Finally Used My Beer Filter!

[pokolbinguy]

So I contacted Ross this morning, his words of wisdom were (from memory):

- To check it is chill haze by microwaving a small sample for 30 secs or so to see what happens...if chill haze try Polyclar Vt (PVPP) then filter
- Put some food grade grease on the ends of the cartridge to make sure it is sealing properly and to protect the cartridge
- Chill beer to be filtered down to around 2-4 deg...
- Try again via gravity, if it doesnt work try another beer...if still doesnt work replace filter cartridge as it could be a dud...he doesnt think I would have busted it at 50-60kpa

Anyway I got some polyclar vt today and will try that aswell as the filter again, I have a non AG beer in keg that is not carbed so will try that out aswell.

Fingers crossed all will be ok...now just to find some time to do it....got to actually do some bloody study for my uni exam!!

Pok

 

[churchy]

Is it true that you should more than flavour and aroma hops than normal as the filter will strip them.





Cheers Andrew

 

[NickB]

Not from my experience. Maybe in a commercial setting when they're triple filtering, but with a 1 micron on a homebrew scale, I certainly have not noticed any reduced flavour or aroma.

Cheers

 

[MCT]

Did you end up getting yours to work Pok?
I'm having a shitfull time trying to get mine to work properly. I got mine from here:

No matter what I do there's no difference from what's going in to what's coming out. I know it's sealing 'cause I can see the marks on the seals where it's pushed up against the lip of the filter housing.
It's doing my head in.

 

[Pumpy]

Did you end up getting yours to work Pok?
I'm having a shitfull time trying to get mine to work properly. I got mine from here:

No matter what I do there's no difference from what's going in to what's coming out. I know it's sealing 'cause I can see the marks on the seals where it's pushed up against the lip of the filter housing.
It's doing my head in.

MCT when you put the filter in the housing and screw on the top and if you shake it can you hear the filter moving ?

Pumpy

 

[MCT]

Hey Pumpy, it was shaking, so I made up some of my own seals to get it to seal properly.
I think the cartridges may be stuffed.

Can I ask you a question, if you hold your filter in your hand and block one end, can you fill it up with water before it leaks through the membrane?
I can't with mine, it seems all the water is pouring through the lower part as quick as I can fill it, I thought a 1 micron filter would probably have more 'resistance' than that.

I may have some torn holes in the cartridge from overtightening. Bloody thing's giving me the shits.

 

[Pumpy]

Hey Pumpy, it was shaking, so I made up some of my own seals to get it to seal properly.
I think the cartridges may be stuffed.

Can I ask you a question, if you hold your filter in your hand and block one end, can you fill it up with water before it leaks through the membrane?
I can't with mine, it seems all the water is pouring through the lower part as quick as I can fill it, I thought a 1 micron filter would probably have more 'resistance' than that.

I may have some torn holes in the cartridge from overtightening. Bloody thing's giving me the shits.

Mine is the same you cant fill it up without it pouring through the lower part of the membrane .

Dont pannick yet there must be an answer to the problem dont chuck the filter yet ,I think the problem is to do with the length of the filter cartridge and the circular sharp projection at the top and bottom maybe if you put a seal inbetween to make up the length of the filter .it is not sealing there .

MCT I have 40 litres of Pilsner I have to filter , this week , I just going to Polyclar it and filter say Thursday . see if I do anything different

pumpy

 

[MCT]

Thanks Pumpy. That was exactly what I did with the seals, and I can see an indentation on those seals that makes it look like it's sealing, but still as cloudy coming out.

I might pop round yours when you are filtering it and bring mine along and see if we can sort it out if that's OK.

I've also got 40 ltrs or Pilsner I want to filter very soon

 

[technocat]

MCT: sounds like the filter might have partially parted company with the plastic at the bottom or the top which ever way you look at it :angry:

 

[Vlad the Pale Aler]

Did you end up getting yours to work Pok?
I'm having a shitfull time trying to get mine to work properly. I got mine from here:

No matter what I do there's no difference from what's going in to what's coming out. I know it's sealing 'cause I can see the marks on the seals where it's pushed up against the lip of the filter housing.
It's doing my head in.

MCT, I bought one from the same place, and am disappointed with the results. There was little difference between the before and after beers, I suspect that the filters supplied are not what they claim to be.


Disclaimer: I only bought a filter cos I had to brew a load of beer for a 21st and was short of time, and couldn't be arsed having a technical discussion about flocculation with non believers.

 

[buttersd70]

asking the hard question.....

was it absolute, or nominal?.....a world of difference.

 

[MCT]

Well after the 2 supplied with the kit didn't work, I bought a 1 micron absolute from Clarence Filters. That was what I was trying to use it with today, no better.
It's got me buggered, it seems like it's sealing.

 

[buttersd70]

If its an absolute, it should be coming through crystal clear. So if it's not, it strikes me that either...
a/ you've managed to damage it somehow
b/ it's not sealing properly either top or bottom; or
c/ theres too much pressure behind it

I can't think what else would be causing it. a/ and/or b/ more likely imo.

 

[pokolbinguy]

Haven't had time to try it again yet .... don't think I will get time for awhile..sitting in a motel room in cowra at the moment on my way to Adelaide for the week.

 

[pokolbinguy]

Well I finally got motivated the other day to finally through some polyclar vt (PVPP) at this brew and i must say the beer does look much brighter....but not crystal clear.

