Blichmann Hop Rocket as a Filter

[Buttwidget]

I'm thinking of picking up a Blichmann Hop Rocket to use as a filter prior to pushing wort through a plate chiller and into the fermenter. I often brew beers that would suffer from an infusion of hop aroma and want to know if I could still use the hop rocket with rice hulls or something else. This isn't to say I won't be using it for is intended purpose as well, though!

Also, I want to recirculate everything through the filter (Hop Rocket) and plate chillers before flameout to sanitize it.

I have a bazooka screen on my boil pot (keggle) but have heard from Tasty that whirlpooling isn't as effective in one. I really think moving to a plate chiller would be an upgrade, but I am worried about clogging it and hop the Hop Rocket might ensure I can move to the plate chiller without clogging. That is, if it can work as a filter when I don't want to use it with hops.

Thoughts, suggestions?

~widget

[gwk453]

I have been experimenting with my hop rocket using rice hulls. I was lucky because I pushed 200 degree water through the
HopRocket and discovered I made a rice hull tea ..... this has got to shit (smell & taste) up your wort. I stick hops in a good size hop bag and use the nylon mesh to serve as a filter medium. I would rather have hop tea in my beer than rice tasting byproducts. Maybe if you flush the crap out of the hulls with HOT water you might lower the effect. Put some rice hulls in 200+ water and you will see what I am talking about. There is plenty of science based talent in the BN Army that might help here, but if it smells like shit and taste like shit, I know it is not going into my beer.
I use a plate chiller too. I have to say that using a plate chiller is more of an art than a science.

Good Luck
Gary

[spiderwrangler]

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27788

[Buttwidget]

Thanks Spiderwrangler, I did a couple of searches and that topic never popped. That being said, my question is slightly different...

Can I use the Hop Rocket as a filter *without* hops? How well would it work at preventing a therminator from clogging? Is there something other than hops I can put in the Hop Rocket that will help it filter the trub out and help prevent chiller clogging?

Thanks,

~widget

[spiderwrangler]

Follow the link that was in the first response, there is a discussion about using ricehulls as a filter material.

[Buttwidget]

Again, thanks Spiderwrangler. I saw that.

Let me rephrase the question, maybe more clearly...

Could I use a Hop Rocket with something other than hops (one (recently debunked) idea might be rice hulls) to filter my wort and prevent a therminator from clogging?

Maybe more clearly, I want to use a hop rocket as a filter, but not with hops or rice hulls in it. Is there a solution that would make it a good filter?

~widget

[spiderwrangler]

Huh. I'd recommend either filling it with your hopes and dreams, or filling it with unicorns and rainbows... . Where was rice hulls debunked Tasty seemed to be saying it worked for him...

[Petedadink]

Use several hop bags so it acts like a filter