G'day gang, Pretty new to brewing (second batch on the ferment now). Just wondering if it would be ok to pass the fermented beer through filter paper before bottling? I've got filter paper like the ones used in coffee percolator. Cheers!
3 Answers
Oi! No it would not be ok. You risk infecting and oxidising your beer. Just use one of {finings, cold crash, gelatine} or a combination of these to get all haze settled, then rack the clear beer from top.
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Ok cheers mate, what the hell is finings, cold crash and gelatine methods? :D– Philby83Commented Mar 15, 2018 at 1:11
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1@Philby83 by "finings" I meant an "ingredient" to add at the end of boil, irish moss is my usual choice (ask at your local homebrew store). Cold crash is when you cool beer in your fermenter (after fermentation has finished) to some low temperature like 5-10C - that causes yeast remaining in suspension to drop. At the same time you can add gelatin (I dissolve a teaspoon in half a cup of boiling water, pour it into the fermenter and lightly stir, so as not to splash). Here's a bigger article to digest byo.com/article/fining-your-beer-techniques– RomanCommented Mar 15, 2018 at 1:53
I would not be afraid of oxidation or infection at bottling. However, if you bottle condition, you might end up with little active yeast and sabotage your bottle conditionning.
Yes, that's fine. You can filter through cheese cloth, for example. Coffee filter should work, too, but may be slower. Just try to minimize the contact with oxygen, to avoid off flavors --- so avoid splashing around.
When your beer is already fermented, its alcohol and the hops will protect it from infections.
