Filtering beer

[Jaoqua]

I like my beer bottled without sediment, but I like it carbonated. I have formulated a cunning plan:
* Brew the beer as normal.
* Keg it but prime it well.
* When the beer has carbonated well, chill it well and bottle it via a filter, quickly.

On the basis that lemonade re-pressurizes after you've had some out of the bottle, I reckon my beer should re-pressurize after bottling. The tricky part is filtering out the yeast while not oxidizing the beer; pretty much any filtering approach I have dreamt up *will* oxidize the beer. Can anyone think of how I might do this? Or should I just rely on it carbonating well in the keg *and* dropping bright?

[jubby]

I have seen a device which allows you to carbonate bottles with Co2, but I can't remember where I saw it. This would allow you to fully ferment and fine in the secondary, transfer to bottles and carbonate.

[sparky Paul]

You'd have to do something like that, filtering knocks all the CO2 out.

[sib67]

Why filter? Wouldn't you be better off just letting it drop bright in the keg, and then bottling.

I've never done it myself, but I gather it helps to keep the beer, tubing, and bottles as cold as possible whilst transferring - so that less C02 comes out of solution. Also, I would probably place the cap on the bottle loosley for a few moments before sealing, to enable any C02 that is coming out of solution to purge the headspace in the bottle of O2.

Alternatively, you could buy / make a counter-pressure bottle filler. Again, I have not used one - but it is on my list

[Jaoqua]

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. For some reason I'm against forced carbonation. I think it's because I'm a real ale man, and I associate chilling and forced carbonation with Carling and the like. Rightly or wrongly.

Maybe I'll just have to go for the chill-and-bottle approach. Presumably most breweries do something similar.

[sib67]

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. For some reason I'm against forced carbonation. I think it's because I'm a real ale man, and I associate chilling and forced carbonation with Carling and the like. Rightly or wrongly.

Maybe I'll just have to go for the chill-and-bottle approach. Presumably most breweries do something similar.

As a real ale man, you'd have to say that filtering was a definate no no - I would have thought.

[SiHoltye]

I have seen a device which allows you to carbonate bottles with Co2, but I can't remember where I saw it. This would allow you to fully ferment and fine in the secondary, transfer to bottles and carbonate.

I've got one of these for taking samples to mates, but it's not a mass bottling tool.

[sib67]

I have seen a device which allows you to carbonate bottles with Co2, but I can't remember where I saw it. This would allow you to fully ferment and fine in the secondary, transfer to bottles and carbonate.

I've got one of these for taking samples to mates, but it's not a mass bottling tool.

I've just found This - looks like it could be worth a try.

Valves from Here work out at £1.75 each for a set of 4 (including postage).

[jubby]

I like my beer bottled without sediment, but I like it carbonated

Apologies jaoqua, I assumed that you liked your beer fizzy.

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. For some reason I'm against forced carbonation. I think it's because I'm a real ale man, and I associate chilling and forced carbonation with Carling and the like. Rightly or wrongly.

Quiet right in my opinion, I use just enough gas to enable the beer to flow.

[stevezx7r]

A widget world system comes with a few caps which you can use to carbonate plastic PET bottles. I've used them a few times and they're good.

As for carbing glass bottles, I think you need a propper filling machine or maybe a modified Soda Stream machine.

[Waffty]

I keg my beer straight from the FV to my corny (after leaving it in the FV with finings), that way, it's kinda bright going into the corny. I then carbonate + leave it in there a couple of weeks. Once it's spot on, I connect the corny to my flash cooler & Beergun & pop the bright beer into the bottles & bish bosh, they're as bright as commercial offering, with a decent level of carbination.

Had a few problems initially with my beer gun but changed the standard tubing with 3/16 & pass it through my cooler, which helps keep the CO2 in the beer.

You could always try a counter pressure bottle filler, if you're DIY minded & got access to some CO2.

Having said all of the above, if you use Safe04, it soon settles out & forms a nice sedement that will only move into the beer, if you give it a good knock. So bottling direct, is always a possiblity, as it will soon settle out.

Darren

[Jaoqua]

OK. I don't want to go down the force-carbing route unless I have to. But if I highly prime in the keg and wait till it drops bright, will I be able to successfully bottle in time? As I bottle it the pressure in the keg will be dropping, so that the later pints will have had time to de-carb quite a lot.

I suppose I'll just have to try it and let you all know how it goes.

sib67 - Isn't real ale ever filtered? Pasteurized -no, but would filtering it make it surreal?

[Waffty]

Without something like a counter pressure bottle filler or beer gun here, you'll struggle to get the carbonated beer into the bottles, without loosing your fizz.

You could try dropping the temp of the keg & place the bottles in the freezer, as both with help keep the CO2 in the beer. But ideally, you'd still need to purge the bottles of O2 before adding the beer i.e with the beer gun, you give the bottle a 5 to 7 second blast of CO2, then fill using low pressure CO2 in a thin pipe, before topping off the bottle with another blast of CO2. The result is a nicely carbonated beer, that actually hisses when opened & release a reassuring swirl of CO2 at the sametime.

The Counter pressure filler works in a similar way but basically 'forces' the beer into the bottle under pressure, thus stopping any CO2 escaping.

Darren.

[sib67]

sib67 - Isn't real ale ever filtered? Pasteurized -no, but would filtering it make it surreal?

Real Ale - 'beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide'.

If the beer is filtered, then it cannot continue to ferment in the container from which it is dispensed. Personally, I have got no problem at all with force carbonating, but I would not filter - unless someone can convince me that it is a good idea.

[mysterio]

The reason well kept real ales are bright is because they use auxilliary finings at the brewery then Isinglass in the keg. These are both available to the homebrewer and they do a fantastic job. Try Hop & Grape for the triple strength fresh isinglass. Works really well, and it's cheap, quick and easy - Forget about filtering. I've filtered beers and you have to use a sterile filtration to get it bright - finings when done properly work better.