Fermonster Minimesh strainer

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Brewer #450121

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Is anyone familiar with the fermonster minimesh strainer? Can it be used to filter hop particles when transfering wort to the fermentor? Could this cause problems?
 
I had never heard of it so I looked it up.
I would only worry about sanitizing it before adding it into the fermenter.
Looks to me to be more of a pain that it might be worth.

What is the problem that you are trying to solve with it?


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Craigerrr said:
I had never heard of it so I looked it up.
I would only worry about sanitizing it before adding it into the fermenter.
Looks to me to be more of a pain that it might be worth.

What is the problem that you are trying to solve with it?


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Thanks for replying. I just started using it on my last 2 brews and in both cases my bottle conditioned beers were a little undercarbed with poor head retention so wondering if I am filtering out some proteins that would contribute to head retention. I am also looking at glass cleaning as well
 
Use a little wheat or Carapils in your recipes. Undercarbed is probably the result of not using enough priming sugar. 5oz corn sugar for 5 gallons. Less if using table sugar.
 
Brewer #450121 said:
Thanks for replying. I just started using it on my last 2 brews and in both cases my bottle conditioned beers were a little undercarbed with poor head retention so wondering if I am filtering out some proteins that would contribute to head retention. I am also looking at glass cleaning as well
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I just want to understand why you decided to use it in the first place?
 
Brewer #450121 said:
Thanks for replying. I just started using it on my last 2 brews and in both cases my bottle conditioned beers were a little undercarbed with poor head retention so wondering if I am filtering out some proteins that would contribute to head retention. I am also looking at glass cleaning as well
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How long are you bottle conditioning? I bottled for 7+years. Most of the time, if the carbonation wasn't enough, wait another week.

If it never comes up enough, you didn't prime enough or you wanted too long in the fermenter and your yeast was all dead. (This would have to be several weeks too long)

As for head retention, no way you have a filter small enough to filter protein. do you use fermcaps? Too low mash temp can effect head retention as well
 
Brewer #450121 said:
Is anyone familiar with the fermonster minimesh strainer? Can it be used to filter hop particles when transfering wort to the fermentor? Could this cause problems?
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I don't have a Fremonster but, I think it's a cool idea. I imagine the primary use would be for dry hopping and adding things in secondary like fruit or oak chips. As others have said, it won't strain out proteins so, no effect on head retention, and as always sanitation is critical!
 
Craigerrr said:
I just want to understand why you decided to use it in the first place?
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To transfer I simply pour the wort from the kettle ( 3 gallon batch so easy to lift the kettle) into the fermentor through a funnel and the minimesh. Doing this will filter out the sludge at the bottom of the kettle. It's very easy to do.
 
BarbarianBrewer said:
I don't have a Fremonster but, I think it's a cool idea. I imagine the primary use would be for dry hopping and adding things in secondary like fruit or oak chips. As others have said, it won't strain out proteins so, no effect on head retention, and as always sanitation is critical!
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Thanks, yes I put in boiling water and also soak in sanitizer. It looks to be designed to facilitate dry hopping or adding adjunct but I am using as a filtering option.
 
Minbari said:
How long are you bottle conditioning? I bottled for 7+years. Most of the time, if the carbonation wasn't enough, wait another week.

If it never comes up enough, you didn't prime enough or you wanted too long in the fermenter and your yeast was all dead. (This would have to be several weeks too long)

As for head retention, no way you have a filter small enough to filter protein. do you use fermcaps? Too low mash temp can effect head retention as well
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Thanks for confirming. I have increased the temp for bottle conditioning and also extended 2 more weeks and carbinatio / head retention is now where is should be
 
Limey said:
Why not use a hop spider?
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Thanks I have considered this but I like having the hops straight in the wort. The minimesh makes it easy to then filter out when transfering even though I think I am not using it for its original intention
 
 
Brewer #450121 said:
To transfer I simply pour the wort from the kettle ( 3 gallon batch so easy to lift the kettle) into the fermentor through a funnel and the minimesh. Doing this will filter out the sludge at the bottom of the kettle. It's very easy to do.
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Okay, it isn't necessary to do this though. The sludge (trub) will have no effect on the beer if it goes in the fermenter. There is a greater risk of introducing infection to the beer. I remember doing something like this in my first few batches, my last 80 something batches I haven't.
 
Craigerrr said:
Okay, it isn't necessary to do this though. The sludge (trub) will have no effect on the beer if it goes in the fermenter. There is a greater risk of introducing infection to the beer. I remember doing something like this in my first few batches, my last 80 something batches I haven't.
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Yeah, at one point I got a coarse filter cartridge to reduce the sludge and did a t/f through the kettle spigot. It worked, and the filter did get a bunch of material, but ultimately like you said that will easily settle to the bottom of the fermenter and with a cold crash you can drop everything out, yeast and all.

When I still used plastic bucket fermenters I'd just do an intermediate transfer after cold crashing and before bottling. There would only be a token amount of trub at the bottom and was super easy to not transfer.

I found the 2nd plastic bucket much easier to clean and sanitize than the lines plus filter. Ultimately I moved on to conical fermenters with dump valves, cooling so I could cold crash more correctly and that's gotten me much 'cleaner' final beers.
 
I'll still get some, but less if I use the funnel with the strainer.
It gets sanitized right before I open the valve on the kettle.
I kill two birds with one stone by sitting the kettle on a cart and having the fermenter right underneath it when I drain. I can filter it some and get some oxygen in it, too.
I realize that an open transfer isn't ideal, but when you have sanitizer in the fermenter for a few days, and you are fairly careful otherwise, it works.
 
Sandy Feet said:
I'll still get some, but less if I use the funnel with the strainer.
It gets sanitized right before I open the valve on the kettle.
I kill two birds with one stone by sitting the kettle on a cart and having the fermenter right underneath it when I drain. I can filter it some and get some oxygen in it, too.
I realize that an open transfer isn't ideal, but when you have sanitizer in the fermenter for a few days, and you are fairly careful otherwise, it works.
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I did open transfers for years. It's one of those brewing legends that has a basis of truth, but gets blown WAY out of proportion.
You're probably doing the open transfer like most of the rest of us on the ... old ... seasoned... vintage ... EXPERIENCED. That's it... The experienced side. You minimize the time spent open, exercise care with sanitization.

The Brewer's Code; They be more like guidelines than actual rules...
 
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