How do you filter your beer?

[Mr_FearNoBeer]

How do some of you filter your beer and where did you get your equipment from?

 

[dmcman73]

I just drink it and let my liver take care of the filtering......

I've seen people use a standard water filter that's been sanitized. Push the fermented beer in from the fermenter and connect a hose out the filters outlet to a keg / bottle bucket.

If you're bottling though (I only keg), I'm not sure you want to filter the beer, you may (I'm not sure) remove too much yeast from the beer that it won't carbonate in the bottles.

 

[LBussy]

Generally if you need to filter your beer, one of two things is happening:

• You are not waiting long enough for it to clear on its own
• You have some process, ingredient, or infection issue preventing it from clearing on its own

Commercial breweries filter because they want/need a sterile product to enter commerce, and/or they don't want to wait and tie up equipment with natural clearing.

SO, why is it you want to filter your beer? What's going on in your brewery that you think it's necessary? We'd need to know a lot more to really help you. @dmcman73 answered the question in a basic sense, and you can go from there to spend THOUSANDS of dollars. Are they necessary? We need to know more.

 

[RedlegEd]

+1 ^^^what Lee said. If you bottle condition your beer, you'll always get some yeast residue settling in the bottom. If you keg, time, gelatin or other fining agents can make you beer just about as brite as a commercial beer. Ed

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Whirlfloc at 10 minutes, and a good cold crash. Shouldn't need anything more than that if you rack carefully...

 

[dmcman73]

If your answer is to not have sediment at the bottom of your bottles, you won't be able to get around that if you go from fermenter to bottle only because the yeast will die off and settle at the bottom of the bottle as it carbonates.

What you can do is keg the beer and force carbonate it with CO2. Once it's done carbonating, you can use a bottle gun (check this thread to build a really basic and inexpensive one: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=24678) to fill the bottles.

Doing it this way would be like having a bright tank like the big breweries use. All the sediment will settle to the bottom of the keg since you'll cold crash the keg as it's carbonating . You then draw off your initial pour from the keg which will suck the sediment up. If done right and your beer is already clear, you should see just a little sediment come out. Once you do that and it's coming out clear, don't move the keg. From there, bottle.

This is what I do when I want to bottle a few brews for friends and family. I don't keg to remove sediment from my beer (it's already pretty clear), I'm just lazy and don't feel like bottling 48 bottles.

 

[Dcpcooks]

A simple water filter with a 1 micron poly filter will work fine. Fill a keg attach a beer out line run it to the filter and have another beer out ball or pin lock coupler on the other side. Push your beer to the new keg and your done. You shouldn't reuse the filter again. You don't want to filter for bottle conditioned beer unless you plan on adding more yeast however.

 

[The_Bishop]

Or: Cold crash your beer down to 32F/0C and add 1/2tsp of knox unflavored gelatin dissolved in water and heated to 150F. Keep at 32F/0C for another 2+ days. Beer will be commercially clear without filtering.

 

[cyberbrew]

Time and gravity

 

[augiedoggy]

just my 2 cents but as others have said.. Filtering is unnecessary if things are done right. The beer will become crystal clear once its conditioned as well as taste better. If it doesnt its either a wheat beer or something wasnt done right. To me the filters are just another expensive gimmick trying to solve the problem of lack of patience.

When I dont want sediment in my bottles I now keg and use a bottling gun to bottle. otherwise I just pour my beers carefully when theres a yeast cake on the bottom.

 

[CamG]

Like others here time seems to do the trick for me. Cold crashing does speed it up.
I have seen beer in my keg go from hazey to clear from the first pour to the last pour.

Most of the beers (I used to pay a premium for) were never clear.

 

[Paps]

I'll do the whirflock tabs,cold crashing ect,ect.
But i think the OP in a ways was asking for a good filter supply shop link.
So here's some info on that.
Buckeye Hydro - beer filter
They are a HBT sponsor
Give "Russ" a call
513-312-2343

I've bought from them and the product is good.
Give them a try.

 

[Firewalker11]

This is just one of the many issues that is extremely polarized and you can clearly see above that there are many that are opposed to the practice to the extent that they make misleading statements.

Filtering is done for reasons well beyond infections, patience or a specific need to do so. You may filter as you see fit with no worries about spending a great deal of time or money to do so. You may also reuse filters with no danger of infection as long as you back flush and sanitize when you are finished filtering.

I filter ciders and beers that I give away to those that see any kind of sediment as a flaw. I also filter to stop fermentation at a given gravity without the use of chemicals. There is no proof of any kind that a 1u filter will take taste or color from beer/cider, it is just alarmists talking.

A filter set up can be had for about $50.00 if you are willing to do some shopping. Less if you just want a single filter, more if you want an absolute 1u filter set up. Its up to you, dont let others dissuade you.

Feel free to message me and Ill send you the links I found for the hardware.

 

[dmcman73]

This is just one of the many issues that is extremely polarized and you can clearly see above that there are many that are opposed to the practice to the extent that they make misleading statements.

