The 'no Messin Method' Fermenter To Keg

[Ross]

I gave gravity filtering a try this arvo with the fermenter about 1m above the filter and the beer flew through, took about 7min to filter a already very clear pils. It went so well I hooked up an Ofest and filtered that through the same filter. It ended up take about 20min and the filter housing wouldnt drain empty so ended up pushing the last bit through with co2.

A couple of pic of the final product.

View attachment 14944View attachment 14945

They look nice Jye.

Must admit, the gravity method has me worried for beers that aren't pretty clear in the 1st place, I've needed to up the pressure a fair bit in the past on more cloudy ones. It's certainly a way to save a bit of gas though & lets non keggers filter thier beer into bottles as well

cheers Ross

 

[Jye]

If I am to believe an online water depth pressure calculator the 1m drop gives about 10kpa which would explain why the first one flew through. From my experience today I think a normal conditioned ale (2ndary 1 wk or what ever you do) will filter fine with gravity.

As for filtering and bottle I had the same thoughts, just stick a bottling cane on the end and away you go.

 

[Pumpy]

I gave gravity filtering a try this arvo with the fermenter about 1m above the filter and the beer flew through, took about 7min to filter a already very clear pils. It went so well I hooked up an Ofest and filtered that through the same filter. It ended up take about 20min and the filter housing wouldnt drain empty so ended up pushing the last bit through with co2.

A couple of pic of the final product.

View attachment 14944View attachment 14945

Well done Jye , I will try my fermenter a bit higher

With gravity to filter the beer , you will find the one micron filtering ability will be preseved longer over the life of your pleated filter cartridge .

We take so much time to make our beer ,what is another five minutes extra on the filtering time.

Pumpy

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I was just thinking of a solution if the gravity doesn't provide quite enough pressure for maybe the last litre or two..

You could include a seriously ghetto version of a peristaltic pump in your line and pump it through.

And by ghetto I mean just include a 60cm or so piece of the neoprene or silicon tube in the pre-filter line... let gravity do most of the work and if/when it needs a little bit of a hand towards the end of the fermentor - give it some peristalsis by running a rolling pin or skateboard wheel along the length of the neoprene tube a few times.

1/2" ID tube is going to have about 1.23cc of volume per cm of line, so 60cm would give you nearly 75ml per "roll" so a dozen or two rolls would get your last few litres through easy. No pump or C02 required.

Just an idea

Thirsty

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Well,

I had my first session of filtering for real today... 2 kegs worth via C02 pressure that I had kegged before I noticed this thread (sigh) and 27litres of brown ale via the gravity method.

Both worked well... but the gravity method was so much easier and with less sanitising and rooting about the place.

It ended up that I was able to get it so that the fermentor was on top of a fridge and the receiving keg was down a flight of stairs. A good 3+ meters of head. I ended up gettting a litre or two of extra beer out of my fermentor because with just gravity.. the filter kept right on working even when I had drained half the yeastcake through it. When it was all over.. I nearly had to empty out the filter housing with a spoon!

Initially when I bought my filter, I thought I would only bother doing it for special beers, or for kegs that I wanted to transport and so needed to be able to shake up without ruining the condidtioning. But I have to drain out of the fermentor into the keg anyway; it might as well be through a filter. So I'll be filtering pretty much everything from now on. I'm well and truly sold.

Oh... and I have developed an unhealthy love of JG quick release fittings and plan on spending half my next pay packet on a bag full of the damn things.

Thanks for this thread Pumpy. You have saved me hours of effort in the future and my beers will all be lovely and bright from here on in.

Cheers

Thirsty

Edit to Add pictures.

Using the Gas -

With LOTS of gravity -

 

[Jye]

I gave this another go today but with already carbonated beer and from keg to keg, setup like here with a filter in-line.

Worked great but one tip is to increase the pressure to about 1.5 times your carbed pressure. This will prevent any foaming of the beer. This is a trick I also use when CPBF to stop foam and increase filling speed.

 

[Doogiechap]

I used this method for the first time this week with outstanding results . I did 2 fermenters of 20L and the whole process was simple and suprisingly quick compared to some of my CO2 driven attempts with poorly flocc'd beers. I'll definately be going down this path in the future with the only proviso being possible prem spoilage due to oxidisation but current taste tests indicate that these kegs wont last too long .
Thanks Punpy !
Cheers
Doug

 

[Jye]

Hey Doug, if your concerned about oxidation then purge the filter with co2 before hand. I always use co2 to push the sanitise out and through the filter, this way I know the filter is completely sanitised and full of co2.

 

[Pumpy]

Well done Thirsty boy ,

I am glad it has been a sucess with the ' No Messin method ' for you too.

Sometimes it is difficult to convince people thing work ,yes I like how you can get every single drop from the fermenter .I am addicted to the JG fittings too

Hey Doogie ,
It was you who got me going onto this method, I do fill the filter and the keg with a shot of CO2 prior to filtering, now, but did not before and drank those batches without any worry of oxidisation like I said before there is less handling and turbulence of the beer into the kegs anyway .

Pumpy

 

[Doogiechap]

Well done Thirsty boy ,

I am glad it has been a sucess with the ' No Messin method ' for you too.

Sometimes it is difficult to convince people thing work ,yes I like how you can get every single drop from the fermenter .I am addicted to the JG fittings too

Hey Doogie ,
It was you who got me going onto this method, I do fill the filter and the keg with a shot of CO2 prior to filtering, now, but did not before and drank those batches without any worry of oxidisation like I said before there is less handling and turbulence of the beer into the kegs anyway .

