Strainer on siphon?

[Jaehnig]

If I put a nylon bag into the end of my auto siphon will it prevent anything important from being racked from the primary to the secondary?

Wanting to ensure excess hops floating as well as trub elements don't make it in.

V/R,
BrewTech

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Just watch what your doing, most auto siphons sit a ways off the bottom by default and wont suck stuff in. If you do get some, its not a big deal...it will settle again in your secondary.

I just hold my auto siphon a few inches off the bottom and slowly lower it down as the beer gets near the end and i start tipping the bucket on its side.

 

[Gartywood]

My experience is that the strainer clogs easily and makes it more trouble than its worth. When I dry hop a beer and I get a little bit of hops carried to the keg I tell my friends "that's how you know it's good"

 

[homebrewbeliever]

I've thought about doing this, although I never have. My last beer, a witbier IPA, was dry hopped and I had just put the hops loose in the secondary fermenter, I got a tiny amount of hop pieces that made it into my bottles. I was a bit concerned about this at first, but they are such small pieces and there are so few of them, I am not too concerned. I think putting a strainer on the siphon might end up being more trouble than its worth. If the siphon were to become clogged, you'd have to restart it and move it around the fermenter, which could inadvertenly stir up sediment and such.

 

[Calder]

I use a strainer when I use leaf hops for dry hopping, but find it is not necessary for pellets.

To answer the original question; When using a course strainer, you will not stop anything you need from getting to the secondary/bottling bucket. If the strainer is a fine filter, if fine enough, you can remove the yeast from suspension, which of course you want to keep.

 

[helibrewer]

First, do you really need to move this beer? Why is it being racked to a secondary vessel?

Second, you do not want to strain fermented beer, you will oxygenate it unnecessarily.

If you decide to rack it, put a fine hop bag on the end in your secondary vessel, that way your siphon will not be effected and you won't have something swishing around in your primary stirring things up.

Unless you are dry hopping, just move the fermentor into a nice cool place for a few weeks and the beer will clarify nicely.

 

[Stauffbier]

I agree with helibrewer, and to touch on what he said.. if you put a strainer on the tip of your autosiphon it can cause a restriction. When that happens oxygen can be drawn in thru the tube of the autosiphon and cause a bubbling affect. This also will oxidize your beer...

 

[ajlee]

As has already been said, you don't want to strain after you have fermented. I strain the hops out after the boil as it goes into the primary. At that point in the process you actually want the oxygenation, and by the time the wort is going into the primary the hops have already done their job. For this batch I would just be careful not to let the siphon tip touch the bottom of the primary and tilt towards the end. I wouldn't worry if you pick up a little yeast and trub.

 

[Stauffbier]

As has already been said, you don't want to strain after you have fermented. I strain the hops out after the boil as it goes into the primary. At that point in the process you actually want the oxygenation, and by the time the wort is going into the primary the hops have already done their job. For this batch I would just be careful not to let the siphon tip touch the bottom of the primary and tilt towards the end. I wouldn't worry if you pick up a little yeast and trub.

This might sound crazy, and if a person would rather not do what I do I couldn't argue. I actually don't do secondary. I usually do a 3 week primary and go straight to the bottle bucket. I stick my autosiphon right down in to the yeast/trub cake at the edge of the bucket. For a few seconds it picks up yeast and trub, but after those few seconds it starts to run clear. Then I just let it go all by itself. While it racks over I sanitize bottles. I figure this ensures that I get plenty of yeast for bottle carbing. I really don't pick up too much sediment in my bottles doing this. The last little bit stays in the bottle bucket when I'm done. I get clear, tasty beer in the mug when I pour. That's all that matters to me. A little crap in the bottom of my bottle.... meh! That's what a bottle brush is for!

 

[Jaehnig]

First, do you really need to move this beer? Why is it being racked to a secondary vessel?

Second, you do not want to strain fermented beer, you will oxygenate it unnecessarily.

If you decide to rack it, put a fine hop bag on the end in your secondary vessel, that way your siphon will not be effected and you won't have something swishing around in your primary stirring things up.

Unless you are dry hopping, just move the fermentor into a nice cool place for a few weeks and the beer will clarify nicely.

Purpose of secondary is not just for clarification. This is a pumpkin ale and I am thinking it will not have the correct spice level for the flavor I am looking for. I am also unsure the pumpkin flavor I want is in there.

Monday will be two weeks in the primary. I will check gravity again and have a taste. If it needs something I will boil up spices or roast pumpkin and add to the secondary.

If I put a strainer on the secondary am I just adding it at the end of the siphon hose that is inside the secondary? I am most likely not going to use a strainer.

 

[Calder]

Second, you do not want to strain fermented beer, you will oxygenate it unnecessarily.

If you decide to rack it, put a fine hop bag on the end in your secondary vessel, that way your siphon will not be effected and you won't have something swishing around in your primary stirring things up.

You want to put the strainer on the inlet side of the siphon to prevent bits getting in the tube and blocking it.

Where does the oxygen come from? Yes, if there is a lot of CO2 in solution, you can get it coming out in the siphon tube causing a vapor bubble, but this does not oxidize the beer.

 

[Onlooker]

Another idea to accomplish what you're looking for is to use a large (5 gal) "paint strainer"-type bag and put it in the secondary. Rack normally and then just pull the bag out with whatever it catches in it. No oxidation worries this way, nor any worries of a much smaller strainer bag getting clogged up.

This is also what I do when going from kettle to fermenter. Works great.

 

[el_horno]

I tried cheese cloth wrapped around the end of my siphon when transferring to my botteling bucket. Not sure of the success yet as its only been conditioning a week. I will keep you updated.

 

[Jaehnig]

I tried cheese cloth wrapped around the end of my siphon when transferring to my botteling bucket. Not sure of the success yet as its only been conditioning a week. I will keep you updated.

Thank you! Please let me know.