Filter Options

I racked my pale ale into the secondary fermenter about 10 days ago and I am thinking about bottling in the next 3-5 days. I took a hydrometer reading the other day and noticed some fairly large particles suspended in the brew. My question is if I can find a filter to hook up to my siphon or just get a cheese cloth or some other filter and just boil it for five minutes and put it around the hose of my siphon? The brew is clearing nicely but I just don't want these chunks floating around in my bottles.

i have the same issue with my current brew. Did you use irish moss?

When you siphon into your bottle bucket, try doing it through cheese cloth. It might be a little slower, but brewing beer is a patience lesson anyway.

I did use irish moss. The beer is not cloudy I just have some fairly large particles floating around. I expected the particles to sink down and I could siphon my beer into the bottling bucket and keep the solid material in the carboy. When I took my turkey baster and drew off a sample for hydrometer testing I just noticed some stuff that looked like old hop material swimming around.

If you can wait, just do so. That stuff will settle out in a little while. If the truly are little hop bits, they settle quickly (although you may need to give the carboy a little shaking if they are clinging to the top.

If you can't wait and the stuff looks more like yeast, you can try gelatin for fining.

Are you able to keep it cold? That helps with the settling.


TL

Oh, did you use a funnel with a filter screen in it to get it INTO your carboy?

This may sound funny, but I sometimes use new panty-hose. I cut off the legs, sanitize, and put it over my siphon hose. It helps filter out hops after dry hopping too.