Filtering...

[BillyVegas]

So, as mentioned in another thread I just began, I recently kegged and likely have a ruined 15gallons of beer. Unknown reasons as of now.

But- my question is this. When you go to keg your beer, what filtering steps do you take from primary or secondary? I thought I did a good job, but I still have floaties here and there...

Just wanted to know what peoples general consensus on this is. I don't care about the occasional floaty, but I can see it turning off some people...

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

I don't filter at all. I leave the beer in primary or secondary until clear, then rack to keg. Once kegged, chill it down to serving temp, which crashes all the yeast down. Toss the first 1-3 glasses. clear beer from there on.

 

[BillyVegas]

I like your style.

 

[Hammy71]

I will often do what is called 'crash cooling'. You simply put your carboy/bucket into a fridge for a couple of days before you keg/bottle. This compacts the material at the bottom of the fermenter, as well as drop out alot of the yeast that was in suspension in the beer. Just remember to replace the airlock with some sanitized aluminium foil. The change in pressure inside the fermenter (because the liquid is cooling) will suck in the airlock fluid.

 

[shelly_belly]

I had intentions of filtering because I don't like sediment in beer. Therefore, I chose to keg and counter pressure fill bottles. I imagined racking to a keg (secondary) and then forcing the beer into a another keg with a filter in between. It so happens 1 keg I have had some bad pitting on the bottom of the pick-up tube so I cut off 2 inches. I now rack into the keg with the shortened diptube containing 1 cup/1pack gelatin. Chill at least 3 days 30-40 degrees (back deck works for now), and then transfer to the serving keg which then goes to the basement at 65 degrees for 3 weeks conditioning and then onto refrigeration and co2 for carbing. I don't think I'm going to need that filter now as the beer is as clear and sediment free as I hoped it to be.

Edit: I lose about 20 oz due to the shortened tube.

 

[beerthirty]

I cold crash the primary then rack to the keg. After carbonation I transfer to another keg for serving. Only the first beer is a little cloudy.

 

[lamarguy]

I used to cold crash (38F) and use a gelatin fining, which worked very well so long as I drank the beer within a couple of months.

I now use ice stabilization (29F) and coarse filter (5 micron) all of my beer. This significantly improves the flavor stability of my slower drinking beers...

 

[shelly_belly]

I used to cold crash (38F) and use a gelatin fining, which worked very well so long as I drank the beer within a couple of months.

I now use ice stabilization (29F) and coarse filter (5 micron) all of my beer. This significantly improves the flavor stability of my slower drinking beers...

Is your long time storage in kegs or bottles? Thanks

 

[lamarguy]

Is your long time storage in kegs or bottles? Thanks

100% kegs but do I bottle some off after the beer is carbonated for long term (2+ year) storage. I've begun evaluating the bottled beers over time to see how they've aged. It's a good way to obtain feedback on your process.

The rule of thumb for long term flavor/clarity stability of beer is (Fix, 2000):

• 1 - 2 months: naturally (gravity) cleared beer
• 2 - 3 months: fining (gelatin, etc.) or filtration (1 - 3 micron)
• 4 months: fining + filtration
• 6+ months: ice stabilization (28 - 29F) + filtration

 

[david_42]

Although my brewing process mostly results in clear beer, 3-5 weeks in the primary and then kegging, there are occasions when I filter. When I filter, it's from keg to keg.