Filtering is done for reasons well beyond infections, patience or a specific need to do so. You may filter as you see fit with no worries about spending a great deal of time or money to do so. You may also reuse filters with no danger of infection as long as you back flush and sanitize when you are finished filtering.

I filter ciders and beers that I give away to those that see any kind of sediment as a flaw. I also filter to stop fermentation at a given gravity without the use of chemicals. There is no proof of any kind that a 1u filter will take taste or color from beer/cider, it is just alarmists talking.

A filter set up can be had for about $50.00 if you are willing to do some shopping. Less if you just want a single filter, more if you want an absolute 1u filter set up. Its up to you, dont let others dissuade you.

Feel free to message me and Ill send you the links I found for the hardware.

Who's dissuading the OP? I think this thread gave him a number of options for filtering from $0 (if he already owns kegs) to using a standard water filter I mentioned in my very first post.

 

[Mr_FearNoBeer]

Thank you everyone for all the replies. First my reason for filtering would be to rid of the haze. I bottle ferment, do not have legs or access to another fridge, ice chest or what not in order to cold crash.
More so I was interested after watching multiple videos on doing this and wanted to try it myself.

 

[LBussy]

Thank you everyone for all the replies. First my reason for filtering would be to rid of the haze. I bottle ferment, do not have legs or access to another fridge, ice chest or what not in order to cold crash.
More so I was interested after watching multiple videos on doing this and wanted to try it myself.

Well you certainly have options presented here. @Firewalker11 I think it would be incredibly appropriate for you to post your ideas here so that people finding the thread would have a complete picture.

To the OP: Chill haze is most often protein and if you want to avoid it you can work to remove as much as possible up front. Someone mentioned Whirfloc in the boil - that's a good way. Irish moss is the same effective ingredients and sometimes easier to find. Both go in the boil and help coagulate proteins. Mostly make sure you get a good rolling boil for about an hour - that will help.

Gelatin in the fermenter followed by chilling will get a lot as well. You need not have access to a dedicated fridge or ice chest. You can put the carboy in a bucket/tray of ice water and cover with rags overnight to much the same effect.

Now you said you don't have legs ... I think you mean "kegs" and if that's the case you may find filtering is difficult. Not necessarily that you must serve out of a keg but the kegs and pressurization are almost vital to filtering. Filtering makes a pretty beverage, no doubt, but if you have haze because of a deficiency somewhere else (and respectfully, but to be honest, it seems like you might) it's not really the fix.

 

[CamG]

We run all our drinking water through a filter
It definitely changes the taste.
So in my opinion filtering beer will change the taste as well.
That being said it could change it for the better. I don't know as I have never done it.

I do know that I would never run one of my IPA's through a filter.

 

[Firewalker11]

Drinking water goes through a carbon filter normally, a whole house filter for large particulates but beer isnt ran through a carbon filter but we are looking to remove the large particulates when filtering beer.

Back to the OP though as that is not the question that was asked.

 

[Paps]

. I bottle ferment, do not have legs .

I am sorry to hear about your wheelchair confining condition.

 

[Elkobrewer]

I don't most of the floatys fall out when I keg condition them. And if there is some I don't mind

 

[Mr_FearNoBeer]

Well you certainly have options presented here. @Firewalker11 I think it would be incredibly appropriate for you to post your ideas here so that people finding the thread would have a complete picture.

To the OP: Chill haze is most often protein and if you want to avoid it you can work to remove as much as possible up front. Someone mentioned Whirfloc in the boil - that's a good way. Irish moss is the same effective ingredients and sometimes easier to find. Both go in the boil and help coagulate proteins. Mostly make sure you get a good rolling boil for about an hour - that will help.

Gelatin in the fermenter followed by chilling will get a lot as well. You need not have access to a dedicated fridge or ice chest. You can put the carboy in a bucket/tray of ice water and cover with rags overnight to much the same effect.

Now you said you don't have legs ... I think you mean "kegs" and if that's the case you may find filtering is difficult. Not necessarily that you must serve out of a keg but the kegs and pressurization are almost vital to filtering. Filtering makes a pretty beverage, no doubt, but if you have haze because of a deficiency somewhere else (and respectfully, but to be honest, it seems like you might) it's not really the fix.

Lol yes I meant "kegs" and not "legs"....I'll try both the options on my next batch. If I do have some sort of deficiency somewhere I'll have to work that out. I'd have to post my complete process and all my equipment so you all can let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.

 

[Mr_FearNoBeer]

I am sorry to hear about your wheelchair confining condition.

Lmao got to love auto correct

 

[Mr_FearNoBeer]

We run all our drinking water through a filter
It definitely changes the taste.
So in my opinion filtering beer will change the taste as well.
That being said it could change it for the better. I don't know as I have never done it.

I do know that I would never run one of my IPA's through a filter.

