In this work, the crossflow microfiltration (CFMF) performance of different lots of a rough pale lager, produced in the industrial brewery Birra Peroni Sri (Rome, Italy), was, assessed in a bench-top plant, equipped with a 0.8-mu m ceramic tubular membrane module, under constant crossflow velocity (6 m s(-1)), transmembrane pressure difference (3.74 bar), temperature (10 degrees C), and periodic CO2 backflushing. The average permeation flux increased from (86 8) to (252 21) L m(-2) h(-1), provided that the rough beer was fed as such or pre-centrifuged to minimize the fouling contribution of yeast cells and aggregates, respectively. In both cases, the permeate turbidity at 20 degrees C fulfilled that recommended by the European Brewery Convention standards; but, as expected, the chill haze at 0 degrees C was quite higher than 0.6 EBC unit. A preliminary stabilization of pre-centrifuged beer using 0.5 g L-1 of regenerable polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) at 0 degrees C for 24 h allowed the permeate chill haze to be reduced to (0.63 +/- 0.22) EBC unit; but the average permeation flux fell to (161 21) L m(-2) h(-1). By removing the residual PVPP particles from stabilized beer using a 2.7-mu m filter before CFMF, it was possible not only to re-enhance the average permeation flux up to 337 L m(-2) h(-1) (this value being in line with those achievable with conventional DE-filters), but also to obtain a chill haze-free permeate ready for aseptically packaging. By referring to an industrial plant capacity of 2 x 10(6) h L of lager beer, the estimated overall operating costs and global warming potential for this novel combined pale lager clarification and PVPP stabilization procedure reduced to about the 30% of those associated with the current industrial DE-filtration and regenerable PVPP stabilization procedures. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.