I’ve been planning to build a hop spider for a while, so on this cool but sunny Saturday afternoon I stopped by the hardware store and picked up what I needed. I’ll be using this on my next brew, although with only 2 ounces of hops in the boil it will hardly be necessary. I hope that it proves useful the next time I make a big IPA.
This was a simple project, with only about $20 worth of parts. I probably could have saved some money by going with smaller bolts, but at least the finished product is unlikely to drop into the kettle. I used a 5 gallon bag because I want plenty of room for the hops to swim around in the wort as it boils.
Parts
- 4″ to 3″ PVC reducer
- 3 ⅜″×10″ carriage bolts
- 6 ⅜″ washers
- 6 ⅜″ nuts
- 5 gallon nylon paint straining bag
- 1 5″ hose clamp
I even drew a little diagram before I went shopping.
Construction
I started by measuring the circumference of the large side of the PVC reducer. It measured just under 16 inches. Since I went with 3 bolts, I marked off spaces about 5 ⅜″ apart, and about ¾″ down from the top edge of the reducer. There was no need to be perfect but I wanted things to look nice.
I then drilled three ⅛″ pilot holes.
I switched to the ⅜″ bit and finished out the holes. The cuts were pretty clean, but still left some burrs. I cleaned things up a little with a pocket knife.
I threaded a nut and washer onto each bolt, then placed them through the holes and secured them on the other side with a second nut and washer. I adjusted the length of the bolts a little, then tightened it all down with a couple of wrenches.
Now I had the structure, so I opened up the 5 gallon paint strainer bag and placed it over the small side of the PVC reducer. I tightened up a large hose clamp to keep things snug, and was done.
The project really couldn’t have been any simpler, and it fits great in my 10 gallon boil kettle.
— Steve