Filtering beer

[chris2012]

I think that's a very good point f00b4r! I think I have tried to eek out too much of the wort from the boiler before. I will definitely consider getting that DX filter and keep a close eye on the runnings from the kettle, and stop it sooner rather than later.

I'll do the same with the fermenter too and be careful with that.

[Fil]

Just in case your still considering filtering beer do so outside, my experience trying to plumb 2 x 10 inch filter housings between 2 cornies with a 5 micron and a 1 micron filter wasnt the most successful.
I ended up having to up the push pressure beyond the capacity of my plumbing and the filters bleed valves to contain.
the result was an atomised beer that managed to permeate all the soft furnishings in the spare room and landing and even the lining paper on the long drop wall down the stairwell, requiring a weekend devoted to a deep clean and a 2nd to replacing the stinky wall paper. So avoid such problems and dont do it in the spare room with the new bloody curtains and rugs.

unlike some of the examples displayed in here and other places the only time i draw a perfectly crystal clear pint is when im pulling the last full pint from a keg, so my suggestion is grab an opaque quaffing mug and focus on the flavour n quality of the brew **EDIT and only invite folk round when the kegs nearly empty

[chris2012]

"the result was an atomised beer that managed to permeate all the soft furnishings in the spare room and landing and even the lining paper on the long drop wall down the stairwell," -- bugger, that sucks

Haha I do have some nice German ceramic steins.

I am still getting my filter, just to have a play with. It's actually one designed for hikers, but it claims to be a 0.1 micron absolute filter, so theoretically it should be capable of removing things like chill haze etc.

It comes tomorrow, fingers crossed. I'll be sure to post some before/after photos.

[chris2012]

I just found another interesting thing, I might doing, since I was using Maris Otter, is a protein rest.

"In my experience (I get brilliant beer without filtration) the only way to get chill haze is to omit the protein rest with Maris Otter malt." - http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=280603

[orlando]

Some pretty thorough answers to your questions in this thread but something that also helped me with clarity was stopping being greedy with transfers from e.g. fermenter to keg, if you take all that time with the stuff outlined in this thread and then drag crap in at the end it seems a waste of a lot of effort for little beer.

So true.

[orlando]

I just found another interesting thing, I might doing, since I was using Maris Otter, is a protein rest.

"In my experience (I get brilliant beer without filtration) the only way to get chill haze is to omit the protein rest with Maris Otter malt." - http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=280603

BS, an America site no doubt.

If you can stretch to Brewbuilder's FO filter you won't regret it, it can handle just about everything thrown at it, ask me how I know.

[Hanglow]

Does seem a strange thing to say, especially as it was AJ deLange who said it . I don't think a protein rest with british malts is a good idea is it? It's not even a good idea now with most modern continental malts now.

[chris2012]

"If you can stretch to Brewbuilder's FO filter you won't regret it, it can handle just about everything thrown at it, ask me how I know. " - Haha, can that one handle pellets too then?

It's a bit out of my price range at the moment though, but maybe I'll save up.

Edit: dammit I just realised it says '39.5 cm' which I think may be bigger than my boiler.

[chris2012]

I just got my filter:

I'm _very_ pleased with the results heh!

https://www.anfractuosity.com/homebrewi ... te-filter/

Although I'm definitely going to adjust my process!

[orlando]

I just got my filter:

I'm _very_ pleased with the results heh!

https://www.anfractuosity.com/homebrewi ... te-filter/

Although I'm definitely going to adjust my process!

Any taste difference?

[chris2012]

I'm going to do a proper side by side taste test now.

And later will try tasting them blind and seeing if I can tell them apart.

Edit: I'm sure there is a difference in taste.

Unfiltered: More of a bready aroma. Definitely seems to have more taste, bready, possibly more bitterness too I think.

Filtered: Less aroma Less bitterness and breadiness in taste. Definitely seems lighter to me in taste, although I won't say the original beer was brilliant.

[orlando]

I

Unfiltered: More of a bready aroma. Definitely seems to have more taste, bready, possibly more bitterness too I think.

Filtered: Less aroma Less bitterness and breadiness in taste. Definitely seems lighter to me in taste, although I won't say the original beer was brilliant.

It's what I feared but you will have to do a few more tests, with others too, to be sure the effect of filtering loses something in the beer, something that you would rather not lose just for the sake of clarity.

[chris2012]

Yeah definitely I just tasted them again, someone else just tried some and said they preferred the filtered one. The original beer did have a kind of astringency possibly due to oversparging that wasn't the best.

I am definitely going to work on my process. But just for fun I think I'm going to filter all this batch, and use bottling yeast and sugar and see how it looks after bottling.

[Jocky]

Beer is a colloid, so filtering it is going to change the taste, although whether that's for good or bad is up to you.

One word of warning - yeast cells are 1-5 microns in size. If you're using 0.1 micron filter then are you going to have enough yeast left to prime with?

[chris2012]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to add bottling yeast. I've never added yeast before for bottling though, so I'd be interested in any recommendations
on what to use, and rough dosage.