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alexp

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Hi everyone! Finally bit the bullet yesterday and grabbed my first beginner kit. Its the Brewers Spring Draught. This is something I have been meaning to do for a couple of years now, so I am glad I finally have something going!!

I used tapwater, but let it sit overnight to leach out as much of the chlorine as possible, and now my wort is happily bubbling away in my primary. My question is if i wanted to filter this beer would I filter it racking to my secondary? Or would I filter it prior to bottling. Just curious, as I say, Im less than 24 hours old in this hobby!! I eventually want to get into doing 100 percent kit free brewing, with grain. Baby steps first though, so please bare with me!

Cheers

Alex!
 
Congrats. But hate to burst your bubble. But you need co2 to force the beer through a filter. No real need to filter any way if its just a hobby. Imo.

If your talking about removing the hop junk then you could use some sort of sanitized grain/hop bag over the end of the racking cane. That will help the rest of the crap will fall out during ferm.
 
If you are just filtering to get clearer beer, I would recommend to cold crash it in you fridge for 3-5 days before bottling. Also, I would let it sit in primary for 3 weeks and skipping secondary. If it isn't clear by then, you could cold crash longer and that should help.
 
if you filter your beer, you might end up removing all the yeast... and then who will carbonate your beer in the bottles? (moot question if you're going to keg).

there is lots you can do get clear beer: cold crash, use finings like irish moss or whirlfloc, use gelatin, etc.
 
By the way, if it is bubbling away in primary it is beer not wort. The minute you pitch your yeast, your wort becomes beer.
Congratulations on your first batch and on your new hobby which, if you are anything like most folks around here, will become a happy obsession!
Cheers and make sure to read the stickies.
Trust me on this!
:mug:
 
i think you will be surprised how clear you can get beer by just leaving it. gelatin will take out even more. cold crashing works well to
 
Filtering is generally not necessary.

If the kit did not come with a whirlfloc tablet or some irish moss (refined and unrefined version of the same stuff) - go to a local homebrew supply and get some. Add 1 tablet or 1 teaspoon to the boil 15 minutes before you take it off the heat.

It will help assure that proteins in the beer that might otherwise make it cloudy will drop out into the sediment cake.

You can also add knox gelatine to the secondary to further flocculate the beer.

But really, beer is for drinking, not for watching TV through.
 
sweetcell said:
if you filter your beer, you might end up removing all the yeast... and then who will carbonate your beer in the bottles? (moot question if you're going to keg).

there is lots you can do get clear beer: cold crash, use finings like irish moss or whirlfloc, use gelatin, etc.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Filtering and bottling are pretty much mutually exclusive.

Also, you may want to reconsider using a secondary. It's not necessary for most beers and just gives you one more chance to oxidize or infect your beer and one more container to clean. You can just leave it where it is until it's at final gravity and you get a nice, tightly packed yeast cake on the bottom of your fermenter (search for "cold crash" if you want to speed it along). Then all you have to do is keep your racking cane out of the trub when you transfer to the bottling bucket. That way, you keep most of the yeast out of the bottle, but still have enough left in suspension to carbonate the beer.

Also, if you haven't already, read through John Palmer's How to Brew. It's free online (www.howtobrew.com ) and will answer many, many of your questions. Even some you didn't know you had.
 
gr8shandini said:
Yeah. Filtering and bottling are pretty much mutually exclusive.
Click to expand...

I dunno, i bought a couple kegs from a guy who had decided that his preferred process is to put his beer in a keg, push it through a coarse filter into another keg with co2, then push it back into the first keg through a fine filter with co2, then force carb, then use a counterflow filler to fill bomber bottles.

Takes all kinds. Also takes at least 2 kegs and a tank of co2, and a blingmann beer gun.

He also painted the kegs - right over old labels and gummy leavings of labels - and those are the two kegs that have been giving me trouble.
 
gr8shandini said:
Yeah. Filtering and bottling are pretty much mutually exclusive.

Also, you may want to reconsider using a secondary. It's not necessary for most beers and just gives you one more chance to oxidize or infect your beer and one more container to clean. You can just leave it where it is until it's at final gravity and you get a nice, tightly packed yeast cake on the bottom of your fermenter (search for "cold crash" if you want to speed it along). Then all you have to do is keep your racking cane out of the trub when you transfer to the bottling bucket. That way, you keep most of the yeast out of the bottle, but still have enough left in suspension to carbonate the beer.

