I have a 250-micron “bouncer” filter through which my fermented beer will go on its way to the bottling bucket. I also have a large piece of 110-micron nylon cloth which was originally intended to be the only filter through which the boiled wort would go when poured from the kettle into the fermentation vessel. Would it be worth the effort to transfer the beer through the bouncer filter and through the nylon cloth, with the cloth secured to the end of the silicone tube (that goes into the bottling bucket) in kind of a “bubble” or “billowed-out” shape?
The filter cost about $16 (I’ve seen them priced at three times as much) and came with two each 3/8" hose barbs. I wanted greater flow, so I replaced the 3/8" barbs with 1/2" barbs. The filter was made in China, so I was delighted to see that the threads in the black part of the thing will fit American plumber’s threads.
Extract wort [ideally] doesn’t have hop sludge in it, so I’m wondering if I’ll see anything that was trapped by either of the two filter media. Or is it just a good idea to filter the wort between the kettle and the fermentation vessel?
The first question I have is: Why do you feel the need to filter your wort?
The second question I have is: you state you “want to increase the flow”. By, “flow” are you referring to the manufactures specified performance data? If so, increasing the barbed fittings from 3/8” to 1/2” will do little to nothing.
Typically, a manufacturer will rate the flow (performance) of their filter based on inlet pressure and the filters resistance. In other words, you can replace the 3/8” barbed fittings with 2” barbed fittings and the filters resistance with not change; particularly if you are relying on gravity to move the wort through the filter.
Give it a try, for sure, but you may find that a little Brewtan B and whirlfloc will give you very clear results out of the fermenter with no additional filtering required. Just my experience, so I mention it as a help - you may prefer the filtering route. I would caution that after fermentation, filtering can add a risk of oxidation, but I hope it doesn’t in your situation!
I’ll echo the “why?” I typically transfer a decent amount of trub into my fermenter on every brew and only use either a stainless steel hose braid to keep my whole hops in the kettle and the screen that came with my funnel to catch the larger chunks if need be. I typically have to use my mash paddle/kettle stirrer to rub against these coarse “filters” to get the wort to keep flowing. That’s enough filtration for me and my beer is good. Remember that there are balances to be considered between time, effort, and the potential to strip out flavors and/or helpful fermentation nutrients via filtration.
That’s my take- do what you feel is best for you!
Cnski
