Beer Filtration System

This is my beer filtration system. It utilizes a 0.5 filter with CO2 forced beer from one keg to final keg through the filter . It works great and produces absolutely clear beer. It's purely for presentation and looks of the beer, but it sure does make the final product look fantastic!

I've read recently that there may be an issue of entrained in the filter media scrubbing unwanted oxygen into your beer. Have you noticed any oxidation issues with this setup?

That looks awesome.

I have to disagree with you about the fact that filtering is only for looks. I know a lot of people say that clearing beer only has asthetic value, but don't sell your efforts short. Yeast has flavor. Nasty flavor.

andy777 said:

That looks awesome.

I have to disagree with you about the fact that filtering is only for looks. I know a lot of people say that clearing beer only has asthetic value, but don't sell your efforts short. Yeast has flavor. Nasty flavor.

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Nasty? The flavor or every beer is influenced by the yeast. Its not just for making alcohol. Yeast's flavor profile is as important as any other ingredient in the beer. Sometimes its more prevalent than other ingredients.

Can you let us know if the filtering does affect the taste, I have heard that too fine a filter can also take other flavours out aswell (no idea how though)?

pickles said:

Nasty? The flavor or every beer is influenced by the yeast. Its not just for making alcohol. Yeast's flavor profile is as important as any other ingredient in the beer. Sometimes its more prevalent than other ingredients.

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I didn't mean the "yeast profile," ie fermentation characteristics like attenuation, or in the form of esters, phenols, and other compounds generated or consumed by the yeast during fermentation. I meant the flavor of the actual yeast cells held in suspension making cloudy beer. Not the same thing.

Back when I filtered more frequently, I made a point to do before and after tastes, and the flavor difference was noticeable...in a good way.

pickles said:

I've read recently that there may be an issue of entrained in the filter media scrubbing unwanted oxygen into your beer. Have you noticed any oxidation issues with this setup?

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I am a pretty science oriented person (especially with my job) so I have thought about this theory. This is a closed system with only new CO2 being introduced which is, of course, fine. As far as the filter "scrubbing oxygen" I suppose theoretically it could happen but I have not ever experienced any oxidation and I have used this process for quite awhile. The beer tastes and looks great!

Do you purge it with co2 first to rid it of oxygen? Even if its a closed system the surface area in one of those filters is significant and can hold alot of air. I've never tried this but have read a bit about it. Sounds promising if you have noticed any issues.

pickles said:

Do you purge it with co2 first to rid it of oxygen? Even if its a closed system the surface area in one of those filters is significant and can hold alot of air. I've never tried this but have read a bit about it. Sounds promising if you have noticed any issues.

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I do purge it.

For mattd2 - I do think the main reason for filtering is for looks which let's face it -- is important. As far as taste, I have done with filtering and without filtering taste tests and I do believe the beer tastes better WITH filtering.

Just got to see the vidoe now, looks pretty good! I can't really tell but it looks pretty clear coming out of the first keg (is it?) so it is something to note that even if the beer is clear there still could be a lot of yeast flavour in there. I guess it is a case of each to the own though, some people like there homebrew like it filtered some will not. From what I remember the removal of other "good" flavours was when a crazy fine filter element was used, basically sounded like if you used soemthing extreamly fine you would pretty much filter your beer into water or something!
(<- or not)

mattd2 said:

Just got to see the vidoe now, looks pretty good! I can't really tell but it looks pretty clear coming out of the first keg (is it?) so it is something to note that even if the beer is clear there still could be a lot of yeast flavour in there. I guess it is a case of each to the own though, some people like there homebrew like it filtered some will not. From what I remember the removal of other "good" flavours was when a crazy fine filter element was used, basically sounded like if you used soemthing extreamly fine you would pretty much filter your beer into water or something!
(<- or not)

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Yeah the beer is pretty clear. It's a basic American Light Beer for the wife. Basically a Miller Lite but it tastes really good. I don't drink a lot of it but she likes it. Even an amber is too dark for her. As far as filtering, I filter every batch. It's just what I do. The beer always tastes good and is clear. Oh, and I use a very fine element and it's still really good beer -- even the light ones.

:rockin:

I assume you have to release the pressure build up in the destination keg ? I don't see you do that in the video.
Where did you get the filter ?

Bru said:

I assume you have to release the pressure build up in the destination keg ? I don't see you do that in the video.

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Yes you do have to periodically release the destination keg pressure. You can see a small ball lock device on the destination keg that you can manually let out the pressure every now and then.

Bru said:

Where did you get the filter ?

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MoreBeer.Com

where the heck did the pics go?

protocol_droid said:

where the heck did the pics go?

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That was weird. I don't know what happened. I added the video back to the first post. It just disappeared. Maybe hbt has a time limit or something.

Looks good! You are not far from me. I'll have to do a taste testing!

Back when I filtered a bit, I always ran a 6-pack of swill through the filter first. It worked very well, and you can get a 6-pack of bud for like nothing...

what do you do with the filter once its used?? do you chuck it or wash it sanitize it??

CrazyBrew said:

This is my beer filtration system. It utilizes a 0.5 filter with CO2 forced beer from one keg to final keg through the filter . It works great and produces absolutely clear beer. It's purely for presentation and looks of the beer, but it sure does make the final product look fantastic!

CrazyBrew Filtration System

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Nice video...what's a setup like that typically cost...I could probably do something like that.


Few questions:

I assume a .5 micron filter would be good enough to remove all the yeast?

What maintenance is involved with the filter?

How do you sterilize it, and do you use a new filter for every batch?

Do they sell .5micron sized filters at places like lowes?

Yes they sell that same set up at lowes for about 30$ my question is how and when do you clean it.

CrazyBrew said:

Yes you do have to periodically release the destination keg pressure. You can see a small ball lock device on the destination keg that you can manually let out the pressure every now and then.




MoreBeer.Com

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OK so stupid question maybe, but why not just use the pressure release valve on the lid?

Also, do you reuse filters at all or get a new one every time? How much do new filters cost? (i.e. how much is it costing per batch to filter?)

Sorry for the late response. Here's some answers:

- I do not re-use the filters. Northern Brewer sells the filters. They are not expensive. I think around 5 bucks.

- Yes, the filters remove all the yeast sediment.

- The filters are shipped sterilized so they are not cleaned or sterilized before use.

- The other filtering equipment is cleaned and sterilized with star san just like the other brewing equipment.

Overall the system works great and makes the beer look nice and clear.

CrazyBrew said:

Sorry for the late response. Here's some answers:

- I do not re-use the filters. Northern Brewer sells the filters. They are not expensive. I think around 5 bucks.

- Yes, the filters remove all the yeast sediment.

- The filters are shipped sterilized so they are not cleaned or sterilized before use.

- The other filtering equipment is cleaned and sterilized with star san just like the other brewing equipment.

Overall the system works great and makes the beer look nice and clear.

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could one save money by filtering several batches at once?

pipapat said:

could one save money by filtering several batches at once?

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Yes. The filter can not be cleaned and sterilized but it can be used for more than one batch. The filters should work fine for 3ish 5 gallon batches.

This looks to be the same filter for $1.95 each.

I have a different brand of spun poly and mine didn't work, but I think it's because I ran StarSan through it first which caused a foaming event of epic size.

Here is another option. It takes a little more investment up front, but will even out pretty quick if you are shelling out 5 bucks a filter. It's a 5 micron 304 stainless mesh filter. You would have to fabricate a housing for it however.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-NORMAN-535G...160?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c186caf00

Northern Brewer seems to sell a rough filter and a 1 micron filter (as well as the housing.) Are you using the rough or the 1 micron? Thanks!

meadowstream said:

Northern Brewer seems to sell a rough filter and a 1 micron filter (as well as the housing.) Are you using the rough or the 1 micron? Thanks!

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You are right, I went to re-order and realized this. They actually come from Midwest Supplies. Here's the link: 0.5 Micron Filter

They're $2.95

Thanks for your reply - that was helpful.

Do you sometimes filter and sometimes not filter? What types of beers do you choose to filter and what do you notice about the difference in flavor? Have you noticed any difference in effect on higher versus lower gravity beers? Between ales or lagers, or between "plainer" beers and "more flavorful" beers?

Someone sells a filter that they say can be boiled a few times to sanitize...I will look for that link and post it if I find it

Simple enough to test really...use it, boil it and see if it holds up? Could also just back flush and let it soak in starsan or the like.

MrZ2U - thanks - would be great to check out those filters if you can find the link.

Well, I bought my stuff from USWATERSYSTEMS.COM because they were running a special. I got a sweet clear housing for like $14, and a .45 micron 100% pleated polypropylene filter for $31... but it is reusable and autoclavable. The housing can be ordered the way you want it as far as relief button, inlet and exit port sizes, and whether or not you want a mounting bracket. I know the filter might be overkill from the cheaper through-aways... but you can do the math on how long it takes to equal the price differential from the cheaper filters.