Also, if you haven't already, read through John Palmer's How to Brew. It's free online (www.howtobrew.com ) and will answer many, many of your questions. Even some you didn't know you had.
Click to expand...

Grab the actual book (3rd edition). Dont just read the online version. Many sections have been updated. Some old advice is no longer valid and several processes have changed.
 
Draken said:
Grab the actual book (3rd edition). Dont just read the online version. Many sections have been updated. Some old advice is no longer valid and several processes have changed.
Click to expand...

+1
This book should come with every beginner brewing kit, IMHO.
 
TimpanogosSlim said:
I dunno, i bought a couple kegs from a guy who had decided that his preferred process is to put his beer in a keg, push it through a coarse filter into another keg with co2, then push it back into the first keg through a fine filter with co2, then force carb, then use a counterflow filler to fill bomber bottles.

Takes all kinds. Also takes at least 2 kegs and a tank of co2, and a blingmann beer gun.

He also painted the kegs - right over old labels and gummy leavings of labels - and those are the two kegs that have been giving me trouble.
Click to expand...

Well, that is a process, I guess. However, I was using the more standard terminology when refering to kegs and bottles as the vessel in which carbonation is going to happen (although I often bottle from a keg as well - just without all that filtering).

Also, the other posters above are right, I should have also pushed the hard copy version of Palmer (3rd edition). But you'll probably want to read it more than once anyway, so giving the online copy a run-through while you wait for the paper version isn't a bad idea.
 
Thank you so much guys!! Really really appreciate it!!

In regards to me asking about filtering, I am a chef, and as such I am highly neurotic in regards to things like clarity, colour etc. Seems to go with the territory!! :) I use gelatin, ice filtering, and protein rafting to clarify everything from soups, stocks, as well as some new tricks. I guess I just wasn't sure how far along these kits had come, but after spending 2 solid days on this site between working, I am confident my final product will be fantastic providing I don't screw it up!!

I dont own a racking cane yet. I currently only have a primary and secondary fermentor, some tubing and an auto siphon. I need to do some more shopping!! I will get the cane when I get the bottles ( probably next week). It seems the goal in bottling is to not allow air to come in contact with the beer at all right??

Thanks again guys so much! Plenty more questions to come!!!



Alex
 
If you have a auto siphon, you don't need a racking cane as it is part of the auto siphon. If anything, get one of the bottle fillers with the spring loaded tip, they are like $3 and help immensly when filling bottles.
 
alexp said:
Thank you so much guys!! Really really appreciate it!!

In regards to me asking about filtering, I am a chef, and as such I am highly neurotic in regards to things like clarity, colour etc. Seems to go with the territory!! :) I use gelatin, ice filtering, and protein rafting to clarify everything from soups, stocks, as well as some new tricks. I guess I just wasn't sure how far along these kits had come, but after spending 2 solid days on this site between working, I am confident my final product will be fantastic providing I don't screw it up!!

I dont own a racking cane yet. I currently only have a primary and secondary fermentor, some tubing and an auto siphon. I need to do some more shopping!! I will get the cane when I get the bottles ( probably next week). It seems the goal in bottling is to not allow air to come in contact with the beer at all right??

Thanks again guys so much! Plenty more questions to come!!!



Alex
Click to expand...

As much as possible, but there's really no way to avoid contact with air. All you can do is minimize any splashing. There are also O2 absorbing bottle caps if you're really worried about it.

The other goal you should have in mind while bottling is to get the amount of priming sugar in each bottle as even as you can. The best way is to disolve it in about a pint of water, put the solution in the bottom of your bottling bucket, then siphon into it. It'll be pretty well mixed just like that, but you can also stir gently with a sanitized spoon, again, being mindful not to introduce oxygen.
 
Hi again!

So I'm going to head down to my hb place today and grab a spring loaded bottle filler. Anything to make bottling easier!!

In regards to adding the dextrose to a pint of water... So I will pour the pint of water and dextrose into my bottling bucket ( I'm just going to clean and sanitize my primary fermentor and use that), and then just siphon the beer into my bottling bucket, and stir carefully? Just want to make sure I have all these steps crystal clear! I'm picking up a copy of both those books today as well. The more knowledge the better! :)

Again thanks guys!


