Beer Filters, Do you use one?

[phillc]

$1 each in a case of 50. http://cgi.ebay.com/Case-of-50-10-x...pliances_US?hash=item1e58b13890#ht_1671wt_807

That is a pretty sweet deal...

 

[cjmcfoot]

I have been filtering all of my beers (especially the dry hopped ones) through a canister filter with a 3 micron element (nominal/cheap). It adds about $1.10 to each brew, but I have found it very worthwhile. Especially if you like to drag your kegs to parties, like I do. No worries about letting them settle. The first beer is ready to drink. I push from Corny to Corny with CO2 at about 5 psi through the filter. Recipient keg pre-purged. No worries about oxygenation.

I did a couple of before/after tests for how the filter affected the taste/color. The only difference I found is that the beers tasted a little cleaner and crisper, which I really like. I think that may be from the yeast removal.

So, contrary to most of the posts here, I love filtering my beer!

I guess I should back up a little, this is the primary reason I OP'd and started this thread. I have been asked by my place of employment to brew some seasonal winter brew for our brewfest. This requires me to transport my kegs and kegerator but I was worried about stirring up the sediment during transport.
So Phill you just transfer between two cornies under about 5psi with the filter in between? Interesting, I like it, perhaps I will give it a go, and see what happens.

 

[Bobby_M]

Unless your beer is already carbed to say 2.5 volumes via 12 psi or something. If so, you want to pressurize BOTH kegs to 12psi, then vent the "to" keg just enough to make it flow. It's the only way you're going to keep it carbed.

 

[KCWortHog]

if you want more info... I got a lot of information on the pros/cons and how-tos (as well as cartridge vs. plate filter info) from this brew strong session: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/516

 

[phillc]

Unless your beer is already carbed to say 2.5 volumes via 12 psi or something. If so, you want to pressurize BOTH kegs to 12psi, then vent the "to" keg just enough to make it flow. It's the only way you're going to keep it carbed.

Correct, as usual. You will need to keep a pressurized environment in place if you wish to maintain carbonation when filtering an already carbed beer. When I did it, I had an extra day between filtering and serving, so I just brought the carbonation levels back up.

 

[phillc]

I guess I should back up a little, this is the primary reason I OP'd and started this thread. I have been asked by my place of employment to brew some seasonal winter brew for our brewfest. This requires me to transport my kegs and kegerator but I was worried about stirring up the sediment during transport.
So Phill you just transfer between two cornies under about 5psi with the filter in between? Interesting, I like it, perhaps I will give it a go, and see what happens.

You got it. Good luck!

 

[carnevoodoo]

I know someone already said it, but I would like to reiterate. If you have beer in a corny and you want to move it, you can just transfer it to a purged empty keg and leave 95%+ of the sediment behind. You don't even need a filter to do so. You just make an out/out jumper and push the beer slowly into the empty keg. At the very end, the sediment will start to get pushed and you simply disconnect it from the keg. Using about 6 feet of line gives you more than enough time to pull it off before any major sediment gets through.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

I'm looking for a way to have no sediment at the bottom of my bottles. Could I filter before it goes into carboy by placing a filter into a funnel, that is connected to my 3/8" tubing before it goes into the carboy?
And what sanitation precautions should I take? Just soak funnel and filter in Star-Sans?

 

[rico567]

Kegging is supposed to work pretty well for this, and from what I've read of the cost and PITA of filtering, I'd do that. But since I don't mind the sediment, I do neither.

 

[Jdk261]

The new BYO covers filtering options. It's a pretty decent read.

 

[Yooper]

I'm looking for a way to have no sediment at the bottom of my bottles. Could I filter before it goes into carboy by placing a filter into a funnel, that is connected to my 3/8" tubing before it goes into the carboy?
And what sanitation precautions should I take? Just soak funnel and filter in Star-Sans?

No, that wouldn't work. The reason is that if you're bottling, the way the beer carbs up is through a mini-fermentation in the bottle. That means that the yeast will carb up the beer, then fall to the bottom.

In a well-made beer, though, that's a slight dusting and not an inch of sludge. If you wait and bottle the beer when it's clear (no filtering, just through gravity and/or cold crashing), the amount of sediment in the bottle is very light. Then, you let the beer sit in the fridge for a few days or longer, and the yeast compacts down pretty tightly. If you use a highly flocculant yeast, the yeast will fall out and form a little tight yeast cake on the bottom of the bottle.

If you absolutely positively want no sediment in the bottle, then the only way is kegging and bottling perfectly clear beer from the keg.

Some breweries bottle condition their beer, so if you've ever had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, that's the amount of sediment you should get with bottling properly.

