bottling day - strainer vs siphon

Wondering if I can save time and use the strainer i used to pour mash into my primary and screen out the yeast muck?

So i would prep the priming sugar and pour into my bottling bucket, then pour the primary fermenter contents through my pro grade strainer mesh into the bottling bucket. Instead of siphoning. To save time. Good idea, bad idea? After this i would attach the siphon tube to the bottling bucket with my filling wand at the end and fill up my bottles.

 

I recommend using the siphon. Less oxidation and you don't have to wory about the yeast cake.

 

IMO, you don't want to try filtering yeast cake. You'll end up with a whole lot more yeasties in your bottles than intended. I use a 6" tube to connect bottling wand to bucket and just let it dangle over the edge for easy filling.

 

This. You would have massive oxidation by pouring through a strainer.

 

Terrible, terrible, terrible idea.

In case I wasn't clear, this is a TERRIBLE idea.

First off, you're not going to filter out all of the trub. Instead, it's going to get kicked up in the bottling bucket, which means it'll get in the beer. If you're using a bottling wand, be prepared to disassemble it again and again to unclog it. There goes your time savings from not siphoning. To say nothing of the time you'll spend dealing with a clogged filter when you pour.

Secondly, filtering is going to oxidize your beer. Pre fermentation, this is a good thing - it helps the yeast do their jobs. Post fermentation, it's a bad thing... assuming that you don't want beer that tastes like wet cardboard.

Siphoning really does not take that long. That small amount of time is worth ensuring that you get good beer.

 

I see how its good during wort transfer - to help aerate and invigorate the yeast fermentation process.

So I need a gentle process then as it makes its way to the bottle since I'm just carbonating essentially and don't want to re-initiate another fermentation process by re-aerating the yeast which could trigger that process.

Talking out of my ass - somewhat accurate?

-thx homebrewdad i got your post after i re-posted

 

The yeast is fine. Don't use a filter.

 

+1. If you are concerned about "yeast muck" getting into your bottled beer, there are some brewing practices that will help.

1) bag your hops
2) use 1/2 whirlfloc tablet @ 10 min before the end of the boil
3) after you finish chilling, cover the kettle and let things settle 15-20 minutes
4) leave as much of the break material and other gunk behind in the kettle as you reasonably can
5) when fermentation is done and if you have the means to do it, cold crash 4-5 days @35-36*F. This will cause the beer to clarify and make the trub layer (aka, "yeast muck") much more firm so that it is less likely to get sucked up in your autosiphon/racking cane when transferring to the bottling bucket.

I do these things and have had friends ask what I do to filter my brew. I just smile and say "it's not filtered."

Good guess, but that's not it. What you want to avoid after fermentation is doing anything that's going to introduce oxygen into your beer. O2 in finished brew causes oxidation (much like food spoilage) that will make the beer taste stale or like wet cardboard.

 

Honestly, I have no problem at all with junk in my beer, and I don't filter ever - even from the pot to the fermenter. I pour it all in with the exception of the truly solid, sticky stuff at the bottom of the kettle.

I use Irish moss at the end of my boil, and I let my beer sit in primary for at least four weeks. I usually secondary for a week or two after that.

Honestly, clarity is more a function of good practices - good hot break, good cold break (due to swift cooling of the wort), use of a clarifying agent, etc. Cold crashing can certainly help (though I've never done a single cold crash in my life).

 

In agreement with previous posts, I hate filters. Stopped using filters after my 2nd all grain, they are just a PITA compared to using techniques mentioned by BigFloyd.