When using whole or leaf hops how do you remove them from your boil ?

Well pretty self explanitory, I recently started using whole leaf hops over pellets, because I have a fresh local organic source to get them from. The problem is when transfering a beer to a secondary fermenter they clog the racking cane something terrible. So how do you keep your hops seprate from your brew? We have thought about making a hop spider or something, but would like some input from the community about how they approach this problem.

  I use the muslin hop bags, while there is some loss of flavor, I just add a little extra.

My current setup is a keggle with a spigot and a dip tube and a bazooka screen around the dip tube.  I use whole hops because the bazooka screen filters them perfectly.

When I had an 8 gallon pot, I poured the cooled wort through a large kitchen strainer.  I didn't worry about trub, then.

After I switched to the keggle, and before i got the spigot....I siphoned.  To siphon, I place a sanitized paint strainer in the cooled wort (or just put it in the boiling wort with 5 minutes left)...then I placed the racking cane into the paint strainer.  The problem here is that the strainer will clog the racking cane.  So, I used a large slotted spoon to keep the paint strainer out of the dip tube.

Finally, my last resort before the spigot was to use a hop spider with a 15 gallon paint strainer type bag.

Since you are siphoning from the boiler, I'd think you need a method to keep the siphon tip clear.  I've seen s/s gadgets made for the tip, and you might be able to use a s/s tea/hop infuser or nylon mesh bag wrapped around the tip. 

The trick will be to find something sanitary that allows decent flow.  If you do, you may get even more clear wort than before since the hops will draw in around the siphon and add to the filtering. 

I have only used whole leaf hops.  In my first setup, I simply put a kitchen strainer on the fermenting bucket and poured out of my pot through the strainer, into the fermenter.

Since then I bought an 8 gallon brew kettle with a port on it.  I have a hose barb on the outside of the threaded port and a bazooka filter on the inside.  The Bazooka filter keeps all the hops and any stray grains out and I simply put a hose on the barb, turn the ball valve to open it up and it is straight to the fermenter.  Much much nicer and cleaner !  Dump the hops, etc into the trash by turning the pot over when done with the transfer .. rinse and wash it out, ready for the next batch !

I stopped by home depot and got the supplies for a hop spider, so I will put that together this evening and try it out this weekend. I appreciate everyones suggestions and help with this subject I will update to let ya'll know how it worked out.

  I've thought about useing the hop spider, but I like late hop additions and I use a imersion chiller.

My current setup just has a dip tube that goes near the bottom of my keggle, but not all the way down.  I whirlpool after cooling and let it sit for 20 minutes while I clean up other stuff.  Then I just run it into the carboys without any further filtration.  The whirlpool leaves the worst of the hops and break behind, but a lot of it makes it into the fermenter, where it settles out when fermentation is over.  My yeast cake is slightly thicker than it has been in the past when I did try to filter them out but no worries over stuck draining and it goes fast.

Since I brew ten gallon batches I was getting upset with all the crud being in one carboy and none in the other, so I started filling the carboys a gallon at a time at first to split it up.

Well I highly recommend a hop spider, I brewed twice this weekend, and it worked like a charm both with loose leaf hops and pellet hops! Instead of a mulsin or grain bag I used an ultra fine 1 gallon paint strainer bad I bought at home depot for 50 cent, I simply added the hops as needed and then when done drained the bag and the put the hops in the compost and threw the bag away as it was only 50 cents. The only down side that I have found is because the bag is so finely meshed it does take a little bit of extra time to drain the wort that is in the hops, but still a small trade off for clear beer!

I curently have a keggle and dip tube setup and all I use is stainless steel wool wrapped around the dip tube. The boil sanitizes it and the all I have to do is drain it. Works great and I dont see any reason it wouldnt work on the end of a siphon either.

A hop spider works for me.  My hop spider is simple a SS kitchen strainer that I formed to fit my keggle.  I use an immersion chiller to cool the wort and recirculate with a March pump.  With 15 minutes left in the boil, I temporarily remove the hop spider, insert the immersion chiller and return line for the pump.  The hop spider fits  over the immersion chiller.  Works well for late hop additions too when recirculating / chilling the wort.