Plate filters: The complete guide to clarifying your fermented beverages

A universal tool: Beer, wine, kombucha, kefir, and cider

Although highly appreciated by brewers, the plate filter is a versatile piece of equipment suited to all enthusiasts of craft beverages and home fermentations. It is the essential tool for:

• Wine: To remove yeasts and aging sediments in order to stabilise the wine before bottling.
• Kombucha and kefir: To stop excess yeast and bacterial growth, lock in the aromatic profile, and obtain a bright, clear beverage.
• Cider and mead: To eliminate protein haze and ensure perfect clarity from one batch to the next.

How does a plate filter work?

The principle is simple yet remarkably effective. The liquid is pushed by an integrated pump through a series of food‑grade polymer plates, between which disposable filter pads (or filter sheets) are inserted.

These pads act like an ultra‑fine sieve. Depending on the chosen porosity, expressed in microns, they retain vegetal residues, heavy proteins, and the vast majority of yeast cells. The liquid exits instantly bright and translucent at the other end of the circuit.

The mechanical secret: What does the number of plates do?

This is a crucial technical concept to avoid choosing the wrong model: the number of plates does not change the fineness of the filtration. Whether you have 6 or 18 plates, if you use 1‑micron pads, the filtration will be exactly 1 micron.

In reality, increasing the number of plates increases the total filtration surface. This has two major effects:

• Speed (Flow rate): The more plates there are, the faster the liquid passes through the filter. You save valuable time.
• Volume capacity: The larger the surface, the more sediment the filter can absorb before the pads become saturated (clogged). To filter 100 litres of beverage, you’ll need more plates than for a small 20‑litre batch.

The flagship models of the Colombo range

To meet all time and volume requirements, the Colombo range stands out as the industry benchmark thanks to its integrated pump and robust stainless‑steel structure:

• Colombo Inox 6 (6 plates): The ideal model for beginners, micro‑batches, or kombucha/kefir producers working with small volumes (flow rate up to 200–250 L/h). Compact and very affordable.
• Colombo Inox 12 (12 plates): The perfect balance for regular brewers and winemakers handling intermediate volumes (up to 300–500 L/h). An excellent compromise between speed and footprint.
• Colombo Inox 18 (18 plates): Professional‑level power (flow rate up to 550–800 L/h). Designed for those who need to filter large volumes in record time without risking mid‑transfer saturation.

The different levels of filtration pads

Your choice of pad depends on your visual goal and the nature of your beverage: