The Best Method for Filtering Post-Dryhopped Beer?

I've got version 2.0 of my Hop Beatdown Double IPA ready to bottle. This is the second dryhopping spell for this batch (first one was right after primary, and included oak). In the past, I've tied a mesh bag around the end of my autosiphon in order to filter out as much as I could. But recently, I've heard talk around here about putting the filter bag on the end of the racking tube instead. Might this be superior? My main problem with my traditional method is that it seems to slow down the siphon after awhile, and I have to re-pump it...often resulting in aeration. Thoughts?

I just place some very fine mesh screening over the spigot port on the inside of the bottling bucket...between that and my bottling wand, next to zero hop debris make it to the bottle and it doesn't really seem to clog up.

Filtering at the exit of the racking cane seems like a decent idea...

How do you go about putting the mesh screen on the spigot port?

Filtering at the exit of the racking cane could work with a couple rubber bands and a small muslin bag around the end of the cane, suspended in the bottling bucket, but still in the solution so as to avoid aeration.

Glibbidy said:

Filtering at the exit of the racking cane could work with a couple rubber bands and a small muslin bag around the end of the cane, suspended in the bottling bucket, but still in the solution so as to avoid aeration.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan.

I've got maybe an ounce of EKG leaves and an ounce of Summit pellets in there. Whew. This should be interesting.

I use the filter bag at the "entry" point of the racking cane.

Use a zip tie and keep the tip of the cane just off the trub bed and it shouldnt clog. Wrap it multiple times, loosely.

This was with a butt load of pellet hops and it strained fine and very clear.

Evan! said:

How do you go about putting the mesh screen on the spigot port?

Click to expand...

my spigot protrudes into the bottling bucket. I cut the mesh larger than the port, place it over and hold it on with a rubber band (both sanitized)

BierMuncher said:

Click to expand...

You wiped your butt with it too??!!!!!!!

Damn Squirrels said:

You wiped your butt with it too??!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

Gotta have my oatmeal in the mornings.

thought i would bump this to see if any new techniques have been used since 07. if not, i will use the one listed here. anything new?

I've actually used Beirmunchers butt wipe idea.

HalfPint said:

I've actually used Beirmunchers butt wipe idea.

Click to expand...

you had to learn from Beirmuncher how to wipe your butt?? Did you wear diapers up until he posted that?

I've heard that you could use a piece of Stainless Steel Wool over the end of the dip tube.

Homercidal said:

I've heard that you could use a piece of Stainless Steel Wool over the end of the dip tube.

Click to expand...

Really anything that's mesh-like would work. I find that putting it in on the entry point keeps the most hops out of your final brew (like BM) said. Remember to attach that baby good b/c if it slips off its's going to be a pain in the a$$ to get off.

So with BMs approach, would you just attach the cloth/mesh whatever to the end of the racking cane and then dunk it in the sanitizer or how would you go about sanitizing it?

I've had better luck putting the filter at the entrance end of the racking cane, rather than the exit. That way the hop debris can't get into the autosiphon and gunk it up. It works very well.

Homercidal said:

I've heard that you could use a piece of Stainless Steel Wool over the end of the dip tube.

Click to expand...

I'm going to be trying this with a Choreboy (copper wool rather than SS) soon. I figure I'll just boil it in a quart of water to sanitize it.

My process is more work but leads to very clear dryhopped beers quickly. Dry hopping is done in the secondary for X amount of days and then cold crashed for 2 days (below serving temp). After cold crashing, the carboy is placed on a counter top (covered from light) and let sit for an hour or 2 so all the hops can settle back down. Then the beer is auto-siphoned into another co2 purged carboy (tertiary) using a 1 gallon paint strainer on the suction end of the auto-siphon. As the beer is tranferred, the suction end of the auto-syphon follows the top of the beer level as it drains. Gelatine goes into the tertiary before the beer is transferred. It'll sit in the tertiary for 3 days (below serving temp) and then transferred to a keg, again with a paint strainer bag on the suction end of the auto-siphon. Works well and keeps the kegs clean of hops and gelatine.
If I think the beer will do better with some aging, that happens in the secondary before the dryhops are added to insure extremely fresh dryhopped properly aged beers.

Just as an update, I used the steel/copper wool method this weekend when racking from a bucket fermenter to a carboy and it worked pretty well. I didn't get any clogs, so my siphon was never interupted (well, except for when I stopped paying attention and let air get in the line) and it filtered pretty well, though some small flakes got in the secondary. I'm dryhopping in the secondary as well, so we'll see how well this method works when siphoning (without an autosiphon) from a carboy full of hop flowers.

Okay so here is one that I was told about a while back. This should work for both going from BK to primary, or fermentor to bottling bucket. Basically you rack your beer off the hop sludge to another sanitized fermenter, let it sit there a couple hours, then come back and rack off of that to the bottling bucket. Thus, letting any hop particles/cold break that made it from the first round to settle out. Just a though.