StillDragon® Community Forum

Welcome!

Be part of our community & join our international next generation forum now!

In this Discussion

Hopback/Randal with filter disks

So these new filter disks have got me thinking. Using existing components I could now make a Hopback or Randal... :)>-

image

Top down:

  • 1/2" barb or john guest fitting for beer line to use as a Randal

  • 2" rims cap with 1/2" thread

  • 4" x 2" tapered reducer

  • 4" filter disk

  • 4" pipe extension

  • 4" filter disk

  • 4" x 4" x 2" bubble tee (so it has a flat base to sit upright like pictured)

  • 2" RIMS cap with 1/2" thread

  • 1/2" barbed fitting etc

  • 4" Endcap

  • Clamps & gaskets.

Wort flow enters from bottom and exits at the top (to bleed out oxygen).

I have a HopRocket and it won't fit enough hops in it (only 100 odd grams ~X( ) so I got to thinking about a bigger one and the filter plates... I would probably go the 305mm extension. I have not priced the configuration but expect it would be expensive if you were to buy the bits to build one. However, if one already had the parts and just needed a couple of the filter disks...

Another option would be to make an inline Hopback with existing components (most of which I already have):

image

Left to right:

  • 3/4" ferrule x 12.8mm (should fit 1/2" silicone hose used in my brewery)
  • 3/4" ballvalve (to control flow of wort out - may not be needed)
  • 2" x 3/4" tapered reducer
  • 2" filter disk
  • 2" pipe extension
  • 2" filter disk
  • 2" x 3/4" tapered reducer
  • 3/4" ferrule
  • clamps and gaskets.

One could use the standoffs/mounting brackets from the RIMS kits.

One could also make a 4" inline Hopback in a similar manner: 2" rims cap, 4" x 2" tapered reducer, 4" filter disk, 4" pipe extension, 4" filter disk, 4" x 2" tapered reducer, 2" rims cap. :-bd

I think it would be unwise to use the filter disk hard up against the rims cap, this is why I have used tapered reducers. It has also got me thinking about how small changes to components (i.e not yet existing) could enhance these and help construct things such as inline trub filters. For example with the Randal/Hopback, a 4" short pipe extension (instead of the bubble tee) with a 1/2" socket welded to it would do away with one clamp, gasket and RIMS cap in the bottom section of the top picture. One could go for a 3/4" ferrule welded on instead of the socket and then a clamp another ferrule but this would only suit 1/2" brewery hose and could not fit John Guest fittings to accept beer line. The 1/2" socket would be more versatile.

Sorry for ripping the images and butchering them. :-SS I thought it would be OK in the context of this discussion.

If it aint half off, it aint on sale!

Comments

  • edited August 2013

    Malted, that's just brilliant. There's a host of ways it can be done, i also have the pipe hangers in 3" and 4" (that reminds me to put them on the site like Coops asked I-) ) so you could pick your sizes accordingly.

    You wouldn't want to pull your randall to bits every time you wanted to run your still though? :))

    How bout posting that up on AHB for me?

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @Malted said:

    Sorry for ripping the images and butchering them. :-SS I thought it would be OK in the context of this discussion.

    Well I for one am outraged.

    However, in light of the subject matter I must agree that you configuration is brilliant and do hope that you continue updating this thread with the evolution of your assembly.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • Don't worry Malted, even outraged he's very ineffectual.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Malted this is an awesome idea this stuff just gets better and better you could even do the hop back just before your pour it into the glass by somehow attaching a beer faucet to the hopback maybe a

    http://www.stilldragon.com/copper-to-stainless-connectors.html

  • @punkin said: Don't worry Malted, even outraged he's very ineffectual.

    Thank you for the kind words Punkin. BTW your spelling is terrible (no offense intended).

    That word is spelled I-n-t-e-l-l-e-c-t-u-a-l.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • Aaahhh i nearly got it worse, i was going to type u-n-a-t-t-r-a-c-t-i-v-e

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited September 2013

    Oh dear your spelling is not at all good.

    Better get back on topic as the mods round here are all business. Cheers

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • This is the topic.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @cooperville said: Malted this is an awesome idea this stuff just gets better and better you could even do the hop back just before your pour it into the glass by somehow attaching a beer faucet to the hopback maybe a

    http://www.stilldragon.com/copper-to-stainless-connectors.html

    Randal is generally the term used when the device is used on the cold side, i.e. carbonated and chilled beer is passed through immediately prior to dispense; it could contain hops, herbs, spices, fruit, any mixture of them or anything you want to infuse flavour into the beer.

    A hopback is a term for when the device is used for passing hot unfermented wort from the brew kettle immediately prior to cooling and then passing into a fermenter. The hot wort extracts flavours and then it is chilled to lock in those flavours - when using hops in it, the heat can continue to isomerise the hop acids and 'flavour' is lessened but bittering compounds are increased if the temperature of the wort remains near boiling. If that is what you wanted you would add the hops to the brew kettle at some stage. A Randal is all about the flavour/aroma not the bittering units and thus what passes through it needs to be promptly cooled through a heat exchanger etc.

    Two things make hop oils etc nicely soluble: alcohol (as in the Randal) and heat (as in the Hopback). A device as per how I proposed could be used as either a Randal or a Hopback. I have a commercially sourced device that likewise can be used for either purpose but to my mind, the volume that it can contain is not large enough.

    Commonly folks who would use a Randal at home would have a kegerator (dispense refrigerator that the keg is kept in). With the addition of John Guest fittings one just puts such a device in-line between the keg and the dispense faucet. John Guest fittings will accept the beer dispense line. This way the beer inside the Randal is kept cool (so is the Randal) and you thus have less foaming issues upon dispense. When temp of beer increases, CO2 comes out of solution. Cold beer from a keg hitting a warm Randal could make it foam. If it was ambient beer in a keg being passed through a miracle box/jockey box/beer cooling unit (coils of thin pipe passing through ice or chilled glycol etc) then you could have the Randal also at ambient temperature, in-line between the keg and cooling unit.

    In a commercial bar situation they might have the Randal above the bar for maximum visual effect - the crystal dragon/sight tower with some filter disks could be used for this with some modifications. I experienced such a device at a bar on one occasion and they had an American Pale Ale passing through sliced cucumbers - it was surprising how much cucumber flavour was in the beer - it was bloody awful!

    You would probably not have an above bar, glass Randal at home because the volume of dispense would not be high enough; therefore the beer in the Randal above the bar would be subject to light strike (and thus skunking) and being heated to ambient temperatures. However, if you put a sock or cover over it when not dispensing and passed the ambient beer through a cooling device prior to serving, then you could enjoy the theatre of it in your own home.

    I am not picking on you cooperville. I thought others might be interested to know more about it, and/or I added too much information as I am a bit of a havachat at times.

    If it aint half off, it aint on sale!

  • You could scale this up or down easily with SD parts from 2" to 8".
    Could the new gin basket also be used?

Sign In or Register to comment.