Filtration question and introducing myself

Hi all, my name's Pat and I'm from outside of Boston. I'm midway through my second batch, the first one was a kit "American Pale Ale" that included steeped grains and two cans of extract, this second kit was the "Three Nipple Triple" recipe from Radical Brewing. It was mostly dry extract and some jaggery sugar, Saaz hops, Belgian ale yeast, etc.

I have some background in winemaking and got trained up in sensory analysis, but working at a liquor store has taught me just how much more interesting brewing is. Clearly you guys have figured that out too!

Anyway, on to my actual question. I have an electronic filter / pump that I use for racking carboys, and previously used to filter wine before bottling. Obviously, if I fine filtered the beer it wouldn't condition in the bottle because there wouldn't be any yeast left, but does anyone know what doing a little bit more porous filtration would do? Would it terribly effect the beer's flavor?

Along the same lines, think a fine filtration and then adding more yeast before bottling along with the primer would end well?

Thanks a lot guys, and I'm happy to have found the forum!

Welcome! A 2-5 micron filter works quite well to clarify beer and doesn't hurt the flavor. Realistically, you rarely have to filter homebrew, unless you are fanatical about clarity. I haven't filtered a beer in 3 years.

I personally don't filter my beer. However, talking with a couple guys at work, they refuse to drink hombrew (more for me?) because it isn't filtered. I think of it as a personal choice. If you want to have it filtered, go for it. Welcome!

You should not have to filter beer. Patience is key.

I didn't filter the meads or wine I made, and its clear.

Thanks for your help guys, I guess I'll just let the beer sit and do its thing.

I'm certainly not an obsessive about clear beer, but my first batch was cloudier than I would have liked. Any suggestions or tricks for clearing up beer? Particularly you, Malkore, since you said you've made wine... does the egg white trick work with beer? And whatever suggestions you may have, will I have to repitch at priming / bottling? Thanks.

I often filter beers for two reasons:

1. I either don't have time to wait for it to clear or I don't feel like it. Filtered beers are always ready to drink far sooner than unfiltered. In fact I just got done filtering an American Brown that is like 2 weeks old cause I will be serving it at a party and need it carbed before next week...which brings me to point number two.

2. I will be traveling with the keg. If I am taking it to a party or something it is getting filtered. Unless it is a wheat beer, cause then I don't care. But even if you were patient and let everything drop out it would get shook up in the car ride over.

Other times it's just better no matter what. Certain styles like American Lagers will never be right if they aren't filtered, it's pretty much a crucial step in making on to style. But 95% of the time patience will get you great results so long as you won't be jostling the keg about.

Unless you're doing a sterile polish, you'll be letting yeast through. 1-2 micron sheets will strip yeast. 5 micron sheets will not stop most strains of S. cerivisae.

You've gotten the gamut of responses here. As home enthusiasts, we have the luxury of patience - we can simply wait to serve our beer until it's ready. Therefore, filtration is something the vast majority of amateur brewers never even contemplate. There are exceptions, of course - Tondef's party, light lagers, etc. My lightest beers don't do well if naturally-conditioned - but are really good if filtered and artificially carbonated.

There are a wide variety of fining methods for amateur brewers. Isinglass is one, as is gelatin, cold-crashing and plain ol' patience. A search here on HBT will turn up lots of hints and kinks.

Cheers!

Bob

P.S. Welcome to HBT!