Pumpy

Sorry bloke, major brain fade :wacko: . Yes I have been doing this for a few months but was previously using CO2 to push things through at ground level and this was my first gravity based transfer. Yes I purge my filter with no rinse and CO2 but was thinking about the oxygen being drawn into the fermernter when it drains. COMPLETELY forgetting that this is how it it is for all poor buggers who are still enslaved to bottles.... ***** that I am....
Anyone got some spare sleep for sale
Cheers
Doug de mug.

PS Thirsty, Pumpy is there anywhere I can go for my John Guest fitting addiction ?

 

[Pumpy]

Sorry bloke, major brain fade :wacko: . Yes I have been doing this for a few months but was previously using CO2 to push things through at ground level and this was my first gravity based transfer. Yes I purge my filter with no rinse and CO2 but was thinking about the oxygen being drawn into the fermernter when it drains. COMPLETELY forgetting that this is how it it is for all poor buggers who are still enslaved to bottles.... ***** that I am....
Anyone got some spare sleep for sale
Cheers
Doug de mug.

PS Thirsty, Pumpy is there anywhere I can go for my John Guest fitting addiction ?

Doug ,

Unsure if there is a JG Clinic locally but they will put you on a course of 'MethoJohne' :blink:

I find the JG connection to a vein in the arm simpler to connect a beer line directly to the glass, so I can take my ESB intreveiniously .

Saves all that old fashioned drinking .

Pumpy

 

[PistolPatch]

Pumpy,

Your gravity filtering has been a God-send. Really been enjoying it. Thanks mate!

Came up with a few other uses of the lid and Doogie's taps on the last 2 brews. nstead of posting the details here I might link your thread and post up the details in that old thread, "Things To Make Your Brew Day Easier. I think your thread here should be linked to that one for sure!

Thanks again,
Pat

 

[deckedoutdaz]

I tried the gravity method and after filtering 2 kegs it slowed to a trickle so i sanitised this pump and whamo!...so i bought a cheap $15 trolley from supercheap and fixed the whole lot to it, makes everything so much easier, took an idea, added to it and there it is......

Daz

 

[Pumpy]

Pumpy,

Your gravity filtering has been a God-send. Really been enjoying it. Thanks mate!

Came up with a few other uses of the lid and Doogie's taps on the last 2 brews. nstead of posting the details here I might link your thread and post up the details in that old thread, "Things To Make Your Brew Day Easier. I think your thread here should be linked to that one for sure!

Thanks again,
Pat

Hey PP it was you and Doogie that helped me and pure 'Serendipity' that I noticed it worked by gravity alone , I like reading Mobriens post "Things To Make Your Brew Day Easier". it s got some great ideas in


Pumpy

 

[cliffo]

Hey PP it was you and Doogie that helped me and pure 'Serendipity' that I noticed it worked by gravity alone , I like reading Mobriens post "Things To Make Your Brew Day Easier". it s got some great ideas in
Pumpy

Hey Pumpy,

Do you use standard beer line for your gravity feeding?

I use JG line and can't seem to get a good flow going (lots of bubbles etc....) Prob takes 30mins to filter 19litres or so.

cheers,
cliffo

 

[Doogiechap]

Hey Pumpy,

Do you use standard beer line for your gravity feeding?

I use JG line and can't seem to get a good flow going (lots of bubbles etc....) Prob takes 30mins to filter 19litres or so.

cheers,
cliffo

G'day Cliffo,
my last effort was about 20 mins with standard beer line. A couple of points, make sure you purge all of the air/ co2 out of your filter to ensure the maximum surface area of your filter is being utilised. Secondly the higher you can place your fermenter with respect to your filter and keg the faster the transfer. I've just bought a 60 litre fermenter for 40l batches so will need to munch on my Weetbix before doing some risky lifting .
Cheers
Doug

 

[cliffo]

G'day Cliffo,
my last effort was about 20 mins with standard beer line. A couple of points, make sure you purge all of the air/ co2 out of your filter to ensure the maximum surface area of your filter is being utilised. Secondly the higher you can place your fermenter with respect to your filter and keg the faster the transfer. I've just bought a 60 litre fermenter for 40l batches so will need to munch on my Weetbix before doing some risky lifting .
Cheers
Doug

Just remember "bend at the knees" :lol:

I was purging the air...maybe i haven't got it all out, hence the bubbles - will have to try again next time

 

[Pumpy]

Hey Pumpy,

Do you use standard beer line for your gravity feeding?

I use JG line and can't seem to get a good flow going (lots of bubbles etc....) Prob takes 30mins to filter 19litres or so.

cheers,
cliffo

Cliffo I use a combination of 8mm & 3/8" line fittings but 8MM is fine .

make sure you chill the fermenter for a day or two to drop the yeast out of suspension

You must bleed your filter to let the air out .

But hey dont worry if you get some in I have never had a problem with oxidising the beer .

You dont have to wait for 15 -20 mins to watch all the beer go through the fermenter ( a watch pot never boils )

just release the valve on the keg and go away and enjoya beer and your favourite program on the TV for that time

Cliffo forcing beer through your filter with a pump or gas is really for the impatient, it is not conducive to good filtering ,as you want it togently pass through the filter .

Trust me it works if you have the right filter .

Pumpy

 

[Doogiechap]

Just remember "bend at the knees" :lol:

I was purging the air...maybe i haven't got it all out, hence the bubbles - will have to try again next time

Bloke the other thing that happens to me sometimes is the disolved CO2 comes out into the filter housing reducing the liquid level. A quick press on the purge button now and then will kep thing in check.
Cheers
Doug

 

[kook]

Doogie, I'd get a hand lifting those. I don't trust the handles on them once you've got 50 kilos worth of liquid in them. Really need two people, holding both the handles and the base of the fermenter. Last thing you want is a 50kg vessel dropping on your foot, then spilling beer everywhere!