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Advice needed for basic filtration options

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  • Advice needed for basic filtration options

    Hi all,

    I own a microbrewery with 3BBL batch sizes. Due to plant and equipment constraints, at present I am kegging directly from the fermenters (no bright tanks). Haze issues are a problem as some yeast in suspension does come through into the kegs. I've decided that some kind of inline filtration system seems like a good option for me.

    Basically I just want to filter out the bulk of the suspended yeast. I am not looking for a 100% clear beer but having it clearer than it is now would be great. I have read a bit about filtration however I am not that familiar with the different types and options of filters.

    Does anyone have any tips and advice to share about possible options for me? I am looking for a cost effective option as capital is not abundant right now. Would a two stage process (say 5 micron then 1 micron) be desirable? Is there any way of adapting water filter type housings to suit beer, or are these just going to block up way too fast?

    Thanks in advance for any advice you can give

  • #2
    Before considering filtration, can I ask if you're fining prior to kegging?

    Fining and cooling to around 1 deg C should take out most of the material that you've having problems with. There are others on here who are far more expert and can give advice in greater detail than I can, but I'd have thought this would be a more cost-effective path than filtration.

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    • #3
      Thanks for the input KWLSD. These ideas have definitely crossed my mind. Unfortuately for me, both fining and cooling the beer are difficult to achieve because of equipment constraints. It's hard for me to add finings to the fermenter because I am using Grundy type tanks which do not have a port at the top to allow for adding in materials once the beer is in the fermenter. These are also not jacketed or hooked up to a glycol system, so the closest I can get to cooling the tanks is to switch off the heating in the fermenter room but that only drops it to (coolish) room temp. These circumstances are not ideal I know, but never the less I have managed to start a functioning microbrewery on not a lot of money so I'm doing the best I can.

      I do have two spare grundy tanks kicking around. I was considering using them as secondary / non-cooled 'bright' tanks which would be placed outside of the fermenter room in a part of the brewery which is generally in the 10-15 degree C (50-60 degree F) temperature range. This would allow me to add finings and also to dry hop if I wanted to which would be a good option to have.

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      • #4
        A couple of further thoughts:

        - I'm guessing your spare Grundy's are also side access, so what about using an IBC instead - these are relatively low-cost and, being flat-sided, would lend themselves to insulatiing with flat lagging panels. It would also give you the benefit of a top hatch;

        - It shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate a cooling system for either a Grundy or an IBC; at it's very simplest, a long coil around the tank to circulate coolant.

        For more on chilling, have a look here: http://www.probrewer.com/resources/refrigeration/

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        • #5
          Wow no ports on top of a tank sounds dangerous. Do you have a PVRV? Back to your topic. I would look at highly floculent varieties of yeast, and a cartridge filter or two. You would probably have to use a fairly coarse grade cartridge depending on how much yeast is left in suspension. You would have better luck pushing the beer tank to tank thru a cartridge. Then if you want to tighten the filter media you could do it again. Best of luck.
          Joel Halbleib
          Partner / Zymurgist
          Hive and Barrel Meadery
          6302 Old La Grange Rd
          Crestwood, KY
          www.hiveandbarrel.com

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          • #6
            Thanks for the input guys. The tanks aren't dangerous as far as I can tell, they are designed as beer tanks and have got their own pressure gauges and pressure release valves built in. They are left over from back when the big breweries delivered their beer to pubs in tanker trucks and pump it directly into these tanks in the cellars, rather than using kegs. I plan on turning my spare two into bright tanks by getting dimple jackets welded onto the outside and hooked up to a glycol system. I am thinking that by transfering a batch of beer into a bright tank after about 2 weeks of fermentation, it should settle out pretty nicely in the bright tank and will hopefully be a lot clearer. I will update with how it goes!

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            • #7
              Sounds like a plan, John!

              Being born and living in Burton here in the UK, I well remember brewery yards full of Grundy tanks when they stopped using them...as well as the Grundy factory itself!

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