What Filter Do I Buy?

[dkaos]

Hi Guys,

I've started looking into filtering beer again. There are plenty of filter and housing kits on eBay, and I am unsure of potential "gotchas". I'm pretty sure I should be going for the 1 Micron absolute, and I will be crash chilling first to assist with filtering.

I'm looking to go for the cheaper options for housings, but I'm also looking for recommendations. I've got a keg setup, and would be looking at pushing it through with C02 instead of gravity filtering.


Cheers,

Clint

 

[banora brewer]

Hi Guys,

I've started looking into filtering beer again. There are plenty of filter and housing kits on eBay, and I am unsure of potential "gotchas". I'm pretty sure I should be going for the 1 Micron absolute, and I will be crash chilling first to assist with filtering.

I'm looking to go for the cheaper options for housings, but I'm also looking for recommendations. I've got a keg setup, and would be looking at pushing it through with C02 instead of gravity filtering.


Cheers,

Clint

I bought one through Clarence filters, they are excellent, cost me about $100

 

[dkaos]

I bought one through Clarence filters, they are excellent, cost me about $100

I've been told to use them when I bought my keg fridge, they look bloody good but are about $55 more expensive than the cheapest one on eBay.

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

This is one area I think you get what you pay for. I got mine from Craftbrewer when their filters were on special. I believe Ross said they also sell ones that are nearly as cheap as the ebay jobs but he simply doesn't want to push something that is inferior quality compared to the dearer ones.

 

[Nick JD]

I couldn't believe how much more difficult it is to sanatise and rig up, and then flush and clean and dry the filtering setup - than to just bung some finings and polyclar in secondary and wait 2 days.

Same clarity.

Great for those primary to glass in a day tasks though...

 

[argon]

If you do enough searching around here you'll hear alot of complaints about the cheapest ebay ones, ranging from leaking seals, cartrdige no fitting housing properly and generally not filtering the beer too well. What i've never heard is a single complaint regarding the ones that Ross sells.

I have a 1 micron absolute from Craftbrewers i've had for about 18months now. Run close to 700L through it. Never a problem. Apart from the time it fell off the bench when i wasn't watching it and it pulled the line out of the fermentor leaving beer all over the floor... hardly the products fault.

 

[Fourstar]

I couldn't believe how much more difficult it is to sanatise and rig up, and then flush and clean and dry the filtering setup - than to just bung some finings and polyclar in secondary and wait 2 days.

Same clarity.

I'll believe it when i see it.

 

[Logman]

I've had both and managed to get rid of the cheaper one when I sold my first brew fridge. No comparison and cleaning the cheaper ones is also a PITA.

 

[Nick JD]

I'll believe it when i see it.

This was before I bought the 1 mic filter. Still have the filter, just don't think the effort is worth it. I know there are others who can also get the same clarity from finings.

About the 4th time I've posted this photo. Getting tired of these comments. Using a filter to clear your beer takes no skill - finings, a little bit more.

Buy a filter, by all means. IMO it's a hassle - not saying anyone shouldn't buy one.

 

[dkaos]

Thanks for all the replies. Good to know I'll get what I pay for. Will have a look at what Ross has got!

Cheers,

Clint

 

[Thirsty Boy]

This was before I bought the 1 mic filter. Still have the filter, just don't think the effort is worth it. I know there are others who can also get the same clarity from finings.

About the 4th time I've posted this photo. Getting tired of these comments. Using a filter to clear your beer takes no skill - finings, a little bit more.

Buy a filter, by all means. IMO it's a hassle - not saying anyone shouldn't buy one.

You do keep posting this photo, and for the life of me i cant work out why, when what i see in the picture is a glass of beer i would consider to be lightly hazey.

Perhaps you can after all make a beer as clear with finings as you can with a filter, i've never seen one, but they might exist i suppose, perhaps the beer in the picture might actually have been diamond bright, but you certainly haven't demonstrated it with that photo... How about you make a refreshing change, stop posting it and post one where the beer actually looks clear instead?

Mind you - you're certainly right that filtering is a hell of a lot more dicking about than finings and that you can get pretty damn clear beer without a filter. So anyone considering buying one needs to take that into account.

For the OP i second the "get what you pay for" sentiments expressed in the thread so far. I had nothing but trouble trying to use cheaper filters and after putting three of them in the bin, have nothing but success using one of the craftbrewer filters.

 

[davo4772]

I bought the el cheapo and had nothing but grief, leaked and didn't seem to filter very well. 50 bucks down the drain.

Have since bought the craftbrewer version which have not used as yet.

lesson learned.

 

[Nick JD]

You do keep posting this photo, and for the life of me i cant work out why, when what i see in the picture is a glass of beer i would consider to be lightly hazey.

It's actually crystal clear. You're seeing camera-haze. Check out the resolution of the photo (it's a ******' 30K pic).

Anyway - I get the same from a 1 mic filter - something that doesn't remove haze without treatment. That beer had been polyclared.

Too many people on this site are more interested in winning arguments than making good beer. You're one, TB.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

It's actually crystal clear. You're seeing camera-haze. Check out the resolution of the photo (it's a ******' 30K pic).

Anyway - I get the same from a 1 mic filter - something that doesn't remove haze without treatment. That beer had been polyclared.

Too many people on this site are more interested in winning arguments than making good beer. You're one, TB.

But i'm not particulalry arguing with you... I do happen to disagree that you can make a beer a clear with finings as you can with filtration, IMO in the large majority of instances, you cant. But if someone has an example to show that proves the point, i,m happy to see it, be proved wrong and hear about how it was done. As a matter of fact i genuinely hope you do, because i find filtering to be a right PITA and would love to get reults that were actually as good with less effort.

But i've never been able to manage fliter clarity in non filtered beers, and i've never seen anyone who has (with the exception of beers made with stupidly flocuulent english yeasts and served at temps appropriate for those beers) despite quite a few people showing me their "clear" beer in attempt to prove the point. And i haven't seen a photo to show it yet either. Just bad snaps that show something that could be clear if only the photo itself was.

Mind you, 1 micron filters dont cut it for full tilt clarity either... But imo finer filters impact the flavour, aroma snd mouthfeel too much.