filtering the wort

[windy]

Hi All, just a quick question, after the boil,I cool the wort down .
I then transfer it all into the fermenter. I ve been told that I should use a sieve, when I tranfer the wort into fermenter. Am I doing it wrong, or should i buy a large sieve . when I tranfer the finished wort in the bottling bucket, I always use a filtered syphon and theres always drub left in the fermenter.
best regards
Windy

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Straining the wort when transferring from your boil kettle into the fermentor is fine and can also add some oxygen, but isn't really necessary.

I'd be much more concerned with straining after fermentation as this can oxidize your beer. If you want or need to do this, make sure no splashing occurs. Maybe try a muslin or nylon bag attached to your siphon. Again, no splashing!
Good luck,
Brian

 

[Zambi]

I figure you don't have to
At least I don't. I normally put all wort into the fermenter and figure it will sort itself out over time

 

[Minbari]

Hi All, just a quick question, after the boil,I cool the wort down .
I then transfer it all into the fermenter. I ve been told that I should use a sieve, when I tranfer the wort into fermenter. Am I doing it wrong, or should i buy a large sieve . when I tranfer the finished wort in the bottling bucket, I always use a filtered syphon and theres always drub left in the fermenter.
best regards
Windy

I never do. 2-3 weeks in the fermenter will sort it.

Only thing i might do is whirlpool on transfer. That gets most of the crap out.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I don't like to get any hop residue into the fermenter, but it's only a problem when I make an IPA or Pale Ale. I put a large kitchen strainer over a funnel, pretty crude. It catches a lot, but the whirlpool does too. When I make a beer with a couple of ounces of hops, very little makes it's way into the fermenter.

The trub that makes it into the fermenter is harmless and some would argue it beneficial to the yeast because of the nutrients that come with it. When my middle kid was younger and saw the trub churning in the glass carboy, she said "Eewww! Turds of poop!". From that point on, the trub was called "turds of poop."

 

[Herm brews]

I used to dump everything from the kettle into the fermenter, but have switched to transferring through the spigot on my kettle. The spigot pickup has a trub dam, which helps keep some of the kettle sludge out of the fermenter. When the sludge starts to gurgle in the transfer tube, that is when I stop the transfer. For beers that will be dry hopped, I have an integrated hops strainer for my FerMonster that works well in keeping hop sludge out of my bottles. It is a great thing as a bottler to have spigots on both of my fermenters, which allows me to skip the bottling bucket.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I used to dump everything from the kettle into the fermenter, but have switched to transferring through the spigot on my kettle. The spigot pickup has a trub dam, which helps keep some of the kettle sludge out of the fermenter. When the sludge starts to gurgle in the transfer tube, that is when I stop the transfer. For beers that will be dry hopped, I have an integrated hops strainer for my FerMonster that works well in keeping hop sludge out of my bottles. It is a great thing as a bottler to have spigots on both of my fermenters, which allows me to skip the bottling bucket.

I am pretty close to that with the fermenter. I transfer from the kettle into the fermenter using the valve. I run it through a large funnel. If it is a style that I want to strain, I will use a small strainer inside the funnel. Using the kettle above the fermenter and draining it through the valve, through the fennel, and eventually into the fermenter is my way of creating oxygen.
I never strained anything during the bottling process. My wife always put a sticker on the last bottle. The chucky beer was always for the brewer

 

[Limey]

I use a pump to transfer to the (conical) fermenter, and I do use a large sieve to collect most of the hops and junk as it goes into the fermenter. I find this makes dumping the yeast from the bottom much easier, and makes for a cleaner yeast if I was harvesting it (I haven't yet)!

 

[Minbari]

I use a pump to transfer to the (conical) fermenter, and I do use a large sieve to collect most of the hops and junk as it goes into the fermenter. I find this makes dumping the yeast from the bottom much easier, and makes for a cleaner yeast if I was harvesting it (I haven't yet)!

I use a pump too. 3-way valve can divert from the herms to the fermenter. I don't use a filter at that step. I do filter from the fermenter to the keg

 

[GFHomebrew]

In she all goes for me but I have been using a hop sock lately for the hops as well as in the fermenter just to mitigate a blocked poppet on transfer.

 

[Ward Chillington]

A couple of sorta SOP (standard operating procedure) things that you may have already done should have minimized any need for filtering at this point, those being Vorlauf and as mentioned earlier, whirlpooling, but if you have a lot of spent hops and you are trying to start with a cleaner wort; filter away! Some brewers that dump it all get a clear beer too so as the phrase goes, there's more than one way to skin the beer!

