I cant seem to find this answer..

[oo7cable]

Hey everyone,

New to the forum - Read all the FAQ's and such.. But I cant find the answer to my question.

After Boil is done, and Im transferring to the Fermenter, do I "Filter/Strain" the wort? If I dont, I know the hops will just float around the beer while it ferments...And it would eventually end up in a bottle. Im not partial to drinking beer that way. But is it necessary to strain them out? Or will they continue to add flavoring/bitterness?

Also - I think Im using too much Idophor(sp?) Im getting a very unique Off Flavor and I believe its the Idophor. How much should I add to one gallon? Ive heard 1/10th of an ounce is all I need and others who say 0.25 ounces...

Thanks for the help!
Happy Brewing!
Josh:rockin:

 

[whoneedsabeer]

Hey Josh - Welcome to the obsession.

You'll most likely get different answers to both questions. Some people strain their hops using various methods, some people say it's more for the yeast to eat, so let them flow. If you don't strain, they'll mostly end up at the bottom in the yeast cake, or still floating when you rack. If you do get a lot of hops in primary, I would probably want to prevent them from getting into the bottle. I strain using a hops bag, just because I don't want to clog my CFC when transferring to my carboy.

I don't use Idophor or whatever it's called, so I'm not sure about that. I'm sure others will chime in regarding that. I'd probably just follow the directions on the label though.

 

[Palefire]

Yeah, I've filtered and I've not filtered. Hasn't made a difference in the final result at all. If you leave things in the primary long enough (3+ weeks), all the hops and other gunk will sink to the bottom anyway. Then when you rack to your bottling bucket or keg or whatever you just stop racking at the cake of gunk. No hops in your bottles (I promise!). Plus, even if some hop matter did get in your bottles, a few days in the fridge would sink them to the bottom anyway.

Mostly I only strain if I'm going to wash the yeast or reuse the yeast cake. But if you're just starting out you're probably not doing that anyway. So don't worry if you don't filter!

 

[oo7cable]

Hey thanks for the welcoming!

Ive had no issues when I strain them, so I guess thats what I will do...

Idophor is a pain to me for some reason.. I cant seem to figure it out.
Ive filled the whole carboy - Ive tried only one gallon.. al with different measurings of Idophor and I still have an "Iodine" like taste. Im 99% sure its the Idophor...

Util.. I started trolling this forum. Im using Aluminum!!! Ive never heard anything about NOT using it! Is that whats making my beer taste funny (but very very drinkable!!)?

 

[wulfsburg]

Hey thanks for the welcoming!

Ive had no issues when I strain them, so I guess thats what I will do...

Idophor is a pain to me for some reason.. I cant seem to figure it out.
Ive filled the whole carboy - Ive tried only one gallon.. al with different measurings of Idophor and I still have an "Iodine" like taste. Im 99% sure its the Idophor...

Util.. I started trolling this forum. Im using Aluminum!!! Ive never heard anything about NOT using it! Is that whats making my beer taste funny (but very very drinkable!!)?

I use Iodophor.... and I probably use too much. My batches don't have a "iodine" taste to them. My pails and such smell like chlorine kind of prior to use, but I just air dry and away I go.
The last batch I did turned out pretty good, but has a slight off taste. Currently I have 2 more batches conditioning.... prior to bottling they tasted just fine.

I am sure there is a reason people don't use aluminum (unless it has been properly lined/conditioned).

Anyone care to shed some light on this?

 

[MetallHed]

Aluminum pots as brew kettles

seems to be an ongoing debate..... like everything else

 

[rico567]

If I'm using pellet hops, I just leave 'em in. If I'm using whole hops (my own, in this case), they're pretty bulky, so I put the wort through a stainless steel strainer. The drawback to this method is that there's some wort loss with the whole hops soaking it up.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

Idophor is a pain to me for some reason.. I cant seem to figure it out.
Ive filled the whole carboy - Ive tried only one gallon.. al with different measurings of Idophor and I still have an "Iodine" like taste. Im 99% sure its the Idophor...

This could be a water issue too. Are you using tap water?

 

[SoonerDoc]

I don't strain and never found it to be a problem. Everything settles out. That said, if you strain ahead of time, I guess you don't have to worry about it settling. I think you'd be fine either way.

Iodophor- If you think it might be the problem, get rid of it. I've never used it (well, not for brewing anyway) so I don't have a lot of experience. Star-San is excellent, easy to use and I've never had any problems with it. I would highly recommend trying it in place of the Iodophor if you continue to have problems.

 

[ksbrain]

Iodophor is very simple. One cap for five gallons.

 

[tallybrewer]

Filtering - I did about 10 batches without filtering. Cooled the wort, dumped it all in the carboy. Lately I've been filtering (last several batches) but haven't noticed any difference in taste. Just less trub to clean out of the carboy when I rack to secondary.

Iodophor - what ksbrain said: one cap to five gallons, drain, no rinse needed. Never had an iodine flavor in any of my beers. Don't know about aluminum, I use a stainless steel pot.

 

[oo7cable]

Hey guys, thanks for the insight. I will just strain it out.

As for the Aluminum, Its pretty well treated and I don't think its the problem. Its gotta be the Idophor. Ive been using the equivalent of 2 cap fulls in 5 gallons. I will use less from now on. Next batch is boiling this weekend. Cant think of anything more american than making home brew!

 

[WildGingerBrewing]

I use an aluminum pot and Iodophor and have had no problems. 1 cap per 3 gallons is my mix. As far as straining, just use a hop sock and the point is moot.

 

[lumpher]

i use a mesh bag to strain my wort from the boil keggle to the fermenter. bags are like $3 from the lhbs, and strain very well. also makes the beer more clear, and makes cleanup easier. just put the bag into the primary, wrap the elastic top of the bag over the top of the bucket, and pour in the wort, then dump the crap out of the bag. beer strained, and most of the mess prevented

 

[mattldm]

how fine of a strainer is everyone using when going from the kettle to the primary?

I have some 5 gallon paint strainers but the mesh looks pretty big! Not sure how much this will actually trap?

I have also seen 5 gallon plastic strainers that go down to 75 microns, and are pretty cheap, about $10, and reusable! Dpes this sound like an appropriate filter to catch trub and hops?

 

[johnnyboy1965]

Strain... What is Iodophor?

 

[SteveM]

<---Don't strain, but I stop pouring when I am dumping only sludge. I use a bag for whole hops.