Transfers - pump or counter pressure?

[sdgbrew]

What is everyone's take on transferring fermented beer from a fermenter to a conditioning tank? Do you use counter pressure or a pump?

[kugeman]

If it's just a transfer then I use CO2 to push the beer. If I'm filtering then I use a pump.

[Pompeiisneaks]

That makes me think of a follow on question, Why? Is it a cost thing? Is CO2, cheaper than the electric bill of the pump, or is it a process thing, does the CO2 push cause less problems to the beer? And then does a pump tend to add bad things like O2 etc?

[South County]

Either way you're going to have to back pressure the beer with CO2 or nitrogen to keep O2 out and to keep the tank from tin-canning, even if you are pumping.

[liammckenna]

Mostly, I use gravity. You want to be as gentle as possible avoiding foaming as much as possible.

My fermentors are on ground floor, conditioning/brite tks are in the cellar. I have a stainless pipeline with twin return from fermentation down to cellar.

I pressurize the clean conditioning/receiving tank, drain and purge sanitized pipeline, hook up vent to vent and open the vent valves (equalizing tank pressures) and from racking arm to centre fitting on receiving tank, open all valves and voila, transfer is underway.

I usually spritz with a little CO2 during transfer as well with an inline stone before receiving tank.

For filtrations, there is a pump on my screen filter which we use.

Pax.

Liam

[gitchegumee]

I use gravity from one tank to the other until the levels have equilized. Then turn on VFD to slowly continue moving the beer without tearing it up with a high speed pump impeller. It's about as gentle as you can get without using lots of CO2.

[NYSBrewer]

I second Hutch, pressure when racking, pump when filtering.