What I didn't see was what you're brewing @windy ? Are you fining? Layering? Cold Crashing?

 

[windy]

A couple of sorta SOP (standard operating procedure) things that you may have already done should have minimized any need for filtering at this point, those being Vorlauf and as mentioned earlier, whirlpooling, but if you have a lot of spent hops and you are trying to start with a cleaner wort; filter away! Some brewers that dump it all get a clear beer too so as the phrase goes, there's more than one way to skin the beer!

What I didn't see was what you're brewing @windy ? Are you fining? Layering? Cold Crashing?

I m brewing a pilsner 5gallon 8lb pilsner malt and 2lb wheat I generally use finings

 

[Sandy Feet]

I m brewing a pilsner 5gallon 8lb pilsner malt and 2lb wheat I generally use finings

Grainwise, it sounds close to what I am brewing this weekend, but I am using blueberries and a Saison yeast. It should be quite the experiment.
Wheat will give the beer some head retention, but it will leave some haze. I'm not too worried because the three pounds of frozen blueberries that I put in the blender are going to leave a much bigger haze LOL.

 

[Ward Chillington]

Wheat will give the beer some head retention, but it will leave some haze

DING! Yeah, so that and chill haze...also..there are some haze producing yeasts that you need to account for. If you bottle, you could try how I clear my Cream ale...after your conditioning is done, stick it in the fridge for about 3 or 4 weeks...clear enough to read through!

 

[Marky Jensen]

Whirlpool so the big stuff is coned in the middle and then draw off and do your best not to pull a ton of the trub and hops into your fermenter. I've read that some trub is good for fermentation but you don't want too much. Let the wort splash around and agitate, yeast likes oxygen during the budding stage.

 

[TigerDave]

Ah yes, filtering the wort. I too have been struggling with this dilemma. If I am brewing a style the only has some bittering hops, such as a stout, I don't worry about it and transfer the whole kettle's contents into my Stainless Steel conical fermenter. But, if it's a heavy hopped IPA, then I have tried different options:

1. Put hops directly into the kettle
Good: Great for maximum contact. No additional parts to cleanup.
Bad: Creates a lot of sludge at the end -- even if I whirlpool. Plus, if I run the transfer through a hop sock or my fine mesh hop spider filter on the way to the fermenter, they tend clog quickly. I also end up catching a lot of the whirfloc or irish moss, unfortunately.

2. Put each hop addition into their own mini hop sock and then toss those into the kettle
Good: Greatly reduces the amount of hop sludge at flameout. Whirlfloc or Irish Moss can flow around freely and not get filtered out during transfer.
Bad: Not getting maximum contact. Possible chance of nylon hop bags making contact with electric element and melt. Also more little things to clean at the end of the day.

3. Put each hop addition into a submerged cylindrical stainless steel mesh hop spider (like this one)
Good: Greatly reduces the amount of hop sludge at flameout. Whirlfloc or Irish Moss can flow around freely and not get filtered out during transfer.
Bad: Severely restricts hop contact with wort since they are stuck in a tightly packed "hop jail". Although I will often pour some hot wort through it during the boil in attempt to "flush the good stuff out into the open". Also a pain to clean.

Lately I have been doing #1, but I might revert back to #3 since I see a lot of brewers doing it this way and IIRC, Brulosophy said there was no preceptible difference with method #3 vs #1.

 

[ScottMB]

Hi All, just a quick question, after the boil,I cool the wort down .
I then transfer it all into the fermenter. I ve been told that I should use a sieve, when I tranfer the wort into fermenter. Am I doing it wrong, or should i buy a large sieve . when I tranfer the finished wort in the bottling bucket, I always use a filtered syphon and theres always drub left in the fermenter.
best regards
Windy

I use a fine mesh strainer when transferring to fermenter to remove the remnant from hops and any loose grain.

 

[Bobby G]

Hi All, just a quick question, after the boil,I cool the wort down .
I then transfer it all into the fermenter. I ve been told that I should use a sieve, when I tranfer the wort into fermenter. Am I doing it wrong, or should i buy a large sieve . when I tranfer the finished wort in the bottling bucket, I always use a filtered syphon and theres always drub left in the fermenter.
best regards
Windy

Hi, Windy!
What is your equipment? Give us a little bit more info about it, please.

Cheers,
Bobby!