I have not used mine for its intended purpose yet. I had a beer on tap that was yeasty post transfer, so I attached the filter pre-tap in my kegerator and it works great. The beer after that, I didn't even transfer. I just threw it in the kegerator and tapped it (it was pressure fermented in an unmodified Sanke and all the yeast was still there). I could see the yeast build up during the first couple of pints inside the filter housing, but just like after crash cooling that did not increase after the first day of pulling pints. I am really excited to use this for keg to keg transfers, but man it is so sweet inline like it is. I haven't had to clean it yet. I just let it expel the first beer out before getting a 100% next beer taste. Worked like a charm, and any oxidation is a non-issue since it is going into your glass for instant consumption.

Thanks for the thread, it is what made me pull the trigger after re-reading all the other filter threads.

WortMonger said:

[/URL] for like $14, and a .45 micron 100% pleated polypropylene filter for $31... but it is reusable and autoclavable.

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They call it disposable? Are you saying it can be autoclaved based on the material used?

Yep, went through all of my questions about that as well and they were put to bed. Poly is 100% autoclavable. You wouldn't want to use the filter at high temperatures, but cleaning it is fine. Not to mention you don't have to use heat... Star-San would work just fine.

When you get right down to it there is really no reason any of them couldn&#8217;t be reused a few times.

Back flush them well to get as much particulate matter as you can out. Get a large kitchen container, something like that, tall enough to hold an element or two and store them in clean water and in the fridge. (don&#8217;t freeze). When ready to use give it a flush with Star-San and you should be good to go. I mean if you can get 5 uses out of a $5 element then I think that is a good value right? I would think you could get at least that out of the big box store elements.

+1 to this! There is no reason you can't squeeze that much use from an cartridge. I would just always say to use one rated absolute and not nominal. That way you know exactly how fine you have it filtered down to.

well I found the link that I was looking for a few posts back...
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/midwest-beer-clarity-filter-system.html

They flat out say you can reuse the filters and they dont seem too spendy either.

Still hold with my last post...no reason I can see that one could not use standard ones several times.

Just gotta to the math to see whats the best deal.

During my search of old postings I found this old thread and I'm hoping someone can help.

I received a Beer and Wine filtering kit from MoreBeer (item number FIL40 that looks exactly like the one in the video by the OP). The included instructions are sketchy, but it seemed simple enough. Two kegs, one with cloudy beer, one keg sanitized and empty. Connect both lines to the out posts on each keg, apply 3-5 pounds of pressure to the full keg, and the beer flows (slowly) through the one micron filter (in the correct direction) through the sanitized filtration system and should come out nice and bright on the other end.

Except the filtered beer looks exactly as murky and opaque as the un-filtered beer. My only thought is that somehow the filter is not seated properly in the clear plastic housing and the beer follows the path of least resistance AROUND the filter instead of through it.

Help!

ricknewsom said:

During my search of old postings I found this old thread and I'm hoping someone can help.

I received a Beer and Wine filtering kit from MoreBeer (item number FIL40 that looks exactly like the one in the video by the OP). The included instructions are sketchy, but it seemed simple enough. Two kegs, one with cloudy beer, one keg sanitized and empty. Connect both lines to the out posts on each keg, apply 3-5 pounds of pressure to the full keg, and the beer flows (slowly) through the one micron filter (in the correct direction) through the sanitized filtration system and should come out nice and bright on the other end.

Except the filtered beer looks exactly as murky and opaque as the un-filtered beer. My only thought is that somehow the filter is not seated properly in the clear plastic housing and the beer follows the path of least resistance AROUND the filter instead of through it.

Help!

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I have the same filter kit from morebeer. Is the filter all nasty from the yeast it catches when your done? do you cold crash first? could be chill haze. what micron do you use?

I wouldn't say the filter looks "all nasty" at all. Just sort of stained the same color as the beer. Looks barely used. I used a 1 micron filter, and cold crashed.

ricknewsom said:

I wouldn't say the filter looks "all nasty" at all. Just sort of stained the same color as the beer. Looks barely used. I used a 1 micron filter, and cold crashed.

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When i cold crash and filter its hard to tell the clarity cause of the condensation on the lines. The filter is usually dirty from the yeast that has been filtered. i also use a 1 micron filter and it gets about 90% of the yeast out of the beer. I've used it a few times but i don't normally filter. i only do for kegs i'm going to be transporting for an event. For the rest i just keg and serve from my kegerator or i will bottle from the keg.

The only thing you can really mess up besides not purging the system with co2 is reversing the lines. i did that the first time i filtered cause i wasnt paying attention. Still worked though but maybe not as much as if it was the correct way.