In the recent BYO there was an article about filtering. I have never thought or cared about it that much but it would be additional toy to play with and in that article it stated that unfiltered beer can suffer from decreased shelflife? I do care about that.
So excluding New England IPAs, hefes, and wits, I was wondering you all‘s opinion on filtering and why? Can a decrease hop flavor? Does it increase shelflife?
Cheers
I did it for a while but decided it was stripping flavor from the beer. It was was a PITA and I could achive pretty much the same result through simpler means, so I no longer filter.
All you are stating is correct except for the hop flavor. It is the process macros use to speed up the lagering process. The hop flavor depends on what you like about hops. That said, it is not easy to avoid oxidation when using filtering processes available to us, so +1 with Denny. Get the wort to be clear into the fermenter, use a yeast that flocculates in a reasonable time, and be patient. If you are inpatient, gelatin and isinglass are good finings for ales that you want to clarify.
I tried filtering 8 years ago. It was a pain and not really worth the effort. If you need a plate filter, I’ve got a lightly used one…
One of my take always from the Ayinger tour was that once the beer has met the the analytical numbers,and the taste panel says it is ready, it goes through the filter and is packaged. So even regional brewers do it to free up tank time. Their filter is big!
I bought a cartridge filter, used it a few times, and decided it’s just one more thing to clean. I began fining with gelatin and haven’t used it since. I am considering using the housing as a Randall.
Directions to build a Randall is in the Jan/Feb 2015 Zymurgy or here:
Or here: Build Me a Randall | Brew It Right
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’m happy with what I’m brewing after a three- day cold crash and prefer to put money into additional ingredients rather than equipment. Keeping it as simple as possible works well for me, but if you like it filtering by all means do it.
I tried once or twice with my wine filter and all I got was foam. I lost more beer that I thought I should, so I quit doing it. Gelatin for me works in a few days and the results are the same.
I filtered a peach ale and figured I’d again try on my next brew. Absolute waste of time and money. Each filter is only good for 1 batch unless you buy very expensive, washable cartridges. Cold crashing after using some form of fining is definitely going to give you beautiful, clear beer. I’m still experimenting with different finings, so far I’ve been fairly pleased with whirlfloc (irish moss and seaweed extract packed into a tablet) and a cold crash.
I’ve never bothered, for all of the reasons outlined above…it’s an extra expense and time sink as well as an oxygen ingress point, and I can achieve good results with yeast selection, time, and/or gelatin. If I were a commercial brewer who needed to crank stuff around quickly, sure!