Filtered beers have a distinct flavour/character

[Khellendros13]

I have noticed this for a while now. The majority of filtered beers I have tasted, have a distinct chemical like flavour. Most prominent in filtered pale ales.
This Hawthorn Brewery Pale Ale is the latest.

It is less noticeable in darker beers, but I get it in Coopers Sparkling and Pale Ale, and numerous others. The Iron Maiden beer is another example.

In highly hopped styles like an IPA or IIPA I guess this would be hidden, but not in all that I have tried. Less hop aroma/flavour/character makes it easier to pick out this "filtered" flavour.

It is such a distinct flavour I can pick if a new beer I am trying is filtered, or at best I am not sure.

S&W Pacific Ale I like a lot...and it isn't filtered. I also can't find this taste in any SN beer...I research and they are filtered by centrifuge.

So, my thoughts are that the standard filter process removes certain flavours/compounds that then let this chemical like taste shine through?

Anyone else notice this? All my research points to filtering improving taste...but not in my tasting experience.

 

[Dan2]

I've noticed that Coopers Sparkling and Pale are NOT filtered

 

[Bribie G]

VB is filtered and matches the flavour profile alluded to by the OP.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Your sensory perception is probably more enhanced than mine and when I first read your comments I was a bit sceptical, but I did a quick Google search and found this.

When people describe many of the mainstream beers as tasting like shit and giving them the worst hangovers, the reason could be due to the levels of arsenic in the beer.

 

[stakka82]

I don't know about filtered vs non filtered but I find there's a taste in most mega swill I can't stomach these days, and it's not just the lack of flavour or 'cat's piss' etc etc. A lot of my mates that drink craft beer or homebrew feel the same. I'm shit with descriptors and would just describe it as 'chemical like'.

I don't get it with all mega swill but the majority... It's comparable for me with the difference between tailor made and roll your own ciggies, I've smoked roll your own almost 10 years now and can't enjoy a tailor - tastes like chemicals - and I don't mean added chemicals, I realise they're all made from the same baccy... I put it down to the different filters used for tailors and them imparting a taste. Well that's my theory anyway.

I find CUB beers to have 'that' taste the most, but also very prevalent in the more mainstream euro/us lagers etc.

 

[toncils]

I work at a 'come in and brew' -ery, where they run everyones beer through a 5, 1.5 and 0.5 micron filter. I swear every beer tastes the same.

 

[Khellendros13]

I've noticed that Coopers Sparkling and Pale are NOT filtered

Damn clear though. Further research says CPA is chill-filtered.

Having a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale now and I get a bit of the described flavour still. So hmm. Not sure what the exact cause is, but it is a trait I taste no matter the filter process it seems.

Your sensory perception is probably more enhanced than mine and when I first read your comments I was a bit sceptical, but I did a quick Google search and found this.

When people describe many of the mainstream beers as tasting like shit and giving them the worst hangovers, the reason could be due to the levels of arsenic in the beer.

Interesting, I remember reading something similar. However as above, I get this flavour even in SN's centrifuge filtered beers. Maybe it is the finings that is added to aid filtering?

I don't know about filtered vs non filtered but I find there's a taste in most mega swill I can't stomach these days, and it's not just the lack of flavour or 'cat's piss' etc etc. A lot of my mates that drink craft beer or homebrew feel the same. I'm shit with descriptors and would just describe it as 'chemical like'.

I don't get it with all mega swill but the majority... It's comparable for me with the difference between tailor made and roll your own ciggies, I've smoked roll your own almost 10 years now and can't enjoy a tailor - tastes like chemicals - and I don't mean added chemicals, I realise they're all made from the same baccy... I put it down to the different filters used for tailors and them imparting a taste. Well that's my theory anyway.

I find CUB beers to have 'that' taste the most, but also very prevalent in the more mainstream euro/us lagers etc.

