Clear Beer Gadget

[reuliss]

Anyone purchase this interesting looking gadget from Williams Brewing?

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/CLEAR-BEER-DRAUGHT-SYSTEM-P3612.aspx

I have to say, I'm intrigued. Seems like a great idea, if it actually works as advertised. If anyone has direct experience with this thing, please share!!

 

[Yooper]

Anyone purchase this interesting looking gadget from Williams Brewing?

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/CLEAR-BEER-DRAUGHT-SYSTEM-P3612.aspx

I have to say, I'm intrigued. Seems like a great idea, if it actually works as advertised. If anyone has direct experience with this thing, please share!!

Well, I haven't seen it before but I'm not sure it will work any better than not using it. First, most sediment in homebrew is only in the first pour or two anyway- and most cloudy beers are not due to sediment but due to things like chill haze.

This can't possibly filter out chill haze, or starch haze, etc, so I think it would only work if someone had a bunch of crud in the fermenter to filter out anyway. For things like that, maybe it would work.

 

[reuliss]

Well, I haven't seen it before but I'm not sure it will work any better than not using it. First, most sediment in homebrew is only in the first pour or two anyway- and most cloudy beers are not due to sediment but due to things like chill haze.

This can't possibly filter out chill haze, or starch haze, etc, so I think it would only work if someone had a bunch of crud in the fermenter to filter out anyway. For things like that, maybe it would work.

I agree with that assessment, Yooper. I guess I should have specified that I was particularly curious if this thing would make it possible to dry hop with pellets right in the keg. That's never worked for me, even with the finest mesh bag. But if this thing pulls only from the top, then maybe?

 

[Yooper]

I agree with that assessment, Yooper. I guess I should have specified that I was particularly curious if this thing would make it possible to dry hop with pellets right in the keg. That's never worked for me, even with the finest mesh bag. But if this thing pulls only from the top, then maybe?

I've dryhopped in a carboy with pellets- those darn things disintegrate all over the place and some sink, some float, and some hang out in the middle. Even if it pulls from the top, I would think that big floaties like hops debris might clog it?

I hop with pellets in the keg all the time- but only in fine mesh bags. Leaf hops I have an easier time with in the keg- those go in a bag, or a tea ball, or whatever I happen to have on hand. I have considered one of those stainless "hopper" things for dryhopping in the keg, but it seems that they only work with leaf hops and not those pesky pellets.

 

[Homercidal]

Stratification of yeast and sediment HAS to happen at some point in the kegging process. That stuff simply cannot all settle down to the bottom of the keg immediately. Cooling the keg will speed it up, surely, and the wait may not be more than a week or two.

This device *might* work good for some people. If you shake your keg immediately after filling, to force the CO2 into solution faster, and get your beer carbed up in a day or three, I can see where it might give a clearer pour a few days after that. If your beer, due to yeast strain or some environmental factor) takes a while to settle naturally, then I can see this giving a clearer pour sooner.

For me, most of my beer is pretty clear at about the time it's nicely carbed. Yes, I pour off a glass or two to clear sediment away from the pickup tube (sometimes), but it's not a big deal.

Without having seen it in action, I think it's actually a great idea for some people, and if I had a chance to test it, I could report back with a more accurate description. The price is a slight hinderance. I'm not sure (without having tried it) that I'd want to spend that much money on it. It looks like a pretty basic and durable device, and I don't know that it could be sold for much less than that.

It doesn't feel like a necessity IMO, but I'm curious enough to want to see how well it works in practice. It's possibly a great thing for someone who's often in a hurry to get a keg online, or for someone who has all of the equipment they need and just want to spend some money on something new and cool.

Now my brain is working to try and figure out how I can build a prototype device at home just to see if it really makes a difference. I tend to drink a keg in about 2 months (depending) so MOST of that time the beer is pouring clear.

 

[lutherslagers]

I bought one recently and posted this video on my experience with it: http://youtu.be/1j0IFi0Ztks

 

[reuliss]

I bought one recently and posted this video on my experience with it:

Watched the vid but you didn't say what you thought about the product doing what it's advertised to do. The pour looked pretty cloudy. Do you think it's better?


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[lutherslagers]

Watched the vid but you didn't say what you thought about the product doing what it's advertised to do. The pour looked pretty cloudy. Do you think it's better?

Here's a picture a few weeks after hooking up the clear beer draught system. I can see my sweet mini van out in the driveway through the glass. It's not more clear than other, less hoppy, beers I brew. I think the advantage of the product isn't clarity so much as keeping trub out of your dip tube and glass.

