to filter or not to filter

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BootYtRappeR

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
297
Reaction score
1
Location
Lewisville, NC
i enjoy the unfiltered wheat beers and i was wondering your thoughts on an unfiltered irish stout.

if i went the filtered route, how should i filter it? i'm assuming this will be done during the transfer from the primary to the bottling bucket, but where the hell do i put the filter?

BT

btw, my primary smells like sour dough bread! should i be worried?
 
bootytrapper said:
i enjoy the unfiltered wheat beers and i was wondering your thoughts on an unfiltered irish stout.

if i went the filtered route, how should i filter it? i'm assuming this will be done during the transfer from the primary to the bottling bucket, but where the hell do i put the filter?

I don't know that many people here filter their beers. I've never 'filtered' anything, but I have used gelatin to help clarify things. I have mixed feelings about clarifying now that I have tried it... seemed to be more work than it was worth. If you use good brewing practices, the beer will be pretty damn clear in the end anyway.

For dark beers, I wouldn't bother filtering. You probably won't notice any difference in taste, and you VERY likely won't notice it visually.

bootytrapper said:
btw, my primary smells like sour dough bread! should i be worried?

Nope. Relax and have a beer.

-walker
 
I filter my beer now that I am kegging. I don't know of a system to use that only uses gravity to force beer through a filter.

For kegging, you run the filter housing in line between the two kegs. There's more to it than that, but if you're not kegging, there's no need to get into it. Also, walker is right about the dark beers - you won't notice.

However, for lighter or even amber beers, you can definitely notice.
 
I once tried to strain with cheescloth as I siphoned out of the primary, but it was just not worth the effort. I have decided that a small amount of sediment is not objectionable, and I have noticed that as they age, my home brews become clearer (particles are settling into the sediment at the bottle, I assume).

Bottom line, it does not seem to me to be worth the effort.
 
Back
Top