I added approx 10gms from memory to the cold keg and let sit until just now when I remembered about it. I think its been about a week or so since adding it. I let it settle, hooked up the gas (the beer was already carb'd) and poured a glass... first bit was nice and gooey...but could have been shit in the lines from the last keg.

Will give the filter another go with this beer and see if I can get it crystal...if the filter doesnt work with this beer I will have to try another or doctor up a batch of cloudy water somehow and see of the filter cartridge is shot. If thats the case then I must have blown the cartridge first go.

Any suggestions on how to dummy up some "cloudy" water?

Cheers, Pok

 

[Effect]

Well I finally got motivated the other day to finally through some polyclar vt (PVPP) at this brew and i must say the beer does look much brighter....but not crystal clear.

I added approx 10gms from memory to the cold keg and let sit until just now when I remembered about it. I think its been about a week or so since adding it. I let it settle, hooked up the gas (the beer was already carb'd) and poured a glass... first bit was nice and gooey...but could have been shit in the lines from the last keg.

Will give the filter another go with this beer and see if I can get it crystal...if the filter doesnt work with this beer I will have to try another or doctor up a batch of cloudy water somehow and see of the filter cartridge is shot. If thats the case then I must have blown the cartridge first go.

Any suggestions on how to dummy up some "cloudy" water?

Cheers, Pok

hmm...from what I have read you should really rack off the polyclar. Leave it for 48 hours or at least 15 mins before filtering is what I have read.

 

[pokolbinguy]

hmm...from what I have read you should really rack off the polyclar. Leave it for 48 hours or at least 15 mins before filtering is what I have read.

My theory was that it would settle to the bottom either sit there below the dip tube and the beer being drawn off above ....or be drawn off 1st so I would just discard.

Should I rack the keg into another keg???

Pok

 

[henderjo]

A few things I've found:

always do it cold - after 2 days or so at 1-2 degrees (the more crap you get out of suspension, the less crap in your filter... and the longer it should last)
Shake test is good - if the filter is moving it's not sealed
pressure as low as you can go... or as long as you can wait <_<
gravity is good and cheap - but FM it takes all day!
I burp my receiving keg to get a nice layer of Co2 and I run the lines via the post (ie place a liquid quick disconnect on the end of the out end) and leave the lid on the keg - just pop the valve - hey presto no oxygen!
*** you can also use it back wards if you are going gravity - seems to flow better with less air bubbles in the filter, but it's a prick to clean.
Cleaning - once your finished place one end of the beer line in the out and the other in the in - keep it in your fridge - no rinse, no cleaning, just straight into you next one ... (or just leave the disconnects on if you don't need them elsewhere) I'll clean and sanitize mine once a month or so - and let it dry

After all that... I still get a not so clear beer every once in while, but I'm pretty sure it's just chill.
I love clear, bright beer, so to me it's easy and worth it.
John.

oh - I've never used polycar but it's supposed to help

 

[andytork]

A few things I've found:

always do it cold - after 2 days or so at 1-2 degrees (the more crap you get out of suspension, the less crap in your filter... and the longer it should last)
Shake test is good - if the filter is moving it's not sealed
pressure as low as you can go... or as long as you can wait <_<
gravity is good and cheap - but FM it takes all day!
I burp my receiving keg to get a nice layer of Co2 and I run the lines via the post (ie place a liquid quick disconnect on the end of the out end) and leave the lid on the keg - just pop the valve - hey presto no oxygen!
*** you can also use it back wards if you are going gravity - seems to flow better with less air bubbles in the filter, but it's a prick to clean.
Cleaning - once your finished place one end of the beer line in the out and the other in the in - keep it in your fridge - no rinse, no cleaning, just straight into you next one ... (or just leave the disconnects on if you don't need them elsewhere) I'll clean and sanitize mine once a month or so - and let it dry

After all that... I still get a not so clear beer every once in while, but I'm pretty sure it's just chill.
I love clear, bright beer, so to me it's easy and worth it.
John.

oh - I've never used polycar but it's supposed to help

I chill (a couple of days or so just above freezing), polyclar and gravity filter straight from primary into keg, works a treat.

 

[Effect]

My theory was that it would settle to the bottom either sit there below the dip tube and the beer being drawn off above ....or be drawn off 1st so I would just discard.

Should I rack the keg into another keg???

Pok

That was my thoughts as well, just like I do with gelatin...but I have asked a few people and I have a feeling that you should rack to a different keg. But that raises the question of how you rack? Do you transfer simply from one keg to another through the disconnects or do you rack pulling the beer only from the top of the 'chill haze' cake at the bottom of the keg? If the answer is simply through the disconnects, then there isn't really any reason to transfer at all, unless you bump your kegs and rouse the polyclar back into suspension.

If you have a beer filter, the you could filter from keg to keg. I've got a beer filter as well...maybe we should try and nut this out together, as I have too had trouble with my filter. I have only filtered one beer and it turned out basically like yours. I kept the pressure as low as possible though, but still it came out like I hadn't done anything plus it was chilled down to about 5 degrees.

Anyway, as far as I am concerned, a filter isn't necessary if time is on your side. I have a galaxy pale ale on tap and it is as clear as you could imagine and I only used whirlfloc, gelatin and time.

Cheers
Phil