I like the product but I really don't see the need to own more than one (and I keep 11 cornies full). I see it as more of a troubleshooting products than an everyday packaging and serving product.

Just one homebrewer's opinion, but I hope it helps.

 

[brewer_nate]

I have never posted before but this device has impressed me so much I have to share my thoughts. I've been kegging for 7 years and for some reason just accepted that the first third of each would be hazy, and if dry hopped, full of particulates. And yes I use gelatin, and so all the other good things to keep it clear.
Finally got some of these and it has blown my mind. I like my beer clean and clear, and the first to the last pour is awesome. I can dry hop the snot out of my IPA right in the keg and this keeps it tasting fresh all the way without nearly the fading flavor I am used to--not a single piece of debris, not even in the last drop ( it was pulling clean with over 3oz pellets in a 3 gallon leg, loose)! Very impressed and wish I had got them sooner...View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1491968744.048951.jpg

 

[govner1]

Could not agree more. I've now accumulated 5 of these after receiving my first as a gift about three years ago.
They really work well and are easy to install. The manufacturer is now offering a hop screen that slides over the pick up for those who make hop "bombs" and/or dry hop in the keg.

 

[hezagenius]

Count me as a believer in these. I've got a few. If you do big dry hops in the serving keg, these make a huge difference. I also use these in my dry hop kegs. I rack from the primary to a keg with hops and use the SS filter on the clear beer intake. I let it sit for a few days at room temp, then cold crash for a few days and transfer to the serving keg and get very little hop material. Makes a big difference.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I have never posted before but this device has impressed me so much I have to share my thoughts. I've been kegging for 7 years and for some reason just accepted that the first third of each would be hazy, and if dry hopped, full of particulates. And yes I use gelatin, and so all the other good things to keep it clear.
Finally got some of these and it has blown my mind. I like my beer clean and clear, and the first to the last pour is awesome. I can dry hop the snot out of my IPA right in the keg and this keeps it tasting fresh all the way without nearly the fading flavor I am used to--not a single piece of debris, not even in the last drop ( it was pulling clean with over 3oz pellets in a 3 gallon leg, loose)! Very impressed and wish I had got them sooner...View attachment 396295

Did you brew a spinach beer
It looks like you just dumped pellet hops in the keg without a bag?
I cant see how that beer wouldn't have tons of hop debris in the glass and a nasty bitter hop bite....if its what it looks like

Even with that contraption when you get to the bottom of the keg youll still be sucking up straight hops I would think

 

[govner1]

Did you brew a spinach beer

It looks like you just dumped pellet hops in the keg without a bag?

I cant see how that beer wouldn't have tons of hop debris in the glass and a nasty bitter hop bite....if its what it looks like



Even with that contraption when you get to the bottom of the keg youll still be sucking up straight hops I would think

You did see the part about the hop filter....

 

[brewer_nate]

I use the additional stainless hop mesh filter in addition to the floating pickup for beers with a lot of dry hops in the keg, and I don't think I would have believed it myself if I hadn't poured that very last pint. There wasn't any off flavors having the beer on hops this whole time, after the first five days at room temperature it was at refrigerator temperatures

 

[trapae]

I know I’m renewing this thread after half a year, but question? I am super interested in this clear beer contraption, not because I necessarily care about clear beer, but I’m interested in hopping in the keg. For those of you who dry hop in the keg, what do you think the differences between normal dry hopping and keg dry hopping.?

 

[hgearle]

Tried the clear beer draught system on my last 3 corny kegs and all I can say is....WOW. The first pour from the keg is clear and stays that way until the very end of the keg. I even dry hopped in the keg with no bag and the beer was crystal clear to the end. I purchased 4 on the first order and quickly ordered 2 more. Try it...you will be amazed at how much better the beer coming out of your kegs will be. And, you won't be pouring several pints down the drain or drinking yeasty murky beer. I don't know the owner...just a very satisfied customer.

 

[hgearle]

I know I’m renewing this thread after half a year, but question? I am super interested in this clear beer contraption, not because I necessarily care about clear beer, but I’m interested in hopping in the keg. For those of you who dry hop in the keg, what do you think the differences between normal dry hopping and keg dry hopping.?

