The Filter Stole My Flavour

[Bongchitis]

Hi guys,

I have recently started to filter and keg my beer and i am very happy with my setup except that my 1 micron filter seems to strip a noticable amount of flavour and body from the beer. At first i thought i had diluted the beer somehow but have reproduced the results a few times now with careful methodology.

My question/s is.... Does anyone else experience this?

What i have read indicates the 1 micron is the ideal compromise between clarity and ability to retain the beers flavour. What does everyone else use?

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips for this virgin kegger.

Cheers.

 

[kabooby]

Hey mate,

Filtering should not make that much difference to your beer. Make sure you dont oxydize your beer when filtering. This may be the cause to your beer loosing flavour.

Is it getting worse over time or is it like that straight away?

Kabooby :icon_cheers:

 

[Tony]

Or are you using a 1 micron carbon filter?

Silly question i know but they will strip everything but the colour.

cheers

 

[Adamt]

Should be nothing being stripped by a 1 micron filter.

A couple of questions...

1. What is different about the beer? What flavours are missing?

2. How well do you clean your filter?

 

[big_alk]

Hi guys,

I have recently started to filter and keg my beer and i am very happy with my setup except that my 1 micron filter seems to strip a noticable amount of flavour and body from the beer. At first i thought i had diluted the beer somehow but have reproduced the results a few times now with careful methodology.

My question/s is.... Does anyone else experience this?

What i have read indicates the 1 micron is the ideal compromise between clarity and ability to retain the beers flavour. What does everyone else use?

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips for this virgin kegger.

Cheers.

what type of filter setup do you have? (cartridge?)
1 micron seems pretty fine and is almost "sterile"
I filter to 5um with my plate and frame and it definitely changes the flavour profile and apparent bitterness
5um is pretty standard for regular filtration and 1um is only used for sterile filtration before bottling to improve stability

Allan

 

[Bongchitis]

Hey guys,

I purchased a clear cased 1 micron filter from Ross..you know the ones.

The loss of flavour is hard to explain, its best described as taking the edge off or smoothing out the complexity almost like slight dilution. It is not huge but is noticeable and not favourable. i have noticed a slight souring over time but the beer never lasts that long.

I clean the filter by flushing hot water from the centre core outwards which is the oposite direction to the filtration. Then i soak in unscented bleach for a day until bright white, rinse in hot water again. I then repeat just prior to reuse.

I am leaning towards oxidation as the cause as i have no mechanism for purging the filter with co2 before filtration... Any tips for this?

This is the last issue to be sorted before my system is working as i had hoped. Thankyou for the replys, this is a real learning curve and sometimes i feel i have got ahead of myself. Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers........Bongchitis

 

[hoohaaman]

Bongchitis,how soon after filtering do you notice this?Do you taste a sample prior and after filtering?Are you sure its just not the beer being carbonated and cold,as opposed to flat and warmer?

 

[andytork]

I have been running the same filter from bought Ross for the last 3 or so kegs and have not had any issues, don't notice any real change from the sample I do to what comes out of the keg later.

In have to say, cleaning the filter is a little challenge, but I think worth the effort as even the empty kegs are almost spotless when inspected. I clean in a similar method, I just ensure all my lines and disconnects etc that connect to the filter are also given a good clean with keg/line cleaner and flushed afterwards.

Just my $0.02 and hope its not stripping flavour from my brew !!!

Andy

 

[Bill8o]

Hi Bongchitis,

Sorry about the late reply but I figure this is the best thread to post my filtering experience in.

I have just finished filtering my pilsener, pushing it from keg through to the net next. I have the same 1 micron filter and I'm also finding that the beer I had before filtering is definitely not the same beer I have now. The beer prior to filtering had great head retention and left nice lacy marks down the glass, I now have no head retention at all.

I had the beer Lagering for about 6 weeks and it was still very cloudy but it was tasting great. I used the Weihenstephan Lager yeast which just wouldn't settle out... Perhaps I need to lager for longer. I'm also noticing the smoothing out the complexity like dilution that Bongchitis mentioned. Could this be due to the removal of the yeast which is altering the flavor?

