plate filter

lmo506 · April 07, 2013, 09:08:12 AM

Hi Folks , I'm now a paid member woo hoo, hope to make it to a meeting soon .
Now.. I have a plate filter that i use for filtering syrup. I want to use it for filtering the hot and cold break and hops out of the wort before it goes though the chiller. I read somewhere that the yeast actually need some of the cold break material for growth. Does anyone have an idea of how much though for each 5 gallons of wort?

Chris Craig · April 07, 2013, 10:25:21 AM

There's really no need to filter the break or hops out before transferring to your fermenter. If you want to filter the beer, the best time would be when you're kegging it. To answer your question...the yeast don't really need that break at all. The wort itself has everything the yeast needs for healthy fermentation except oxygen and zinc.

In "How to Brew", Palmer says that the break material can lead to off-flavours, but he doesn't back that up with anything, and I've not noticed anything myself. In "Yeast", I wasn't able to find any reference to break material, and how it affects yeast and fermentation.

Filter if you like, but I suspect if you're using pellet hops, you'll have a difficult time. If you do try this, I'd be interested in hearing about the results.

Kyle · April 07, 2013, 04:26:26 PM

I use a rough filter (the woven stainless mesh tube part of a 6 foot long dishwasher hose) in the bottom of my boil kettle, but this is only to prevent clogging of the plate chiller, you don't really need to filter out on the way to the fermenter, and I haven't noticed any difference from when I did not filter (when using an immersion chiller), in terms of the finished product.

lmo506 · April 08, 2013, 09:59:26 AM

I'm thinking i'll filter 1/2 a batch and see if there is any difference in taste. of course it will depend on the beer style. the next one scheduled is a dry irish stout so there will be very little there to filter out, but were going to do a torpedo clone so it may be the candidate. I'm thinking also about stuffing a couple of the hollow plates full of whole hops and run the hot wort thru them before the chiller. Never seen a pound of hops, about what vol do they take up... probably about a big ziplock bag? Oh, when is your next meeting?

Chris Craig · April 08, 2013, 10:05:16 AM

Quote from: "lmo506"Oh, when is your next meeting?

The next meeting is in Moncton (viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2326)
The one after that is April 27th. It's our AGM (viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2391)

Kyle · April 08, 2013, 11:20:28 AM

Just from memory here:

A pound of pellet hops takes up about 2" x 4" x 3"

A pound of leaf hops takes up about 10" x 8" x 6"

lmo506 · April 09, 2013, 07:13:12 AM

No way can I make Moncton but I will be able to make the Fredericton one. Anyone got a pound of whole hops avail for sale to try in a torpedo clone?

lmo506 · April 24, 2013, 11:26:31 AM

We tried this on a couple of brews a couple weeks ago. First one was a dry stout, not much to filter there , just a test run. Next one was a Sierra Nevada Torpedo clone , lots of hops. Threw everything in the boil and when time was up we didn't whirlpool or wait , straight thru the filter , thru the chiller and into the carboys. The biggest issue is not getting the wort to cold. Pretty much sucked the pot dry of everything and the wort into the fermenters was nice and clear. Will be testing the gravity today and doing a taste test. We only used three of the plates on the filter press and after i took the filter apart there was plenty of room for more trub. Next plan is to stuff the plates full of leaf hops and either recirculate for a bit at the end of the boil or just pump straight to the fermenter.

Chris Craig · April 24, 2013, 01:21:47 PM

Now that's hard-core!

fakr · April 24, 2013, 03:53:14 PM

That's a sexy looking filter!