[a10t2]

Not to hijack, but how many of you guys who aren't filtering are using finings?  And, for those using finings, are you adding them in addition to a cold conditioning period or in place of one?

My preferred SOP:

• Crash conical to 0°C for 72 hours.
• Harvest yeast if needed; dump yeast/trub.
• Add 30 mL/bbl BioFine Clear A3; agitate with CO2 to mix.
• Let settle 24 hours, dump trub; repeat.
• Add 30 mL/bbl BioFine to bright; rack beer.
• Let settle 24 hours, dump trub; repeat.
• Carbonate and serve.

It's a *very* time-intensive process (8 days from crashing to serving) but this will yield beer brighter than coarse filtration. If time is critical I won't repeat steps 4 and 6, or will skip the conical finings entirely.

[majorvices]

I just fine once in the conical after dumping and once in BBT, twice if needed. But yeah, Sean's method is mostly what I do. I go higher dosage on the bio fine.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Thanks for the responses, Gentlemen!

[Thirsty_Monk]

Filtering is a personal preference.

When I filtered too rough someone told me:
Your hefewaisen is too bitter. I said it was Czech pilsner.
Presentation is a large portion of perception.

My yeast is pretty powdery. I tried to do all the findings. In Different stages of the process and it was not working. Sometimes it was current equipment limitation and sometimes it was lack of knowlage working with 10 BBL a time.

My beers are usually consumed pretty quick. I filter for presentation, beer stability and streamlining of my process.

As with every new equipment it is trial and error. It might take a few runs to learn it.
So far, I like it.

[anthony]

Not to hijack, but how many of you guys who aren't filtering are using finings?  And, for those using finings, are you adding them in addition to a cold conditioning period or in place of one?

My preferred SOP:

• Crash conical to 0°C for 72 hours.
• Harvest yeast if needed; dump yeast/trub.
• Add 30 mL/bbl BioFine Clear A3; agitate with CO2 to mix.
• Let settle 24 hours, dump trub; repeat.
• Add 30 mL/bbl BioFine to bright; rack beer.
• Let settle 24 hours, dump trub; repeat.
• Carbonate and serve.

It's a *very* time-intensive process (8 days from crashing to serving) but this will yield beer brighter than coarse filtration. If time is critical I won't repeat steps 4 and 6, or will skip the conical finings entirely.

I hadn't considered dosing twice with Biofine. Right now I crash in conical, dump yeast/trub, harvest yeast, and then dump again before transferring to bright where I have 30ml/bbl Biofine waiting. Then after 10-12 hours, I add gelatin, hook up the carbonation stone + flow meter, unhook after 6-8 hours, then wait a couple of days for reasonably clear beer. It would be more clear if I dumped a few more times from the bright tank.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Sounds like you guys keep your beer in the BT for 24+ hours. Is this pretty standard? 

[a10t2]

Sounds like you guys keep your beer in the BT for 24+ hours. Is this pretty standard?

I guess I should have said up front that I was talking about pub brewing, where the bright is also the serving vessel. In a production setting I don't have any experience with finings, but we would filter, start carbonation, and package the next day assuming the schedule allowed for it. Once you have bright beer there's nothing that's going to change over time unless there was oxidation.

For fining in general, I think 24 hours is pretty much the minimum and 48-72 is going to be noticeably better.

[majorvices]

It depends for me. Sometime I can get the beer fairly bright in the fermentor and fine it in the bbt and have in ready in 48 hours or so. On beers that clarity is not an issue I can rack over to bbt, carbonate in as little as 8 hours and be kegging the next morning. Which is why if you are a production facility it's good to have wheat beer in the mix. dark beers are more haze tolerant as well.

But, the same strain I use for my wit I also use for my higher gravity Belgians and that strain is a b1tch to clear and sometimes it takes me a week or longer in bbt and several finings. Have a dubble that's giving me fits right now.

