Keggers: To filter or not to filter?

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pfgonzo

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In reading up on various kegging threads, I see some people filter their beer before kegging, while others make no mention of it. Obviously, you wouldn't want to filter a hefe, but I'm curious, how many of you filter, how many of you don't bother?

For those that don't, I presume there's some sort of sediment left at the bottom of your keg. Does this get pulled through the liquid lines and into your glass?
 
I have never filtered my beer out of the fear of ruining it, and i still have been able to achieve clarity...but i do use irish moss religiously
 
No way. First pint, maybe two has some sediment. I don't need the extra hassle. Whirlfloc (irish moss) every time, and I cold crash before kegging, which just cuts back on how much sediment needs to get cleared out (or how much beer gets left in the better bottle).
 
Never filter, whirflock and cold crashing only


____________________________________
Primary- Orange Cascade APA
Secondary- AIR
Keg1- Centennial Blonde
Keg2- Oktoberfest
Keg3- Christmas Spice
Keg4- Fire In The Hole
Keg5- AIR
Keg6- AIR
Keg7- AIR
Keg8- AIR
 
I dont, I just make sure to keep wirloc on hand, I made a filter that you use from one keg to the next useing CO2 to push the beer ,, i only used it once when i was a wide eyed noob, the filter was too good(?) it was like a 3 micron or something and it pulled out alot of color and smell, i never used it again , i just found i never needed it with a proper cold break, secondary and wirloc ,, and the other times i just dont care,, cloudy beer that taste good get drank just as fast.
 
there is a cold crash and a cold break ; a cold break is where you quicky as you can cool your wort after the boil with some type of chiller, this co-wag-you-lates ;) the proteins to form trub in teh bottom of the kettle, this makes a clearer beer.
a cold crash is where you chiller your beer pryer to kegging near freezing like 36 38 Freg temp , this crashes out the yeast and other stuff and makes a clearer beer :)
 
Oh ya I filter the beers that I really want to impress people with or if I want to take a beer from grain to glass FAST and I want it clear, I will filter w/ a 1 micron. I can see really clear beer about 3-4 days after secondary is complete and the beers have been carbonated. I have found (for me) that I have clarity issues for some reason and my really light beers (1.040 and smaller) don’t clear very fast, not really sure why, so those are the ones I filter.
JJ
 
I've never filtered. I've never had the need to. Using whirlfloc in the boil with an aggressive boil for hot break, fast chilling for a good cold break, up to a month in primary and a week at 40 in the keg. I've never had a chill haze or had sediment problems.

Head retention issues, on the other hand.. :(
 
I filter when I rack (both from primary and from secondary) by tying a sanitized nylon hopping bag to the end on the racking cane. It doesn't seem to effect my beer and it does keep sediment out of my kegging set-up.
 
I filter for club events only. It doesn't affect the taste or strip the beer of anything but trub.
 
I don't filter, and I have only had very positive comments on the clarity of my beer. I just keg it, pull a few "test" pints, and it runs clean pretty quickly.
 
I filter only when a beer won't clear. I have a rig that goes between two kegs, so I can use CO2 to move it. Maybe one in ten batches have needed it.
 
If I want brilliant clarity, I use a secondary with Gelatin for 3 days, then cold crash for 2 days before racking to keg. When I say brilliant, I mean Miller Lite brilliant. I do not have any clarity issues.
 
I have had many a thoughts of taking my not quite clear beer and filter. However, I have done tests with wine and when you filter it does strip flavor away. My advice on that though is to do your own test. If you filter and can't taste a difference then have at it. If it diminishes the beer flavor though, then there are other ways of getting beer clear.

Winter is here, put the beer out at night if it gets cold where you live.
 
lol, except if you live in, say, wisconsin, that would not be good, unless you want an eisbock.

thanks for the good info in this thread; I like squeaky clean beer, and my bottle-conditioned beer left a bit to be desired. I just ordered kegging equipment and I'm glad to hear there's clear beer to be had out of the keg.
 
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