It's not just big breweries...3 beers tonight and all exhibit this to varying degrees. Hawthorn Pale Ale, Hargreaves Hills Pale Ale, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
The last homebrew I can compare to is my Citra/Mosaic Pale Ale with 20% wheat. That had more aroma and flavour for sure than all these, cloudy as all **** but nothing close to astringent/chemical behind the malt or hops.

I am stumped and really disappointed actually. Might pop another beer I got tonight - Ballast Point IPA and see how I go. I recall liking this months ago.

Euro Lagers? Hell yes, all have the same/similar flavour profile to me and after trying different Lagers and respected Pilseners...I just don't like them.

 

[black_labb]

When I visited the renaissance/8 wired brewery in NZ a year or so ago I got onto the topic of conversation of filters with one of the owners of renaissance.They sterile filter all beers they send to Australia because the warm temperature (and probably institutionalised bad handling of beer I suggested) means they need them. He said that there is a fair bit of flavour lost on the moderate filters and of course the finer it is the more flavour they lose.

Could it be the flavour you are tasting is actually the absence of a certain flavour?

 

[Khellendros13]

I work at a 'come in and brew' -ery, where they run everyones beer through a 5, 1.5 and 0.5 micron filter. I swear every beer tastes the same.

When looking at homebrew filtering, I saw a recommendation to just use a 5 micron filter as the others remove too much stripping flavour. I think it is a hot debate topic, but your experience is something to note.

 

[Khellendros13]

When I visited the renaissance/8 wired brewery in NZ a year or so ago I got onto the topic of conversation of filters with one of the owners of renaissance.They sterile filter all beers they send to Australia because the warm temperature (and probably institutionalised bad handling of beer I suggested) means they need them. He said that there is a fair bit of flavour lost on the moderate filters and of course the finer it is the more flavour they lose.

Could it be the flavour you are tasting is actually the absence of a certain flavour?

Bingo! That is what I feel. The loss of yeast/hop or a combo of, derived flavours, is throwing the balance somehow. It is so frustrating.

Grabbing that Ballast Point IPA now...

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

I've noticed that Coopers Sparkling and Pale are NOT filtered

I've read on here that they are filtered to remove practically all of the yeast so that then a prescribed dose of yeast/fermentbles can be added for the bottle carbonation to ensure a consistent product. From memory manticle may have even said that somewhere?

 

[Bribie G]

In your case, in view of the fact that probably 95% of beer production on the planet is filtered, including the massive output of Germany, the Czech republic, most of the UK beers shipped here, etc perhaps it would be best for you to avoid commercial beer.

Edit: we are 100% chemicals. The planet is 100% chemicals. Food is 100% chemicals. Or so I learned when I studied chemistry.

 

[manticle]

I don't think it was me but my memory gets hazed with beer frequently. What I do remember writing (based on emails from coopers reps) is that they add fresh hops to the kettle and adjust ibu with extract in both commercial beers and homebrew kits.

My understanding is that coopers and many other commercial bottle conditioned beers are filtered, then re-seeded in the bottle.

OP - how do you know all the beers you taste this flavour in are filtered, how do you know they have no other common element and have you compared filtered HB with non filtered, all ingredients and conditions identical?

Myself, I don't filter so I don't know what you are referring to. I get some chemical\artificial\whatever flavours in some beers which I put (with no real evidence) down to some kind of stabiliser/preservative.

 

[Khellendros13]

In your case, in view of the fact that probably 95% of beer production on the planet is filtered, including the massive output of Germany, the Czech republic, most of the UK beers shipped here, etc perhaps it would be best for you to avoid commercial beer.

Edit: we are 100% chemicals. The planet is 100% chemicals. Food is 100% chemicals. Or so I learned when I studied chemistry.

Mr Pedantic-pants

I knew this would be a debatable topic...there are some beers I love though, and I enjoy finding them. I never really noticed this as being the off putting flavour in a lot of beers until I moved to AG. These first 3 AG brews have been real eye openers.