 

[Hammy71]

I've recently started filtering for kegs that I transport. I've always been a big believer in not filtering. I've done the keg transfer method, but even then the beer always had a yeasty harshness once tapped at the party. I let the beer sit for weeks in cold storage before I filter. Wow, what a difference. After filtering, you can shake the crap out of the kegs with no problems. Now, the beer does seem to 'soften' some. So I wouldn't filter for an IPA unless you over compansate for the loss of bitterness, but for things like ambers and pale ales, I'm impressed. I use one of the plate filters with the 'polish' disk. I guess the lesson to myself is/was: Don't knock it, til you try it.

 

[bad67z]

I have never filtered a beer, and if all things remain as they are, will probably never filter unless I were to be forced due to time constraints.

I have always used gelatin should I feel the need for additional clearing above and beyond cold crashing. I have made Yoopers "Fizzy Yellow Beer" and BierMunchers "Cream of Three Crops" for parties where I had to transport the keg and I can say my beer turned out as clear as any mass produced BMC offering.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

No, that wouldn't work. The reason is that if you're bottling, the way the beer carbs up is through a mini-fermentation in the bottle. That means that the yeast will carb up the beer, then fall to the bottom.

In a well-made beer, though, that's a slight dusting and not an inch of sludge. If you wait and bottle the beer when it's clear (no filtering, just through gravity and/or cold crashing), the amount of sediment in the bottle is very light. Then, you let the beer sit in the fridge for a few days or longer, and the yeast compacts down pretty tightly. If you use a highly flocculant yeast, the yeast will fall out and form a little tight yeast cake on the bottom of the bottle.

If you absolutely positively want no sediment in the bottle, then the only way is kegging and bottling perfectly clear beer from the keg.

Some breweries bottle condition their beer, so if you've ever had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, that's the amount of sediment you should get with bottling properly. quote]

Not talking about bottling yet......talking about filtering right out of the boiling pot before the wort gets into the fermenter. Plus you can buy a funnel with a strainer,,why not put a coffee filter in the funnel as well?

 

[bottlebomber]

You're not going to be able to filter out all the break material with a coffee filter. It will take you longer than it took to make the beer. The best way to keep break material out of the fermenter is to let the kettle sit for an hour after chilling (obviously plate and CFC's don't work with this) and all the hot and cold break will drop to the bottom of the kettle. Then you just open your valve and drain to the level of the valve, and let whatever's left go. There's still going to be sediment that drops out of seemingly clear wort, though, and then all the stuff from the yeast.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

maybe I'll need to let things settle in brew pot once it's chilled dowm. I have always(twice) emptied the brew pow into carboy as soon as possible. I think I will experiment with filtering into carboy

 

[Yooper]

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maybe I'll need to let things settle in brew pot once it's chilled dowm. I have always(twice) emptied the brew pow into carboy as soon as possible. I think I will experiment with filtering into carboy

Sure, many people do that. And that's fine.

But the point I was making is that even if you do that, you will not have sediment free bottles. The sediment at that point comes from the mini-fermentation in the bottle to carb up the beer. Filtering/straining/etc the wort doesn't do a thing for beer clariity or for sediment in the end. It means less stuff in the fermenter, sure, but the stuff all falls to the bottom as trub anyway so there isn't any advantage to filtering prefermentation unless you just don't want as much trub in the bottom of the fermenter.

 

[brew2enjoy]

There are many ways to get clear beer. If I want a batch to be crystal clear, a good cold crash and gelatin does the trick.

 

[Hammy71]

Yes my beer on tap looks like that too. But, if you tried to transport the keg....I doubt it would look like that. I know I can bottle mine off the kegger and keep it that clear, but transport the keg...no.

 

[Gameface]

I used to filter pretty much everything. It can help turn beers around a little faster, but if you're willing to wait a bit longer (like an extra week) you can get nearly the same results by cold crashing and letting the beer sit in the keg for a week or two before drinking it. Wait a little longer and you're where you would have been with filtering, minus the hassle, expense, risk of O2 exposure, etc.

I'm much happier leaving the filter alone. It's just something else that needs to be cleaned. I make 10g batches, so instead of 2 kegs I had to get 4 kegs ready, then I had to wait while it ran through the filters (usually took more than an hour) and use extra CO2. The dang filters cost about $3 per set. Not astronomical, but it all adds up.

 

[bad67z]

There are many ways to get clear beer. If I want a batch to be crystal clear, a good cold crash and gelatin does the trick.

Yes my beer on tap looks like that too. But, if you tried to transport the keg....I doubt it would look like that. I know I can bottle mine off the kegger and keep it that clear, but transport the keg...no.

Very true Hammy, but all you have to do pull the first pint off and the run a jumper to another keg and trans fill, your beer should be a clear as brew2enjoy's after transportation. I get the same results without filtering.