Oopsie... Can cheese cloth filter out glass shards?

[SabreSteve]

Just had my glass thermometer break while cooling my wort. The actual thermometer didn't break, just the outer tube so there's glass and and the little metal balls in my wort. Hate to dump the batch. I usually pour my wort through a mesh screen but I'm worried fine glass particles could still get through as it's not that fine. I have a couple spare grain bags that are cheese cloth. Would this work to strain out the glass?

 

[Nosybear]

I wouldn't trust it... Glass can do nasty things to your insides. It will sink to the bottom of whatever vessel it's in but again, while the probability of something going horribly wrong is low, if it goes wrong it's truly horrible.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

The glass will sink to the bottom, then trub will cover it and then the yeast adds another layer. As long as you can transfer it from the fermenter without disturbing the sediment, you should be okay. Did any of the red alcohol from the thermometer get in the wort?

 

[SabreSteve]

The glass will sink to the bottom, then trub will cover it and then the yeast adds another layer. As long as you can transfer it from the fermenter without disturbing the sediment, you should be okay. Did any of the red alcohol from the thermometer get in the wort?

No the thermometer tube itself didn't break, just the outer housing

 

[GFHomebrew]

Been there done that drunk that.

Many years back I used to use a floating mash thermometer for what maybe two brews lol since then it's been digital thermometer and not made out of glass!

 

[Bubba Wade]

I might try coffee filters instead. Much finer filtering than a cheese cloth.

 

[SabreSteve]

Been there done that drunk that.

Many years back I used to use a floating mash thermometer for what maybe two brews lol since then it's been digital thermometer and not made out of glass!

yeah don't those cost more though...

I might try coffee filters instead. Much finer filtering than a cheese cloth.

Yeah the cheese cloth kinda sucked the wort filtered through it slower than I thought so I ended up with wort all over the floor

 

[GFHomebrew]

yeah don't those cost more though...

Yeah the cheese cloth kinda sucked the wort filtered through it slower than I thought so I ended up with wort all over the floor

Na not at all $20 you can get a decent on.
I use it now from time to time to check if my STC probe is accurate.

 

[Hawkbox]

My first Belgian Wit had a broken thermometer in it, let it settle and don't stir it up. Should be fine. Leave enough behind to be safe.

 

[Semper Sitientem]

Na not at all $20 you can get a decent on.
I use it now from time to time to check if my STC probe is accurate.

+1 on the thermopen

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

It's low risk but high impact so I'd lean toward dumping it. But that's easy for me to say as I neither brewed it nor will I be consuming it.

 

[J A]

Filtering finished beer will oxidize the crap out of it. If it's wort out of the kettle, you could get away with it but fermented beer won't work unless you have a very sophisticated set up.
If it's in the fermenter, as noted above, you could siphon out carefully and leave the trub completely undisturbed and leave an extra bit of beer in the fermenter to be safe.

 

[SabreSteve]

Filtering finished beer will oxidize the crap out of it. If it's wort out of the kettle, you could get away with it but fermented beer won't work unless you have a very sophisticated set up.
If it's in the fermenter, as noted above, you could siphon out carefully and leave the trub completely undisturbed and leave an extra bit of beer in the fermenter to be safe.

It was in the kettle. I strained it into the fermenter. I know I do some goofy stuff but I do atleast know enough not to oxygenate finished beer