I found the chill-filtered reference from http://www.cellarmasters.com.au/wines/BM16-BM16.aspx and it comes up on a myshopping link in google as well, so I can only conclude this is the marketing tag line Coopers have used in the past.

Aren't most bottle conditioned commercial beers filtered and then injected with yeast? Pasteurised first maybe. Those that are not pasteurised could still be filtered.

It is actually hard to find out if a beer is filtered or not, on the brewers website. Unless they make a point of unfiltered beer.

I am still open to the possibility of having a filtered homebrew from someone and it being the best thing I have ever tasted. Just my experiences with filtered beers thus far...not cool.

Oh, Ballast Point IPA...lots of hop flavour going on, can't really detect that "filtered" taste over the resinous hops. I can see lots of small floaties though, which may just be dry hopping after filtration.

Really keen to get to a meet and try other brewers beer now

 

[Khellendros13]

I don't think it was me but my memory gets hazed with beer frequently. What I do remember writing (based on emails from coopers reps) is that they add fresh hops to the kettle and adjust ibu with extract in both commercial beers and homebrew kits.

My understanding is that coopers and many other commercial bottle conditioned beers are filtered, then re-seeded in the bottle.

OP - how do you know all the beers you taste this flavour in are filtered, how do you know they have no other common element and have you compared filtered HB with non filtered, all ingredients and conditions identical?

Myself, I don't filter so I don't know what you are referring to. I get some chemical flavours in some beers which I pu (with no real evidence) down to some kind of stabiliser/preservative.

I know they are all filtered, as I check online when I notice this flavour. Crystal clear in the glass for an APA/IPA is a bit of a give away too.

At first I was trying to work that out too. I have ruled out hops, I am talking about beers with English hops, PoR, US hops etc. All filtered beers using different hops, similar underlying flavour.

Yeast? That would mean different English and US strains have this similar flavour.

I have not filtered my HB. I have looked at doing so, due to the claims of flavour stability and improvement. I just don't want to spend the cash on that, and find it a waste. I was talking about this flavour in commercial beers though, so it shouldn't matter if you filter or don't. Grab 2 or 3 Pale Ales you know are filtered...see if you notice a flavour "theme".

 

[Coalminer]

I don't get it with all mega swill but the majority... It's comparable for me with the difference between tailor made and roll your own ciggies, I've smoked roll your own almost 10 years now and can't enjoy a tailor - tastes like chemicals - and I don't mean added chemicals, I realise they're all made from the same baccy... I put it down to the different filters used for tailors and them imparting a taste. Well that's my theory anyway.

A bit OT but I think its probably the chemicals they add to the tailor made ciggies to make them burn. Watch one carefully and notice the "fizz" from the paper as it smoulders.
Put a rollie and a tailor made in an ashtray and see which one stops burning and which one burns right down to the filter. I read something a long time ago that said it was saltpetre but maybe that was an urban myth. Anyway, after I read that, I smoked rollies for 30 years before giving it away altogether.

 

[Khellendros13]

PB2 from the Coopers forums just posted this:

Our ales are not filtered. Rather, they are centrifuged then seeded with re-vitalised yeast (same strain as primary), primed with liquid sugar then bottled/canned/kegged.

 

[j-dunn]

I have seen the "water" type filters for beer and have contemplated purchasing one. My question is how would you clean it once beer has been run through it?
I am thinking it would be near impossible and any residue would go off and stin k.

Cheers

 

[verysupple]

Crystal clear in the glass for an APA/IPA is a bit of a give away too.

I'm not so sure about that. I definitely don't filter my APAs and they're usually crystal clear. I'm not a particularly skilled brewer so I'll bet that commercial brewers could end up with crystal clear beer if they wanted it to be.

 

[Khellendros13]

I'm not so sure about that. I definitely don't filter my APAs and they're usually crystal clear. I'm not a particularly skilled brewer so I'll bet that commercial brewers could end up with crystal clear beer if they wanted it to be.

You are right. I was off on that comment.