Cleaning Beer Filters

Q. We’re looking for a beer filtration system cleaner that will effectively clean our fouled filters.  What do you recommend?

A. In breweries, filters are used to control and improve flavor and clarity of beer. Filtering removes beta-glucan, yeast, tannins and some large proteins from the beer that contribute both to off flavors and haze.  These residues, of course, ultimately foul and clog the filters.

We would definitely recommend Tergazyme® Enzyme-Active Powdered Detergent.  It is widely used to clean plate and frame, depth modules, and similar filters that are used in filtering beer.  Our customers include U.S. top 20 (production output) breweries, micro breweries and many in between.

Use a warm 1% Tergazyme solution (10 g/L)  to soak or flow through the filters followed by a filter flushing water rinse (in some instances, depending on the filter manufacturer’s recommendation, this could be via back-flushing).  The beta-glucan, yeast, tannins and similar residues that foul these filters are effectively cleaned by Tergazyme detergent’s high emulsifying capability.  The large protein removal is facilitated by the protease enzyme in the detergent.  It is highly effective on the large proteins that cross link and trap other residues with them.

This general procedure will be effective in cold filtering applications as well.  Moreover, because of the enzymatic activity,  washing temperature should not be over (130F/55C) to avoid enzyme degradation.  Likewise, please use the detergent solution within 8 hours of formulation to ensure maximum enzymatic activity and to avoid auto-catalysis (after all, enzymes are proteins).

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Contact us any time: cleaning@alconox.com