Author: Jake Huolihan

Some homebrewers take pride in the fact that their beer isn’t crystal clear, conjuring up feelings of an artisanal craft experience. I am not one of these people. I prefer my beer to be brilliant, read-a-book-through bright, and I want it that way stat! There are many options for achieving this goal including chemical fining and mechanical filtration, both of which have their pros and cons, though one unique product promises improved clarity and quality with essentially no downsides.

I discovered the Clear Beer Draught System (CBDS) nearly a year ago when searching for ways to improve clarity in less time and thought it was interesting enough to buy a few. As someone who kegs beer prior to cold crashing to avoid oxidation, finings such as gelatin weren’t cutting it for me, as it usually resulted in nearly a gallon of lost beer just to rid the keg of the trub that fell out of solution. Mechanical filters work great, but they’re not terribly convenient and also introduce a vector for oxidation. What I found so enticing about the CBDS is that it led to clearer beer in less time without the use of finings or filters, all while allowing me to engage in my preferred brewing and packaging process.

The product reviewed for this article was purchased by the author who will receive no compensation for sales resulting from this review, meaning it is much more honest than other reviews. The author does not actually believe this and understands at least enough about the nature of bias to get why some might see things differently, though still thinks it’s a cynical and and largely inaccurate argument.

How It Works

Kegs draw beer from the bottom of the vessel through a long dip tube, which allows for maximum serving volume with little wasted product. Thanks to gravity, the bottom of the keg is also where any particulate in suspension at packaging will congregate, resulting in increased time to clarity and typically a few pints of opaque beer. The CBDS cleverly and elegantly solves this by drawing from the clearest portion of the packaged beer– the top! By essentially relying on a stainless steel float to extend the end of the liquid-out dip tube such that it remains on top of the beer throughout the life of the keg.

Assembly

The CBDS does not come fully assembled, which isn’t an issue because it’s super easy to put together. First, the keg’s original liquid-out dip tube needs to be replaced with the short dip tube that comes with the unit, a task that requires removal of the liquid post.

Assembling the float took about a minute and required little more than positioning a stainless tube and securing it in place with some o-rings. Then, one end of the included silicone tubing gets connected to the float and the other end attaches to the shortened liquid-out dip tube. Ready to roll!

Sanitation

With the CBDS being in direct contact with the beer, it’s important to ensure it’s properly sanitized before each use. I rack my beer into CO2 purged kegs, so this is an easy task that requires no extra steps. With the CBDS in place, I fill the keg with sanitizer solution, hit it with gas until some comes out of the liquid post, then agitate the keg for a bit to ensure all surfaces are covered. I then push the remaining sanitizer out of the keg, through the CBDS, until it’s completely empty, at which point I proceed with packaging.

For those who don’t purge their kegs prior to packaging, the CBDS can be placed in a bucket of sanitizer solution for a period of time before being carefully placed in the keg. Since this requires some finger contact, it might be a good idea to spray down the portion of the silicone tubing that was touched… better safe than sorry.

Filling The Keg

My standard kegging process involves transferring beer from the fermentor to the keg through the liquid post, which is exactly what I do when using the CBDS, no difference whatsoever. From this point, the beer gets carbonated and served as usual.

A small but convenient feature of the CBDS for those of us that fill kegs with the lid on is that an audible clanging can be heard when the keg is full, as the stainless float touches the bottom of the lid– a good way to prevent overfills that lead to sticky messes. However, the CBDS does not limit fill level, one can transfer as much beer to the keg as will fit, which will cause the float to become submerged until a few pints have been served.

Cleaning

As I imagine is the case for many, my least favorite part about brewing is all the cleaning involved at every step. Indeed, the CBDS is yet another thing to be cleaned, but given it’s simple design, it’s quite easy and doesn’t require that much effort or time. Once a keg kicks, the float will be resting atop any trub that fell out of solution.

Removal of the CBDS involves simply detaching the silicone tubing from the liquid-out dip tube, at which point the unit is still all in one fairly messy piece.

For beers with less particulate in solution at kegging, I’ve found a good hot water rinse tends to adequately remove any residual debris. However, there are times the unit demands a deeper cleaning, which a soak in hot brewery wash solution will generally accomplish. Given the materials the unit is made of, it can actually be sterilized via a pressure cooker, something those who use it to serve funky/sour beers might consider.

How Does It Work?

Here are some examples of a few beers I’ve served using the CBDS at various times, all kegged warm and none fined or filtered.

I’d say it works pretty damn well!

| The Verdict |

I’ve been using these units for awhile now and, frankly, I am insanely happy with them! Just as advertised, my beers are brilliantly clear in no time flat, and in the time my kegs are on tap, the trub compacts enough to significantly reduce overall beer loss. In fact, I recently poured out the remnants of a freshly kicked keg just to see for myself what all was lost.

Not even a full pint, and it was nearly all sludgy trub! Perhaps even more surprising was the appearance of the final beer from that batch, which was being poured when the keg blew.

The CBDS works remarkably well, whether I cold crash prior to kegging or not, producing a level of clarity in just a few days that typically requires 10 or more days. I absolutely plan to continue using it in every batch I keg from here on out and truly believe it’s a fantastic value for anyone who loves clear beer as much as me!

Fellow Brülosophy contributor, Malcolm Frazer, is also a CBDS user and had this to say about it:

“I was lucky enough to win a Clear Beer Draught System at a homebrew competition several years ago, and at the time, it was probably something I wouldn’t have bought. Truthfully, I didn’t even use it until, while brewing for a Real Ale festival, I came across something called a cask widget. Then it clicked. I tried the CBDS on a batch of beer and loved it so much I immediately bought three more.”

Before finishing up, I wanted to address some questions some might have about the Clear Beer Draught System.

Can you fine with gelatin when using the CBDS?

Absolutely! It’s like they were made for each other. Gelatin rapidly assists in the removal of particulate from beer, dropping it to the bottom of the keg while leaving clear beer behind. I’ve used the CBDS with gelatin fining numerous times and have achieved nearly brilliant clarity after just 24 hours. In my experience, gelatin will produce a very clear beer on its own in as little as 3 days, though it can take nearly 2 weeks to achieve the level of clarity I see after just a day when used in combination with the CBDS.

Can hops be added directly to the keg when using the CBDS?

As with most things, hops will eventually fall out of solution, and given their propensity to clog dip tubes, it’s generally recommended to make keg hop additions using some sort of filtration device. Seeing as the CBDS draws beer from the top of the keg, it’s possible that keg hop additions can be made directly without issue. But to ensure smooth pouring, the manufacturer recently released a nifty stainless screen filter that reduces the risk of clogging even more. I’ve used this filter a few times, but not on a beer that was keg hopped, so I’m not certain how effective it is for that. My guess is it works well.

Why do the pictures of your CBDS look different than what’s on their website?

I’ve been using the CBDS for awhile now and was prepared to pen this article months ago. However, after getting in touch with the owner, William Broderick, we postponed the review upon his request. William explained he was reworking the float on the CBDS and would be placing a large order once things were set, which they are now. While the units I’m using have the old float, William assured me the new units are functionally identical and, if anything, offer enhanced features.

The Clear Beer Draught System is available now at ClearBeerDraughtSystem.com!

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