98 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

don't get me wrong I'm hoping you succeed here and can tell me what I can do differently next time

[neddles]

would you typically cold crash before kegging or least let the beer clear at "cooler" temps before kegging?  the one time I tried to do this I had A LOT of stuff in the keg.  if I remember correctly the beer was a pils so it had a good amount of hop matter in the keg and even this hop matter caused me issues b/c it had not compacted and was taking up more space than normal at the bottom of my fermentor so when I racked it clogged up the racking cane.

 

See the thread on the floating dip tubes. That seems to be the solution for all the extra crap in the keg and clearer beer sooner.

[Big Nake]

I admit: I expected some very serious sludge when I went to grab a sample. The beer was cloudy but I didn't have a big blob of yeast. The keg is in the fridge now and I assume that solids are dropping so maybe I'll check again in a week and see how it looks. The floating diptube things are sounding better to me now than ever but I'd still like to see if my beers will clear naturally so I'm holding off on it.

[positiveContact]

I admit: I expected some very serious sludge when I went to grab a sample. The beer was cloudy but I didn't have a big blob of yeast. The keg is in the fridge now and I assume that solids are dropping so maybe I'll check again in a week and see how it looks. The floating diptube things are sounding better to me now than ever but I'd still like to see if my beers will clear naturally so I'm holding off on it.

 

will those dip tubes allow you to purge the keg?

[Big Nake]

Purging the keg is as easy as connecting a line from primary and allowing the CO2 from fermentation to flow through the keg. That's pure, 100% CO2 and supposedly there is enough of it in one fermenting batch of beer to fully purge 20 kegs. Having the line in there wouldn't be an issue but when it's time to transfer the beer from primary to keg (I use the port on the primary), the beer should be going to the liquid-out side and with the floater in place the beer would be going up, up, up and then splashing down to the bottom of the keg... but I suppose that if the keg is fully purged it might be okay.

[positiveContact]

Purging the keg is as easy as connecting a line from primary and allowing the CO2 from fermentation to flow through the keg. That's pure, 100% CO2 and supposedly there is enough of it in one fermenting batch of beer to fully purge 20 kegs. Having the line in there wouldn't be an issue but when it's time to transfer the beer from primary to keg (I use the port on the primary), the beer should be going to the liquid-out side and with the floater in place the beer would be going up, up, up and then splashing down to the bottom of the keg... but I suppose that if the keg is fully purged it might be okay.

 

I forgot that's how you were purging the kegs.

 

eta:  just a note but I think it's highly unlikely that's 100% CO2 outgasing from fermenting beer.  if it was I wouldn't be able to smell it.  now is it devoid of O2?  I think so!

Edited by pickle_rick, 29 January 2018 - 08:00 AM.

[HVB]

will those dip tubes allow you to purge the keg?

The lodo practice seems to be to cut the gas diptube so that it is flush and you can get all starsan out that way.

[positiveContact]

Purging the keg is as easy as connecting a line from primary and allowing the CO2 from fermentation to flow through the keg. That's pure, 100% CO2 and supposedly there is enough of it in one fermenting batch of beer to fully purge 20 kegs. Having the line in there wouldn't be an issue but when it's time to transfer the beer from primary to keg (I use the port on the primary), the beer should be going to the liquid-out side and with the floater in place the beer would be going up, up, up and then splashing down to the bottom of the keg... but I suppose that if the keg is fully purged it might be okay.

 

what is it you put on the keg to let the excess pressure escape during the purging process?

[Big Nake]

Wait. The beer would not be splashing because the keg would be empty and the float would be sitting on the bottom of the keg so scratch that.

what is it you put on the keg to let the excess pressure escape during the purging process?

Line running from primary to liquid-out side for the purge and then line running from gas-in to a small bucket of sanitizer to vent. Basically using the keg like a giant airlock.

I forgot that's how you were purging the kegs.
 
eta:  just a note but I think it's highly unlikely that's 100% CO2 outgasing from fermenting beer.  if it was I wouldn't be able to smell it.  now is it devoid of O2?  I think so!

I'm just repeating what has been said and I'm not a chemist.

[positiveContact]

Wait. The beer would not be splashing because the keg would be empty and the float would be sitting on the bottom of the keg so scratch that.

Line running from primary to liquid-out side for the purge and then line running from gas-in to a small bucket of sanitizer to vent. Basically using the keg like a giant airlock.

I'm just repeating what has been said and I'm not a chemist.

 

but you do have a nose right?  CO2 doesn't have an odor.

[Big Nake]

but you do have a nose right?  CO2 doesn't have an odor.

I have no idea what you're saying. When I take a whiff of what is fermenting I smell malt, yeast, hops and a slight alcohol aroma.

[positiveContact]

I have no idea what you're saying. When I take a whiff of what is fermenting I smell malt, yeast, hops and a slight alcohol aroma.

 

your nose works by inhaling that stuff so I have to assume it will be in your keg as well.  there are def other smells of fermentation though - sulfur as one example.

[HVB]

your nose works by inhaling that stuff so I have to assume it will be in your keg as well.  there are def other smells of fermentation though - sulfur as one example.

I do not think they care.  They just want it devoid of the oxygen that is in CO2 in tanks.  Or at least that is how I understand it.

[positiveContact]

I do not think they care.  They just want it devoid of the oxygen that is in CO2 in tanks.  Or at least that is how I understand it.

 

right - it might not matter.  def agree there.  I was just pointing out saying that it's "100% CO2" is not true.

[denny]

I'm mildly surprised that the idea of naturally carbonating in the keg hasn't been discussed more widely in homebrewing. If there had been people talking about this, I just didn't hear it. For those who came from bottle-carbing with priming sugar (and the wait time, etc), force-carbing became a great new way to carb without the wait time and the idea of natural carb went out the window. It seems like many of these guys do it without even using a spunding valve and it can be done with as little as 2-3 gravity points left to go. On the one batch I made last week, I did not get that much yeast in the keg. Quite a bit was left in the primary for harvesting (although I retired that yeast). I just placed that keg in the fridge yesterday and I'll give it a bit of time to clear and pull a sample in a week or two to see if I get some schputz first and then clear beer after that. With the spund, I'll use less 'tanked' CO2 which is nice and I can also pull my 20# CO2 tank out of my on-deck fridge and now fit another keg (5 total) in there which is a win.

 

I can tell you why from my perspective.  Several reasons....It's more laborious and you have to get the timing right.  Most people aren't dissatisfied with other ways.  The don't see most breweries doing it. 

[neddles]

I spunded my Helles last night. It was 0.003 gravity points above the FG of my fast ferment. Probably give it 5 days or so to finish and then get it cold few 2-3 weeks. We will see.

[HVB]

I can tell you why from my perspective.  Several reasons....It's more laborious and you have to get the timing right.  Most people aren't dissatisfied with other ways.  The don't see most breweries doing it. 

 

I am not for or against this method yet, I do cap my fermenter and transfer to a keg at 5+ psi already so I partially do this just out of my processes but with regards to the bolded part, one of the very popular breweries around me ( you did NOT like them) specifically called out spunding in one of their new beers.  Just because they do not see breweries doing it does not mean they are not.

[Big Nake]

I am not for or against this method yet, I do cap my fermenter and transfer to a keg at 5+ psi already so I partially do this just out of my processes but with regards to the bolded part, one of the very popular breweries around me ( you did NOT like them) specifically called out spunding in one of their new beers.  Just because they do not see breweries doing it does not mean they are not.

I understand that it may not be for everyone but I guess my original comment was that I was surprised that there was really NO ONE talking about it at all until recently. I understand that if clear beer is your thing then spunding may throw a hurdle in your way but it just seems like such a natural thing to do... use the product to naturally carb itself.

I spunded my Helles last night. It was 0.003 gravity points above the FG of my fast ferment. Probably give it 5 days or so to finish and then get it cold few 2-3 weeks. We will see.

I saw your comment over there. It was mentioned in one of my threads that 2-3 points is enough for carb. This is one of the things that is making me a little jumpy... the idea that you might miss the window. On this helles that I brewed on Saturday, I got a nice quick start and the primary was really rocking. On Sunday night I was laying in bed thinking about how quickly the beer would be "in the window". Yesterday I took a gravity reading and it was only around 1.030. This morning it's still rocking hard and later today I'll probably have to check it again. I'm sure this is all newbie anxiety. So your beer was brewed on Thursday, right? And you spunded Monday? I realize there is no linear correlation but that would suggest mine will be ready tomorrow which seems very possible.

[HVB]

. I understand that if clear beer is your thing then spunding may throw a hurdle in your way but it just seems like such a natural thing to do... use the product to naturally carb itself.
 

 

Wait!  I thought clear beer was your thing

[positiveContact]

I've heard of people priming their kegs with sugar which doesn't seem that different than what we are talking about here.