Alex
 
alexp said:
In regards to adding the dextrose to a pint of water... So I will pour the pint of water and dextrose into my bottling bucket ( I'm just going to clean and sanitize my primary fermentor and use that), and then just siphon the beer into my bottling bucket, and stir carefully?
Click to expand...
most people boil the water/dextrose mixture to sanitize. i use a microwave-safe measuring cup for this process and nuke it for 3 minutes or so. then let it cool down to 130 or below so you don't kill the yeast. so mixing the sugar should be like the first thing you do, so it has time to cool.

some stir, some don't. bubbles are bad at this point in the process

more important than the above, i'd recommend that you shoot for a specific carbonation volume and measure your sugar to that amount. the amount they give you in a kit is almost always too much and will give you overcarbed beer
 
Yeah, that's pretty much it. I'd just boil the solution to sanitize first. You don't even have to bother cooling it since one pint of hot water into 5 gallons of cool beer isn't going to warm it up all that much. You might kill a few yeasties on initial contact, but there'll still be plenty left in suspension to do the job.

Another good tip if you're using a bottling wand is to just fill the bottles all the way to the brim. Once you pull the wand out, you'll have the perfect amount of headspace in the bottle.
 
gr8shandini said:
yeah, that's pretty much it. I'd just boil the solution to sanitize first. You don't even have to bother cooling it since one pint of hot water into 5 gallons of cool beer isn't going to warm it up all that much. You might kill a few yeasties on initial contact, but there'll still be plenty left in suspension to do the job.

Another good tip if you're using a bottling wand is to just fill the bottles all the way to the brim. Once you pull the wand out, you'll have the perfect amount of headspace in the bottle.
Click to expand...

+1
Just make sure you have the right tube to connect the bottling wand to your priming tank, or to your auto siphon if you are using that.
 
There's also a springless bottling wand somewhere. Just saying, less parts to clean or worry about.
 
Not sure how much others have gotten to, but:

*Invest in Star-San. Rinsing out bleach is a PITA
*Don't worry about a secondary unless you have a specific purpose in mind for it. You can make good and clear beer without them. I've even added fruit to primary with success.
*I've made beers that I'm perfectly happy with (that is, that I find tasty) and have never done anything to clarify. Just letting it sit in primary for 2-3 weeks causes a lot of stuff to stick to the bottom and clears itself. I did invest in Whirfloc for this batch (I'm still on batch #5), and it looks like it's clearing itself better/faster
*A racking cane will help get as much beer as possible without stirring up the debris on the bottom. Also, a bottling wand is super helpful.
*Check out DeathBrewer's thread on BIAB. It's a really easy foray into all grain brewing that doesn't require a lot of additional investment.
 
Thanks everyone!

I am finally bottling this week! I am super excited! I am bottling in glass and letting it sit for 2 weeks, and then throwing it in the fridge! I am getting a bottling wand this week, as they seem really handy! I sanitized the bottles with bleach,and ran them through the dishwasher a couple times.

Thanks so much everyone! I will let you know how it turns out!

Now... I have already started gathering ingredients for my next batch! I am going to do an Elderberry Wheat beer. I have decided to go all grain as well. That brewing book is my new bible, and I cant wait to start brewing!! Probably give it a go in the next 2 weeks! As usual, I will have tons of questions! :D

alexP
 
Good luck with that All Grain Alex! Everyone on here has good tips, and always provides good information so don't be afraid to ask questions, I always do!
 
Random question! (see I told you there would be more questions!) Can I filter out some of the bigger bits of spent hops, and yeast going into bottles? I was just going to use a fine kitchen strainer. Or will this remove to much yeast to carbonate my dextrose? I just dont want to pour a bottle and have a huge nasty bit of something in a glass. It could be off putting to guests!

Thanks tons

alexP
 
You could use a 1 gallon paint strainer over the end of your racking cane when you transfer to your bottling bucket. It should get rid of any big chunks. It will not filter out the yeast much, so don't worry about that.

Another method that helps is to cold crash the beer for a couple of days. That is, put the bucket in a refrigerator for a few days and a lot of the stuff will fall out of suspension and make a tighter trub/yeast cake on the bottom of the bucket which will be less likely to be transferred to your bottling bucket.

Regardless of what you do, if you bottle carbonate, you will always have stuff in the bottom of the bottle. Just leave the last 1/2" in the bottle when you pour.
 
Make sure you hold your siphon off the bottom when you start racking over to bottling bucket. I start high and keep my eye on it, moving it down and tilting the bucket as it empties. The more attentive you are, the more clear beer you can get without leaving it behind.
 

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