To filter or not to filter??

I brewed up a concoction the about 3 weeks ago and the FG keeps going down so I figure dont worry about it...right? Anyways that not my question, my question is when I took my FG reading I tasted the beer and it tasted like straight yeast. Would filtering this beer take some of the edge off of that yeast flavor? The beer is still EXTREMELY cloudy after 3 weeks also so I would like to clear it up a bit. Can anyone suggest a filter size...3 micron, 5 micron??

You could filter if you have the equipment.

If not consider cold crashing with gelatin. Add to secondary and refrigerate or place outside if it's cold enough for a couple days.

Courtesy of Biermuncher from another thread.

I always add gelatin to the secondary...usually as it's being racked from the primary so it mixes.

Use 2.5 Tsp for a five gallon batch. Mix it with a cup of water and let sit for 30-40 minutes. Then heat to an almost-boil and stir to dissolve. Let cool slightly and then toss it in.

If your secondary is still slightly cloudy, you should see a significant difference within 24 hours.

I've used this to filter a few times:



It's kind of a PITA, and you lose a bit of beer, but it works wonders.

Ewalk02 said:

I brewed up a concoction the about 3 weeks ago and the FG keeps going down so I figure dont worry about it...right? Anyways that not my question, my question is when I took my FG reading I tasted the beer and it tasted like straight yeast. Would filtering this beer take some of the edge off of that yeast flavor? The beer is still EXTREMELY cloudy after 3 weeks also so I would like to clear it up a bit. Can anyone suggest a filter size...3 micron, 5 micron??

Click to expand...

it's been 3 weeks. Give it at least 3 more.

What are you trying to get from your filter? I use it so I can move the beer around from place to place (I go to a lot of parties) and not worry about stirring up the crap in the keg. If it’s going to stay in one place(your kegger) leave it and don't waste your cash. I filter most all my beers that I want bright quick. But if you have the filter, use it, that's what you bought it for, just go SLOWWWWWWWWW. If you don't you can DESTROY the head of the beer forever! I use a 3 micron for any of my darker beers that I filter. And a 1 micron for my really light, bright beers. Don't think for 1 minute that filtering is going to make a bright beer instantly. It still takes several days to clear. If I know I am going to filter a beer I will ferment till its done then transfer to secondary for about a week. Then filter and carbonate. My Blonde goes from grain to glass in 20 days and I do filter it to 1 micron.
Good luck
Cheers
JJ

An Analysis of Brewing Techniques had a table showing how much biomass reduction to expect with various filtration levels. If I recall correctly, 3 micron was about a 10 fold reduction and only the younger yeast cells get through. 1 micron would filter out much more. I think 3 micron would be sufficient for your problem.

However, if you don't plan on filtering regularly I would just go to the supermarket and get some gelatin for taking care of this one-off problem.