I just dry hopped in the keg for the first time without a bag to see how good this contraption would work. Unbelievable!!! Put the hops in, wait about 5 days, cold crash for a day, force carbonate for a few days, then pour off about 1/3 glass to clear line, and drink CLEAR beer. If you don't plan to drink the entire corny in the first 10 days, then I would transfer off the hops to a serving keg.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

Recently added two of these to my setup - awesome gadgets!
I don't use a secondary and I keg from primary with a few points of gravity left to naturally carbonate in the keg (spunding).
That process leaves me with a fair amount of yeast sediment in the bottom, and even with lagering, a normal dip tube will still draw from the sediment (even if you use finings like gelatin, which I don't).
I typically wouldn't get non-cloudy beer until about half way through a keg when all the sediment had been sucked up.
I had fixed this problem for a while by shortening my dip tubes, but then you lose volume.

I just installed this setup in my latest German Pils and it's gorgeous from the first pour.

It won't make a hazy beer clear, but it will prevent any sediment from contributing to a beer's haze.

Prost!

 

[geekbleek]

How do you all fill kegs with this contraption? I have seen the outstanding reviews, but wanted to see how people purge their kegs with these in them, and then fill the keg? Just fill with sanitizer and then fully purge with Co2? Doesn't this leave a decent amount of sanitizer still in the keg? Since this is very useful for hop heavy beers, I'd imagine people are also very concerned about getting their keg fully purged before transferring to it, and not opening it to dry hop after transferring beer into it. Any info on how you all manage this is much appreciated!

 

[hezagenius]

If you are not dry hopping in the keg, then just connect the Clear Beer and do a liquid purge. To get the last bit of sanitizer, gently turn the keg upside down, apply a few psi of pressure and open the PRV on the keg lid a few times. That should flush out the last bit of sanitizer. Then do a pressure transfer.

If you are dry hopping in the keg, then you have to decide if you want to do one of the following:
a) no purge, fill keg, add hops, headspace purge
b) no purge, add hops, fill keg, headspace purge
c) liquid purge, fill keg, add hops, headspace purge
d) liquid purge, pop lid quickly to throw hops in, fill keg, headspace purge
e) add hops, gas purge, fill keg, headspace purge

None of them are ideal in terms of negating O2 pickup. I don't know if one method is better than the other. I can say that if you want to add the hops and then do a gas purge before transferring the beer into it, you will have to purge the keg many, many times to get the O2 level down.

One way to help avoid O2 pickup when dry hopping is to add the hops while fermentation is still active. That should hopefully help scrub out some of the O2 through fermentation.

Regardless of how I dry hop, I fill the keg through a pressure transfer from the fermentor into the liquid post on the keg. I make sure to have a filter on the liquid intake in the fermenter to catch any large particles. When I do that, I don't have any clogging issues.

 

[hgearle]

How do you all fill kegs with this contraption? I have seen the outstanding reviews, but wanted to see how people purge their kegs with these in them, and then fill the keg? Just fill with sanitizer and then fully purge with Co2? Doesn't this leave a decent amount of sanitizer still in the keg? Since this is very useful for hop heavy beers, I'd imagine people are also very concerned about getting their keg fully purged before transferring to it, and not opening it to dry hop after transferring beer into it. Any info on how you all manage this is much appreciated!

My kegs are filled by draining through a hose from my conical to the keg. The Clear Beer System has nothing to do with transfer or dry hopping in my kegs. I usually dry hop in bags and remove after dry hopping. If you plan to drink the beer in less than about 3 weeks, then you could probably just dump the hops in the keg, as the hops will drop to the bottom of the keg and the Clear Beer System draws from the top. Usually I sanitize my kegs with Star San, dump the liquid out, leave the keg upside down on a paper towel wet with Star San, and several minutes later the keg is empty of fluid. After sanitizing 2 corny kegs, I purge them with CO2, then place a see through poly-carbonate plate over the keg opening (see picture). The plate has a hole drilled in it to allow the transfer hose to fit into. Before I purge with CO2, I place any dry hops in the keg so that when I purge, the dry hops are purged also. After the keg is filled, I purge again with CO2 and pressurize the keg to 30 psi to sit with the hops in it. I like the Clear Beer System so much, I have now purchased 8 of them. Gotta say...they are a bit pricey, but worth it to me.

 

[BostonianBrewer]

Love it!

 

[mcomb]

Does anyone have experience using these in a fermentor? I ferment in 10 gallon cornies and these seem like they might decrease yeast and trub transfer to kegs when transferring from the fermentor.

 

[Hop]

I'm going to be dry hopping in a keg with some cryo hops for this batch and almost randomly found this thing looking at a thread about something completely different on a different website.

About 15 minutes later, I ordered one. Seems like it'll be the perfect device for this purpose.