest it on the centre post whilst it drained. Not ideal as BM is open whilst chilling increasing the chance of infection
- In a heavy hopped recipe you do have to keep prodding down the hops to get them initially in the malt spider

I have not gone for one again in the BM50L and gone for the Spiedel hop filter instead. This only works for whole hop flowers and on it's first use I had some issues!

Was the spider from http://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com. I'm still pretty tempted by these, i use hope bags and cant help but be drawn towards a stainless alternative. Also do you think the ones that hang over the side would be better if they fit so that they sit just above the element. The thought being that the hops would be agitated more by the boil. I've just bought a plate chiller and pump so am keen to keep the wort free from debris as much as i can.

[hambrook]

Hi Ben, yes this was the one from Utah Biodiesel - REALLY expensive by the time you add shipping, customs ~£120 for the BM20l one. I had trouble cramming just under 200g of whole hops in there for one very hoppy brew I do. On a 50L batch thats 380g of hops, a good bucket full so I am at the point of considering hop bag vs another Utah one.

I guess the limitation of the ones that hang over the size is that they might not be deep enough for a short 25L batch; but they do work out 50% cheaper than Utah biodiesel ones.

[Mr. Dripping]

I have one of the homebrewbuilder hop spiders that hang over the side of my BM20.
The thing itself is nicely made, but I have my reservations about it.......those being the amount of hops one of these will hold and the restriction it places on moving hops through the wort.
I used a mixture of flowers and pellets and found myself prodding at them with a big spoon and then lifting the spider in and out of the wort a few times to get some circulation. I will know better this weekend when I have a taste, but on smelling during transfer to keg the beer didn't seem nearly bitter enough for the amount of hops used.

My second brew was all pellets and I went commando
I just threw the pellets in with no filter, then chilled and 'whirpooled' by stirring the wort. I had to be pretty careful tipping the last of the wort out in to the FV, but I managed to do this without getting any hop debris through.

I'm trying to find some suitable hop socks, but have had no joy as yet.