Filtering to bottling bucket problem

Something happened with our last batch. Every batch has came out great except we changed one thing, we tried to filter from primary to bottling bucket. We aren't using a secondary yet as its just a hobby and narrowing down recipes. We're getting better at transferring only clear liquid but decided to try and make things easier.

I used a typical nylon grain bag and tied it around the end of the exit flow of the tubing. We dumped in the sugar like always and began transfer. Everything worked great. We filtered out a lot of trub/krausen (not sure which one pertains) so we were happy that we could bottle right down to the bottom. Problem is, only a couple of the beers were over carbonated and the rest have zero carbonation. I am assuming that not enough yeast made it through the grain bag in order for the carbonation to happen?

Like I said, we're going to start secondary fermentation but did that nylon bag really filter out that much yeast? I don't know exactly what happened. The beer tastes great (even though its flat).

A few things here:

1) You don't need to filter. Don't bother, don't try. The beer should be clear enough if it is really done. Cold crashing the beer for a few days will help clarity, but if you're just starting I would leave it out. Let your beer ferment for 3 weeks and it will be clear enough. The haze will drop out in bottles.

2) The carbonation problem you are running into sounds like incomplete mixing of priming sugar. I hope you are adding to the bottling bucket, not the fermenter. You want to boil the sugar in a cup of water and add that to the bottling bucket. You then transfer the beer from the fermenter on top of this. You want it to whirlpool. Then stir it further with a sanitized spoon to make sure its mixed. Be gentle with the mixing so you don't aerate.

Yeast will always be in suspension unless you use a filter that is meant for very fine particles. Or you kill them somehow. Secondaries are unnecessary also, unless you're dry hopping or adding gelatin or ageing.

Hope this helps.

How long has it been in bottles? Give it more time and the carbonation may even out across the batch. It'll probably be great in another week or two!

Mojzis said:

A few things here:

1) You don't need to filter. Don't bother, don't try. The beer should be clear enough if it is really done. Cold crashing the beer for a few days will help clarity, but if you're just starting I would leave it out. Let your beer ferment for 3 weeks and it will be clear enough. The haze will drop out in bottles.

2) The carbonation problem you are running into sounds like incomplete mixing of priming sugar. I hope you are adding to the bottling bucket, not the fermenter. You want to boil the sugar in a cup of water and add that to the bottling bucket. You then transfer the beer from the fermenter on top of this. You want it to whirlpool. Then stir it further with a sanitized spoon to make sure its mixed. Be gentle with the mixing so you don't aerate.

Yeast will always be in suspension unless you use a filter that is meant for very fine particles. Or you kill them somehow. Secondaries are unnecessary also, unless you're dry hopping or adding gelatin or ageing.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

It did. I don't think the yeast died, we haven't changed anything. We add the sugar to the bottling bucket after boiling and cooled. Then transfer.

Only thing I can think of is the flow became weak and slowed the whirlpool action and never mixed the sugar correctly. We have never stirred the wort either, but maybe that would have been a good idea since we filtered. Just when I thought we knew what we were doing this happens lol. Thanks for the quick reply.

The other concern I will raise about your method of filtering is the action of the beer flowing through the filter can cause aeration or introduce O2 which can cause oxidation to the finished product which can cause your beer to taste like cardboard

Agreed with the aeration concern. Another reason I wouldn't try it.

Next time just give it a little stir when the bottling bucket is full. I had the same problem a while back and have been stirring since. Always good carbonation. I would let the bottles age a little.

If they still don't get better, you might try something to revive the flat bottles like adding sugar individually to the flat bottles. This is almost never recommended but eventually options run out.

I doubt the filtering and carbonation problems are related.

If you rack off above the trub carefully there is no reason to filter. I never do and get very little trub transferred to the bottling bucket.

Have you given the bottles long enough. It takes about 3 weeks at about 70 degrees for them to finish properly.

Also there is no reason to use a secondary in most cases. It is usually beginners that are using secondaries because the directions said to.

I have made 34 batches and only did a secondary on 3 out of the first 4 that I made. I will only use one now if I am adding fruit or something.