Filtering - The Real Cost?

[rbtmc]

OK after all this talk of filtering I'm kind of keen to check it out...

So can someone recommend a decent filter?

:icon_cheers:

 

[davo4772]

I bought a cheapie first. Never worked properly, leaked. Didn't seem to filter well.

Ended up cutting my losses and bought a craftbrewer model, awesome. Crystal clear beer.

I'm sure any of the sponsors will sell quality filters.

 

[Nick JD]

I got a fifty buck one. Works a treat. It's got a 12mm in and out - which is handy because that's the outer diameter of my fermenter taps.

Fermenter on bench; filter on chair; keg on ground; clear beer into keg. Takes about 15 minutes.

 

[sav]

I
I totally agree with this comment.i hav been using the same filter for three years and it's starting to slow I might buy a new one soon not bad run.I would love too know how many lts it's done.

Just too quote myself about my filter slowing down its clean and white but slow.
After talking someone no names? about my filter I back flushed it with water with the hose and it has fixed it ,I filtered three keg in 30min sorry ross dont have to buy one yet.

sava

 

[jbowers]

An update on this. For those considering filtering for the reasons I was hypothesising - do it. My entire keg is now drinkable, and is good from Day 1. No more waiting around for the yeast to drop, and I have to assume there will be no trubby glass at the end of the keg either.

It's upped my usual keg/carb regime from 15 minutes to about an hour including the filtering by gravity and cleaning the filter. I still think it's worth it. Easily. Aside from beers that I plan to bottle condition for lengthy periods of time, and hefeweizens, I don't think I will ever keg a beer without filtering it from now on.

The problem for me was, even with a bloody good cold condition I would always disturb some yeast lifting the fermenter out of the freezer to where I bottle/keg.

 

[raven19]

For interest, this is how little beer is left in the filter after gravity filtering using a beerbelly type filter.

 

[Steve@PMF82]

After filtering one batch i can say i am happy i got one.
Makes the whole brewing process more efficient, i will be brewing less beer in the future to fill my kegs as there is no wastage in the fermenter.

I also like the whole closed transfer, i purged with CO2 and when fermenter emptied i closed of the flow and gently forced the last of the beer through the filter with CO2.

The beer has been in the keg a week now and is tasting great, so instead of it sitting in the fermenter CCing, it can do that clean as whistle in the keg fridge.
Also means i am not running another fridge at 0 - 2 degrees for a week or more and with my electricity price set to jump to 31.35c/KWH in JAN that makes me happy. Needless to say i am shopping around for a better electricity deal.

 

[Clutch]

I'm keen to try filtering, do you need kegs to do it in?

 

[argon]

I'm keen to try filtering, do you need kegs to do it in?

Nope,

You can just filter to a bottling bucket/priming bucket. The bottle as normal. You will of course get some sediment via bottle conditioning, but it will be significantly less. You'll still have enough yeast for carbing, but it may take a little longer.

 

[Nick JD]

I'm keen to try filtering, do you need kegs to do it in?

Why bother? Even if you bottle very turbid beer they will be clear by the time they are carbonated - and you can decant off the yeast.

Filtering will only delay the carbonation process, and there will still be too much yeast to drink from the bottle, as the yeast needs to repopulate the bottle to eat the priming sugar.

 

[Florian]

Have to agree with Nick, yes you have less sediment in the bottle, but after all you still have sediment in the bottle.

Unless you are concerned to get 20ml more out of each bottle I wouldn't bother either. You also have an increased risk that some of the bottles might not carb up if you have issues with yeast health (doesn't have to happen, but the chances are certainly higher), and you have to leave your beer longer to carb which means longer at non-fridge temps, which doesn't do your beer any good either.

 

[WitWonder]

Why bother? Even if you bottle very turbid beer they will be clear by the time they are carbonated - and you can decant off the yeast.

Filtering will only delay the carbonation process, and there will still be too much yeast to drink from the bottle, as the yeast needs to repopulate the bottle to eat the priming sugar.

Not sure I agree; it only takes two weeks or so to carbonate bottles and there's no guarantee your beer will be clear in that time, nor is there any guarantee for kegged or bottled beer that it will ever clear to the level provided by filtering, as has been debated already in this thread. True you'll still have to most likely still decant the bottle, but what you're decanting is much clearer.

 

[drsmurto]

Why bother? Even if you bottle very turbid beer they will be clear by the time they are carbonated - and you can decant off the yeast.

Filtering will only delay the carbonation process, and there will still be too much yeast to drink from the bottle, as the yeast needs to repopulate the bottle to eat the priming sugar.

Filtering removes than just yeast

 

[Nick JD]

Filtering removes than just yeast

Exactly! I often morn the loss of the yeast and the good job they do while bottle conditioning. And it must also be said that a healthy population of bottle yeast aids flavour development, such that many commercial bottle conditined beers have a fresh lager yeast added so they can condition the beer ... not just add fizz.

I feel for the poor, skiny, young and sick yeast that make it through the 1 mic filter leaving behind all their healthy peers.

Filtered beer in a bottle is the Auschwitz of bottle conditioning. Not only does it remove flavour, it removes the cells that can most effictively condition your beer.

The diacetyl difference between my filtered US05 kegs and their bottled counterparts is staggering.