Anyway the conclusion that I'm coming to is that perhaps the filter was not clean enough, killing of any head retention that I had. Like andytork said, these things are a bit tricky to clean, and from now on I'm going to extra paranoid about cleaning, rinsing and rinsing and rinsing and rinsing and rinsing... etc etc

Cheers,
Bill8o

 

[buttersd70]

1 micron seems pretty fine and is almost "sterile"
........... 1um is only used for sterile filtration before bottling to improve stability

Rubbish. Pure rubbish.
1 micron is not even considered fine. Its medium fine. If one micron lets through enough yeast to bottle condition (which it does) it's hardly sterile.

I have filetered both to keg, and to bottle with 1 micron. No body loss, no head retention issues, no flavour loss, no colour loss. No way, no how. Although my filtered beer does'nt have the best head out. 2 fingers of head will rapidly drop down to 1 finger of solid head in the course of 10 minutes or so. Does this count?

 

[captaincleanoff]

i have one thing to say - dont use a filter.


I think they are gimmicks.. I used one for a few months, and its so much hassle. It definitely filters the beer.. but i'm sure I noticed a loss/difference in flavour.

I just chill in a cube for a week after fermentation, then leave in the keg for at least a week.

Beer is so clear you'd never consider one of those filters. I'd never, ever use one again.



edit: its not just a hassle, i found it made my beer taste not as good (although I was using this before I was doing AG)

 

[buttersd70]

:blink:
I can't even form the words.
:blink:

 

[jojai]

what about those sediment reducer things that go in the back of the tap, would you recommend those?

 

[buttersd70]

what about those sediment reducer things that go in the back of the tap, would you recommend those?

I have used them only cos they were with the taps when I got them. I have brewed with, and without, and find that they help not one little bit.

 

[muckey]

the sediment thingys. Geez I lost those yonks ago.

The 1 micron filter should really only remove yeast cells above 1 micron size so the only flavour you can lose is yeast. Molecules that cause chill haze and other particles are all smaller than that and will not be filtered. I have used a 1 micron in the past and all it does is remove yeast and has a noticeably less yeasty flavour. If the brew is good the malt and hop flavours should be a little more pronounced after filtering due to the removal of excess yeasties.

Filters will give bright beer very quicky and if you artificallially carbonate a keg, it saves quite some time waiting for the yeast to settle and you get far less in the bottom overall.

So you can get bright beer without a filter, it just takes a lot longer. they're not a gimmick they just speed up the process.

BTW - I haven't used a 1 micron filter for a while now. Seems I have caught up enough that the kegs have time to settle. I do dry hop in the fermenter and a coarser filter is better for removing all the bits than the sediment catcher and I dont have to be quite as carefull when I rack out of primary.

 

[mje1980]

I recently borrowed a 1 micron filter setup for a batch i was going to serve at a party. If the beer had anymore flavour it would've busted my cheeks!!. I loved it and am keen to get one, when the cash fairy visits.

 

[buttersd70]

If the brew is good the malt and hop flavours should be a little more pronounced after filtering due to the removal of excess yeasties.

+10^n

As much as I love the flavour of my yeast of choice (1275), removing excess yeast through filtration not only looks good, it allows the malt and hops to really shine through.

 

[BusinessTime]

+10^n

As much as I love the flavour of my yeast of choice (1275), removing excess yeast through filtration not only looks good, it allows the malt and hops to really shine through.

For n=0 ?

 

[buttersd70]

For n=0 ?

no, for n=110. or 01101110.

 

[Bongchitis]

Hey guys,

Just looked at this thread after a PM got me thinking about it again, I thought it was dead.

I must say that my filtration technique has improved and my overall process is far more sound in terms of sanitation and oxidation potential... not that i have ever had a bad batch.

Anyway, the flavour loss issue is still present.... but reduced. I drank a bottle and a glass from the keg of the same batch (1 month old) and the bottle definitely had more oomph in terms of flavour and complexity. It may not be something that is noticable by others. I am in R&D in the food industry and have a pretty good palate so perhaps i am being a little critical.

I will probably rack onto gelatine or other method to really sus it out and see if it is the way i am utilising the filter. I know 1 micron should not affect my beer so it is me...somehow.

I guess i will just keep brewing and drinking for the sake of science