I really want to move toward filtering my higher gravity Belgians but have avoided it thus far. Only a matter of time though. I also have an extra 30 bbl bbt on order and that will take care of some of the log jams due to beer clarity and tank time. Plus, if it really becomes a problem ( like the dubble I have sitting now) I can filter from one bbt to the other. I'm thinking this will alleviate some of the headaches involved with filtering from fermentor to bbt. Sean may correct me if I'm wrong since I'm a filtering noob. But ime you always get a plug of yeast from the fermentor no matter how much you fine and dump.

[majorvices]

Btw if you do filter on the way over to bbt and get the beer clear you can carbonate it and have it packaged in 24 hours or less. If the beer is cold I can have it carbonated really quick. Hours with the diffusion stone. I have never been in such a hurry as to need to carb and keg the same day and don't filter anyway. But for me I keep any beer I want clear in bbt for at least 48 hours. That's why filtering is so cool, you can turn it around a lot faster.

I still think unfiltered beer tastes better though, in many cases. But for lagers like Leos is doing I think filtering actually improves those beers. Ipas .... Not so much. In fact I distrust clear iPas.

[bluesman]

I personally think you lose a good bit of flavor when you filter. It's just a fast way to condition beer IMO.certain beers like Kolsch may be better for it but others like pales and iPas suffer.

I agree Keith. Filtering strips out hop flavor compounds and renders beer less hoppy. It also depends on the size particles that are being removed as well.

[kylekohlmorgen]

I personally think you lose a good bit of flavor when you filter. It's just a fast way to condition beer IMO.certain beers like Kolsch may be better for it but others like pales and iPas suffer.

I agree Keith. Filtering strips out hop flavor compounds and renders beer less hoppy. It also depends on the size particles that are being removed as well.

Particles and compounds are different things - I definitely don't want hop/yeast solids in my beer, but their flavor contributions are dissolved in solution. Filtering shouldn't strip out hop flavor just like it wont strip out malt flavor.

I guess this is just theoretical - I've never filtered a beer so I can't back it up with experience.

[majorvices]

It's not theroretical at all. Hop compounds are resins that are in the beer. When you filter the yeast you strips some of those compounds. If you ever have a IIPA on tap and drink it fresh and young it should have a haze to it. Over time that haze drops out and the beer turns clear and you lose hop aroma and flavor. The haze is your hop tannins suspended in the beer.

I was at a pub a few nights ago drinking a IIPA from Terrapin brewery out of Atlanta and the beer was very hazy and delicious. I stopped on the way home and picked up a sixer of 2XIPA from Southern Tier and it was OK, but crystal clear and lacked the aroma and flavor of the hazy Terrapin beer.

Like I said, I don't trust brilliantly clear ipaS.

[majorvices]

I should add, a slight haze. Not a yeast haze. You are better off dropping the yeast before dry hopping as yeast will pull the hop tannins down with then as is drops. In that case it may be better to rough polish filter first and then dry hop. But that's not possible for us.

[bluesman]

I personally think you lose a good bit of flavor when you filter. It's just a fast way to condition beer IMO.certain beers like Kolsch may be better for it but others like pales and iPas suffer.

I agree Keith. Filtering strips out hop flavor compounds and renders beer less hoppy. It also depends on the size particles that are being removed as well.

Particles and compounds are different things - I definitely don't want hop/yeast solids in my beer, but their flavor contributions are dissolved in solution. Filtering shouldn't strip out hop flavor just like it wont strip out malt flavor.

I guess this is just theoretical - I've never filtered a beer so I can't back it up with experience.

I disagree with your assessment. Filtering can/will strip flavor from the beer. Turbidity causing substances are those which filtering can/will remove, including yeast, proteins, polyphenols and hop flavor compounds, which all lend flavor to the beer. The matrix and changing nature of these variables contribute to the challenges and difficulties of beer filtration.

[kylekohlmorgen]

It's not theroretical at all. Hop compounds are resins that are in the beer.

That makes sense. We're looking to extract oil from hops ("resin"), which is only slightly soluble in water, even though it may not be so light/heavy that it floats or sinks (like motor oil and water). I guess this is also why my beer may get a haze after dry hopping?

I'm still not against filtering since one of my favorite IPAs is filtered (FW's Union Jack).

Along with so many topics I've come across in this forum, sounds like there's no right/wrong way. All that matters is what makes good beer.