Yet Another Filtration Thread

[Goose]

Thought about adding to the most recent discussion however I suspect the resident thread police on that would tell me I am going off topic so am going again...

I usually brew lagers and usually just rack to keg after fermentation is complete to lager for a minimum of 4 weeks. I find that it takes this long to clear the beers and by 6-8 weeks they are sparkling. But 6 to 8 weeks is a long time to wait when I only have a 6 keg capacity in my kegerator so was exploring ways to reduce this time.

I recently brewed up 2 lagers using a process as identical as I could make them. The first I filtered (using the craftbrewer setup) from the fermenter to keg, the second I racked directly to keg. After 6 weeks the filtered beer had cleared as per the norm but the filtered beer was hazy as anything. This was definitely chill haze as it disappeared on warming.

This leads me to ask the question, does residual yeast assist the removal of chill haze starches as it settles over time... clearly filtration would remove such yeast and any capacity for a "consumption" (if thats what's happening) of the haze starches.

I do not for a minute regard this experiment or conclusion as scientific but would appreciate any knowledge or views.

Other details, Yeast was Wyeast Czech Pils, fermentation temp 11 deg C, Hallertau and Saaz hops and 1 tab whirlfloc added to last 10 mins of boil.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

not as far as I am aware... but my awareness is bit limited. Clearly something is going on there. Yeast certainly could do some metabolising of chill haze, it is after all just an extension of cold break... but at the temperatures involved in lagering?? and enough to change a cloudy beer to a clear one?? Not sure.

Chill haze isn't starches though.. it is a complex formed when tannins interact with protiens and buld chains long enough to make particles that are visible... at higher temperatures the complexes break up and you cant see them... ergo chill haze only happens at lower temperatures.

Chill haze is a bit of a mystery to me... i cant make it go away with brewing practice no matter what I do -- I even have only limited success filtering the stuff at out very low filtering temperatures.... so I just use polyclar and or silica gel - which fixes it. So I'll let other more experienced heads impart their wisdom on this one.

TB

 

[MarkBastard]

Could the suspended yeast (and other unfiltered particles) be doing a similar function to polyclar? When they float to the bottom do they bring the particles that form chill haze with them perhaps?

 

[Goose]

Could the suspended yeast (and other unfiltered particles) be doing a similar function to polyclar? When they float to the bottom do they bring the particles that form chill haze with them perhaps?

Was exactly my thinking Mr B. Although unclear how Polyclar works, I understood finings in general work by their electrical charge attracting opposite charges and settling them as they fall. I've no idea if yeast cells have a charge per se that could perform the same function ?

 

[NickB]

Try some food grade lube at the ends of your filter cartridge. I had this exact problem with my filter (A CB one as well) as there was just enough gap at one of the ends to let a little bit of the haze-forming proteins through. Have had super bright beer ever since I started.

Also, clean your filter with PBW or similar every once in a while - Nothing else gets a cartridge as clean IMHO

Cheers

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Could the suspended yeast (and other unfiltered particles) be doing a similar function to polyclar? When they float to the bottom do they bring the particles that form chill haze with them perhaps?

Thats not how polyclar works - polyclar selectively absorbs onto its surface the polyphenols that would otherwise combine with protiens to form the large visible particles of chill haze ... less tannins equals no formation of the polyphenol tannin complexes and no chill haze. Haze particles arent' removed, they are prevented from being formed in the first place.

no help to answering the original question though -- sorry