Straining the wort

[scalded_dog]

I brewed a batch of American Red Ale recently (a partial mash kit) and used this strainer to strain the wort

I also put my hop pellets in a nylon bag and when I strained the wort there was almost zero hot/cold break so I thought this would be a clean batch, but to my surprise when I racked from the primary to secondary there was about a quart and a half of really runny trub. My guess is that trub was the fine dust from the mash. When it was dry and I had it in a bag a lot of dust was coming out on my counter top.

My question is: Is there a good straining device that I can purchase? I’m thinking something with a coffee type filter but obviously bigger.

Here is a filter used by dairy farmers to strain milk, my concern here is that it could introduce bacteria. I’m guessing this would just plug up anyway at least to the point where it was running way too slow.

[flars]

I ferment in a carboy so I use a funnel with a built in strainer. With my wifes help we have a grain bag sitting in the funnel to pour into. As the bottom clogs we lift the sides of the bag and the strained wort falls into the funnel through the sides of the bag.
The bag would also work with the strainer you use. A simple home built stand to hold the bag would make it a one person pour.

[scalded_dog]

[quote=“flars”]I ferment in a carboy so I use a funnel with a built in strainer. With my wifes help we have a grain bag sitting in the funnel to pour into. As the bottom clogs we lift the sides of the bag and the strained wort falls into the funnel through the sides of the bag.
The bag would also work with the strainer you use. A simple home built stand to hold the bag would make it a one person pour.[/quote]

Flars, I have a funnel with a filter but have never used it. I also wrapped that sieve with a nylon paint bag and that worked out ok but I still had some trub. I know some guys have pumps with filters to pump from the brew pot to the fermentor. My next purchase will be a 15 gallon brew pot with a bazooka filter which I’m hoping will work to get most of the h/c break out.

[lytnin]

when I brew I use a hop spider to contain the hops and I run my wort from the kettle into my bucket fermenter that is lined with a nylon paint strainer bag. Fairly cheap solution and I have zero problems with excess trub getting into anything.

[deliusism1]

[quote=“Scalded Dog”]I brewed a batch of American Red Ale recently (a partial mash kit) and used this strainer to strain the wort

I also put my hop pellets in a nylon bag and when I strained the wort there was almost zero hot/cold break so I thought this would be a clean batch, but to my surprise when I racked from the primary to secondary there was about a quart and a half of really runny trub. My guess is that trub was the fine dust from the mash. When it was dry and I had it in a bag a lot of dust was coming out on my counter top.

My question is: Is there a good straining device that I can purchase? I’m thinking something with a coffee type filter but obviously bigger.

Here is a filter used by dairy farmers to strain milk, my concern here is that it could introduce bacteria. I’m guessing this would just plug up anyway at least to the point where it was running way too slow.

[/quote]

You can find a plastic funnel with a fine mesh strainer, either here or your local homebrew shop. I’ve been using mine for a long time. The metal one you’re showing us looks to me to have a filter screen that’s probably just a bit too fine. You want something that’s fine enough to filter out small bits of grain and hops, but not so fine that it’s like cheesecloth. That’ll just clog the flow and slow the process to a crawl.

[bunderbunder]

I gave up on my strainer, and switched to just using a siphon. I feel like I’m getting a lot less crud going into the fermenter that way.

[scalded_dog]

I figured that milk strainer was too fine and would probably clog. I will continue using the mesh paint bag over the top of the strainer for now, that seems to get out the most crap. My plan is to eventually get a bigger brew pot with a spigot and screen inside. Also I eventually plan on purchasing a plate chiller, my concern there would be the fine particles clogging the chiller, I would think an additional in line filter before the chiller would be a good idea?

[stealthcruiser]

What about using paint strainers, something like these:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#paint-strainers/=psklek

Cheap and disposable, and easily swapped out “mid siphon” should the need arise.

Anyone ever tried them?

The cone shaped one looks as if it would clog quickly, due to the diameter of the opening, but the other could stretch over the O. D. of your funnel, and be easily shifted around to expose new filter media.