Boil kettle to fermenter issues

[Thirsty Mallard]

I use the same method of pouring into a strainer. I tried the siphon... I just really hated adding more work to the end of my brew day. So, logically, I just brew more than I need.

I usually shoot for a final volume of 6 gallons, so then I just gently pour off the top 5 gallons and and leave the hop crud and whatnot in the 1 gallon of remaining wort in the kettle.

Of course, it does take a few sessions to get used to dumping a gallon of wort... 5 gallons for me... (pours on ground) and 1 for my homies.

[beer_bear]

On a spigot, do you think it would get hot enough during the boil to take care of any microbial beasties that may be lurking inside it? If not, I have heard of people running boiling wort thru it before killing the fire. Just the idea of moving boiling wort is a little unsettling.

~Matt

Seanhagerty told me about this idea. I have had good luck with that.
I also waited until my wort was chilled and was almost ready to pour through my spout, then filled a hose with StarSan. Then I would run the StarSan back towards the spout. Don't open it, just let the stuff sit in the valve for a bit. Then when it's had enough time, just run the beer and StarSan into your fermenter. I have had no prob with this either.
Quick answer, yes the heat will sanitise the valve.

[TimO]

I don't worry about it anymore with my hop-taco. It is designed after Bryan Peretto's version. He has pics of it at his kotmf.com site. I have a double layer of screen to hold back all of the break and hop sludge.

TimO

[shamusonme]

When I first started and was doing extract I was told by a number of people to just pour the kettle contents into the bucket and back and forth to airate, all that junk is good for the beer and will settle out in the ferment, so just leave it in.

The first glass I poured (Stout) had junk at the bottom, since then I've been trying to leave as much of the break and hops as possible in the kettle. But with a longer ferment and perhaps a secondary, would I benifit from leaving the hot/cold break and hop junk in the primary...my racking skills are better so I think I'm better at leaving whats at the bottom of the fermenter in the fermenter.

Opinions?

[calvey]

I resorted to using hop bags for my hops to solve some of my transfer woes.

I am trying a new design tomorrow that should allow me to have all the advantages of free-range hops (that is, hops not encumbered by the bag) but still allow me to gather the buggers up when the boil is over.

I got one of those large, 5 gallon nylon paint strainer bags at a local paint store. They have them at Lowes/Homes Despot as well. I am going to make a 6-inch ring out of copper (or something that won't react in the boil), and place this in the bottom of the strainer bag. Then I am going to make another for the top. So, what I will end up with is a cylinder. Then I will suspend the cylinder somehow at the top of the boil kettle.

Hopefully the free space will allow full utilization of the hops. When I'm done, I will just lift the thing out and let it drain a bit.