Filtering Bottle Conditioned Beer

So, I have a question, after your beer is already bottle conditioned, I've had off flavors with some sediments. What can I use to filter beer as I pour to get all the beer and not have to waste an ounce by not pouring that last part? I tried paper towels once, and mesh coffee filter with little to no success.

Help would be appreciated.

Are you sure it's the sediment that is causing the off flavors?

I would think you should filter it before you condition it.

I always try the beer with and without the sediment, ie, pour half into one glass, then agitate the sediment into the beer and try it alongside the clear beer.

I've tried to filter before before conditioning, sometimes I still get things settling out in glass.

I like the flavor that bottle conditioning gives me, and that's why I still want to do it, I just want to figure out how to save all the beer.

Have you thought about kegging?

Yeah, but I like the portability and ease of just being able to open one beer at a time. Also, kegs are harder to store and age than bottles.

Like you, I don't really understand the allure of kegging. I mean, if you have 10+ different bottled beers you can drink, what is the point of having 2 beers on tap if the overwhleming majoring of the time you go for one of the bottled styles? I'd love to have a kegerator, I just don't think it is worth the trouble for me unless I can have 6+ beers on tap. That would require a big fridge, which I don't really have the space for(boxes of bottled, on the other hand, I can fit in lots of weird places), and some DIY work, which I have found I am terrible at. I'd rather spend the money on more brewing equipment or ingredients. Thinking about a 15 tap kegerator is really giving me a hard on though.


I have found that by going with a long primary (3+ weeks, which results in a compacted yeast cake), combined with 6+ hours of the beer sitting still before racking to the bottling bucket (I move the carboys to the counter that I am racking from into the bottling bucket in the morning, then I rack and bottle at night), and leaving some beer behind to make sure that I do not disturb the yeast cake, I can minimize the amount of sediment that gets into my bottles. I have received comments from other homebrewers that my bottled beers have very little sediment at the bottom. On the other hand, I have noticed that it sometimes takes a long time for my beers to carbonate. Just tried my dopplebock an hour ago after maybe a week in the bottles and it is basically completely flat(3+ months of lagering obviously caused much more flocculation of the yeast in thise case though).

So I think that by giving your beer a long time for yeast to flocculate out, combined with a racking process that does not disturb this sediment, you may be able to get much more sediment-free, bottled conditioned beer.

These are only the observations and opinions of a drunk, amateur homebrewer FWIW.

I also think how long your letting it sit is the issue.

If your only letting it sit 7 days and then botteling, then yes you are going to get a lot settle out (the same is with a keg, however in a keg it stays in the keg, not the glass)

if your getting sediment in the glass it means you probably should let it sit in te fermentor longer (or add a secondary)

no matter what with bottels your going to get some yeast in there, otherwise you can't bottle condition.

The length of time your beer stays cool has a lot to do with how settled and compact the sediment layer becomes. A week or more in the fridge will cause the sediment to be like a brick and will increase the amount of pour you get sediment free. Watching your pour carefully and you will see a thin line of sediment as you near the bottom of the bottle I rarley have more than an 1/8 of an inch left in the bottle, most of which is sediment, with well conditioned beer and a steady pour. I have also tried using gelatin and cold crashing the beer prior to bottleing with good results in decreasing the amount of sediment in as well as getting a more compact yeast cake.

Leave your beer in primary for 3-4 weeks and cold crash it to 35F for 3 days before racking to the bottling bucket if you can. No, you can't filter a beer that's already in the bottle. You'll just knock all the CO2 out in the process.

I know this is raising the dead as far as posts go, but I had a sort of parallel problem. Belgian triple 11%, slight carbination after a month, but I am concerned the yeast is simply not tolerant of the abv and thus not carbing. I normally keg, and only make this beer once a year. It has always been very coveted and so I decided to bottle this so that I can give it as a gift or keep for more special occasions, instead of the "Triple is ready" rush that I get at the house. Used carb tabs also in PET bottles, and now I have under carbed beer and a lot of sediment. Thinking of pouring beer through a sanitized filter of sorts and using a carb- cap (hooks up to ball lock gas line) to force carb one bottle at a time as needed....thoughts? I have no problem waiting another month or two if it is just carbing slow, but interested in alternative ideas