Filtering beer when transferring to fermzilla

[merlyone]

Hi

So I’ve been thinking how to filter most of the hops after chilling it down and transferring

One option would be to buy keglands 10” filtering system (Beer Filtering System 10inch) but does it work with room temp wort and is possible to install it into grainfathers counter flow chiller?

Other option would be maybe to buy a hop filter and just throw it into fermzilla before transferring the wort.

How do guys do it?

Thanks!

 

[hotbeer]

Hop matter likes to effectively plug up most anything you try to filter it with. So without a pump forcing it through a filter it's likely to be a PIA to do anything. Even strainers can be a pain to pour hops matter through.

I've never had an issue with it in the FV. It just later becomes trub on the bottom. However I do use hop bags now in the boil kettle. Other prefer those stainless steel screened things that I think are referred to as hop spiders. Still a certain amount of hop matter will get through.

 

[Broken Crow]

Like @hotbeer just said: Pump. That filter system is primarily for filtering finished beer before the serving keg or bottling bucket, and plastics don't like high temps so if you went that route the wort would have to be cooled, but still it'll likely plug up unless you use a cartridge that allows more passage such as this:
https://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/stainless-filter-400m.html.. or better still;
https://www.brewershardware.com/Wor...e-Strainer-with-4-OD-Body-TC15STRAINER20.html..I've got one of those, but I have a 3V system and apart from the pump, I don't know how that would translate to an AIO.
Again though; A pile of trub in the bottom of your fermenter is no big deal, it's been done that way for 1000's of years.

 

[merlyone]

Thanks! I have look into those filters. Grainfather has it’s own pump so I would pump it to chiller and from there via filter into fermzilla.

 

[jerrylotto]

I have a 5 gallon bucket that I line with a 400 mesh bag that I sanitize every Brew. After the boil and some temp reduction I pour the pot into the bucket and fill my fermenter from the spigot. The bag is fine enough to remove all the kettle hop and trub and the wort runs nice and clear. The bucket lid holds the bag in place which is folded over the top of the bicker, and I leave the air lock hole open so it runs freely. Like this:

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I've tried all sorts of filtering; 10 inch cartridges, both stainless steel mesh and the cloth media, those wine plate filters, hop spider and just the whirlpool method. After lots of searching I came up with an idea to build a "filtering grant". I use it as an accumulator device and filter between my mash tun and the brew kettle and also between the brew kettle and plate chiller, using a pump for all transfers.

It's a converted quarter barrel with a filter basket. I sourced the legal keg, cut the top off, had a friend sanitary weld fittings on it along with tabs for wheels. The basket, 300 mesh, I had Utah Biodiesel Supply build. The system works great for my brewing system, but it's another piece of equipment to clean, so it might not appeal to many. I like it for the filtering aspect especially going into my plate chiller. Also, when I drain wort into it from the mashtun I can recirc back into the tun or transfer to the kettle.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

I use one of these and its been great most of the time except once it clogged when I carried over too much grain particles from the mash tun to the kettle on a wheat beer

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/collections/hop-stopper
Otherwise it's done great even with a pound of hops.

I like the idea of having something like @jerrylotto has as a backup though. May have to get one of those bags.

I can tell you that it was not fun the one time that thing got clogged!

Btw, if you are using a fermzilla then you can also dump the excess trub from the collection jar prior to pitching yeast. Not ideal as it adds some extra time, but its an option

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't filter anything. I whirlpool while chilling with an immersion chiller (though you could run the CFC back into the kettle and whirlpool after). After chilling and whirlpooling for 3 minutes, I leave the kettle alone to settle for 30 minutes. This is what my wort looked like going into the fermenter. Granted this batch only had 2.5 ounces of hops but it's pretty typical.

The other thing to consider is that the Fermzilla is a conical fermenter that is capable of dumping trub out the bottom which is a very easy way of dealing with anything that makes it in there prior to pitching.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

I don't filter anything. I whirlpool while chilling with an immersion chiller (though you could run the CFC back into the kettle and whirlpool after). After chilling and whirlpooling for 3 minutes, I leave the kettle alone to settle for 30 minutes. This is what my wort looked like going into the fermenter. Granted this batch only had 2.5 ounces of hops but it's pretty typical.

View attachment 810486

The other thing to consider is that the Fermzilla is a conical fermenter that is capable of dumping trub out the bottom which is a very easy way of dealing with anything that makes it in there prior to pitching.

Hey Bobby, I'm interested to try this method.

How vigorously do you run the pump (I've got a riptide) for the 3 min whirlpool?

 

[Bobby_M]

Hey Bobby, I'm interested to try this method.

How vigorously do you run the pump (I've got a riptide) for the 3 min whirlpool?

Wide open. The idea is to just get the wort in the kettle spinning. At 3 minutes, the liquid is spinning about as good as it's going to get. The collection of trub in the center of the kettle, and ultimate settling to get a clear runoff starts working wonders when you stop pumping and wait.

 

[Spivey24]

Anything you filter or strain with is just something more to clean, risk making a mess with, or risk infection. I’ve tried many and I’m an engineer so have thought through many designs! Just whirlpool and settle and leave some trub and wort in the kettle for the kettle gods. Some people dump everything, some obsess with clear wort to the fermenter, but there is a middle ground that produces perfectly good and clear beer.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I utilize a kettle whirlpool too along with the filter/accumulator keg before pumping to the chiller. Yes, it's one more item to clean but my plate chiller is mounted above the side drain pan on the sink.

A note on clear beer, even though you go through the steps making sure the wort is trub free going into your fermenter, after fermentation your beer is going to be a little cloudy. Letting it sit longer in the fermenter will help settle out some of the yeast, but a cold crashing method for kegged beer or bottle conditioning will need to be done to get more solids out of suspension. Just letting either sit for a spell will allow the beer to clear to. Adding fining agents can be employed as well.

 

[merlyone]

Thanks! Good tips here.

I have a filter and false bottom in the bottom of the grainfather and still there’s about 3 litres (0,7 gallons) of trub in fermzilla. I Also have a allrounder in use so the collection jar dump is not an option.

After dry hopping there’s usually 6litres (1,4 gallons) of trub so just thinking away to minimize the beer lose.

Second filter vessel might be one option and that hop stopper seems pretty good also!

Thanks!

 

[odie]

if you are not going to harvest and reuse the yeast, I would just dump it all in. everything will drop out at the end and you can rack clear beer.

if you wish to harvest yeast at the end of fermentation, definitely filter/screen the wort before the fermenter. then your yeast cake will be very clean.

I like to use a bucket strainer. if you let the kettle sit an hour or two, the first 4 gal will strain thru pretty fast. then dump the last gallon with all the sludge and it will percolate for several hours. you now have 5 gal of nice clean wort.