Can anyone confirm if running beer through a filter will change the it, for better or for worse? I'm curious to know

 

[ClaudiusB]

Generally if you need to filter your beer, one of two things is happening:

• You are not waiting long enough for it to clear on its own
• You have some process, ingredient, or infection issue preventing it from clearing on its own

Commercial breweries filter because they want/need a sterile product to enter commerce, and/or they don't want to wait and tie up equipment with natural clearing.

SO, why is it you want to filter your beer? What's going on in your brewery that you think it's necessary? We'd need to know a lot more to really help you. @dmcman73 answered the question in a basic sense, and you can go from there to spend THOUSANDS of dollars. Are they necessary? We need to know more.

You are full of it.
I filter all my beers and have no process problem.

 

[LBussy]

Drinking water goes through a carbon filter normally, a whole house filter for large particulates but beer isnt ran through a carbon filter but we are looking to remove the large particulates when filtering beer.

Back to the OP though as that is not the question that was asked.

Seriously, you offered to share your setup via OM - why not share in the thread here? It will give the OP some idea what goes into filtering at the very least. I used to filter very large batches, but I found I lose too much beer filtering to make it viable for me for a 5 gallon batch. I'm interested to see if you got around that somehow.

 

[Firewalker11]

Can anyone confirm if running beer through a filter will change the it, for better or for worse? I'm curious to know

I have a Black IPA in the fermenter that I will be filtering mid April, why don't I offer up a two bottle comparison for someone to judge?

I have done this in the past with the homebrew club I belong to with great results (suggestions for improvement mostly).

Bottom line, if the filter is purged after its sanitized, there is no cardboard flavor from O2. Lee is right though, with large filter systems, there is a lot of waste. My system wastes about a pint. No too bad.

 

[LBussy]

Can anyone confirm if running beer through a filter will change the it, for better or for worse? I'm curious to know

Running it through a filter will change it, that's the point of running it through a filter. The idea though is to change it the least amount possible while getting the desired result. You can absolutely over-filter a beer (Zima is one example of that end of the spectrum). You can absolutely brighten a beer without negatively impacting the mouthfeel too. There are all sorts of ways to filter a beer. You can take it right down to alcohol and water if you want.

You are full of it.
I filter all my beers and have no process problem.

I think you completely missed the point ... and possibly your morning diaper change. I said if he NEEDS to filter . You are welcome to do whatever you want but nobody NEEDS to filter beer to make it clear. A person can choose to do so for a number of reasons. His issue is he cannot get clear beer otherwise. Do you dispute the fact that you can get clear beer without filtering?

I have a Black IPA in the fermenter that I will be filtering mid April, why don't I offer up a two bottle comparison for someone to judge?

I have done this in the past with the homebrew club I belong to with great results (suggestions for improvement mostly).

Bottom line, if the filter is purged after its sanitized, there is no cardboard flavor from O2. Lee is right though, with large filter systems, there is a lot of waste. My system wastes about a pint. No too bad.

A pint is something I can live with - and I absolutely appreciate the ability to add filtering to one's process. It's pretty darned handy. If you have it down to where you can purge all the O2 and minimize loss I'd say you have a pretty good system for you.

You don't know me from Adam, but I'd be happy to judge a couple bottles. I'm not current, but I joined the BJCP back in 1995 and have been doing my best to help out since then.

ETA: @Firewalker11 I just noticed we are within 5 posts of each other. Weird!

 

[brewsao14]

When I was taking a homebrew class back in the early 90s, I asked why we weren't making the beer clear like the store bought stuff. The teacher said because we are home brewers.... If I wanted clear beer like that, then go buy a bottle. Lol, he was very opinionated kind of guy...

 

[Firewalker11]

Running it through a filter will change it, that's the point of running it through a filter. The idea though is to change it the least amount possible while getting the desired result. You can absolutely over-filter a beer (Zima is one example of that end of the spectrum). You can absolutely brighten a beer without negatively impacting the mouthfeel too. There are all sorts of ways to filter a beer. You can take it right down to alcohol and water if you want.


I think you completely missed the point ... and possibly your morning diaper change. I said if he NEEDS to filter . You are welcome to do whatever you want but nobody NEEDS to filter beer to make it clear. A person can choose to do so for a number of reasons. His issue is he cannot get clear beer otherwise. Do you dispute the fact that you can get clear beer without filtering?


A pint is something I can live with - and I absolutely appreciate the ability to add filtering to one's process. It's pretty darned handy. If you have it down to where you can purge all the O2 and minimize loss I'd say you have a pretty good system for you.

You don't know me from Adam, but I'd be happy to judge a couple bottles. I'm not current, but I joined the BJCP back in 1995 and have been doing my best to help out since then.

ETA: @Firewalker11 I just noticed we are within 5 posts of each other. Weird!

Um, yes, yes I do. The last time we met was in Appleton Wisconsin after the storm.

 

[Firewalker11]

Um, yes, yes I do. The last time we met was in Appleton Wisconsin after the storm.

Yes, I will post the pictures of my set up here and supply a list of items, I have been busy making beer for friends, hang in there!