33 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

I'm curious what your experience was and if you had any issues with cleaning/sanitizing or anything like that.

 

and if you had a suggested setup to look for that would be cool too.

 

I was looking for something maybe like this: https://www.homebrew...ASABEgI1qvD_BwE

 

Seems like it would be easy to rack out of it or just serve out of it if I knew I wouldn't be fermenting for a while.

[positiveContact]

Just to be clear my main reservation is cleaning. Right now I clean plastic which is really easy to pick up and move around, rinse, etc.

[HVB]

You could always put it on your propane burner and steam sanitize it.

[djinkc]

I had one that Swagman welded legs on it.  I cut out the top for a lid and put a valve close to the bottom.  Made a cutout on the bottom that a cornie lid would seal.  I used that to clean it.  The legs were for my temp controlled chamber.  I could gravity drain into kegs that way.  I finally scrapped it because I preferred using the Blichmann and didn't really need two 10+ gal fermenters.  Pics are somewhere on photobucket if I can figure out to log on again.

[positiveContact]

You could always put it on your propane burner and steam sanitize it.

 

I read some posts online where people do that.  sounds like a pretty good idea if you can get all of the crud out of it.

[HVB]

I read some posts online where people do that. sounds like a pretty good idea if you can get all of the crud out of it.

Time to build a keg cleaner

[positiveContact]

Time to build a keg cleaner

 

I have a pump that I use for my serving lines but I'm not sure it has the huevos to really do much to a full keg if you are talking about those spraying type keg cleaners.  alternatively if I can just spray hot water in there and do it I have the utility sink in the garage that I can hook a hose up to.

[positiveContact]

is there a preferred setup here?  something that makes it easy to ferment under pressure, naturally carb, adjustable rack for kegging to avoid the trub?

[TAPPER]

I use sanke kegs all the time for fermenters.  Here's what I do and some tips.

 

1) Removing the ring and spear really isn't that hard once you do it a few times.  Plenty of Youtube videos will show you how.

2) Spray clean best you can.  One of those plastic canes with the cap and holes on the bottom you can hook up to your sink works great.  Gets most of the solids out just with hot water.

3) PBW or cleaner of your choice soak gets all but the most stubborn residue out.

4) Carboy cleaner (carboycleaner.com) you hook to your drill gets the rest of the job done. 

5) Get a small mirror to stick inside and really inspect everything well.  A carboy brush should knock out the last bit of residue you may find.

6) Cut the bottom inch or so of the spear off.  This helps when racking and leaves behind a bunch of great yeast to harvest.

7) Boil it to sanitize.  I put the spear inside the ring and put into the keg when boiling.  All that steam sanitizes the spear.  Be sure you leave a gap and don't create an explosion!

8) Chill and rack your beer like any other fermenter.  Drop the spear in and put the ring back in to seal up.

9) Use any sanke coupler you like for ferment.  Just remove the check valve on the gas side, and seal off the liquid side (I use a nickel inside the beer nut but you can buy valves to open/close).  Connect line of your choice on gas side and place in sanitizer.

10) ferment.  Witness the lovely bubbles in your sanitizer

11) When you're near the end of ferment you can disconnect the coupler, thus bunging the fermenter, thus getting some free CO2 into your beer and I find it helps drive yeast to bottom.

12) Closed transfer!  No doubt you can figure out the plumbing (same as tapping a keg, just run liquid to corney keg).

13) Harvest your yeast.  Just remove spear and flip the keg over and capture in vessel of your choice.  Another nice thing here you can use heat to sanitize the keg opening.  I use a small propane torch.

 

No light issues, no glass breaking, closed transfers, and relatively cheap compared to buying conicals.  I've been doing this for years without infection issues.  This is no different then learning anything else about your system - you figure out how to clean and inspect properly and will gain confidence as you go.

 

If you need photos I can find time to provide what you want.

[positiveContact]

Where would I acquire a keg in a non legally gray area way?

[HVB]

Where would I acquire a keg in a non legally gray area way?

craigslist?

 

Maybe head over to Smutty and see if they have any for sale

[positiveContact]

Is that setup I linked at the top really worth it or no?

[neddles]

I use sanke kegs all the time for fermenters.  Here's what I do and some tips.

 

1) Removing the ring and spear really isn't that hard once you do it a few times.  Plenty of Youtube videos will show you how.

2) Spray clean best you can.  One of those plastic canes with the cap and holes on the bottom you can hook up to your sink works great.  Gets most of the solids out just with hot water.

3) PBW or cleaner of your choice soak gets all but the most stubborn residue out.

4) Carboy cleaner (carboycleaner.com) you hook to your drill gets the rest of the job done. 

5) Get a small mirror to stick inside and really inspect everything well.  A carboy brush should knock out the last bit of residue you may find.

6) Cut the bottom inch or so of the spear off.  This helps when racking and leaves behind a bunch of great yeast to harvest.

7) Boil it to sanitize.  I put the spear inside the ring and put into the keg when boiling.  All that steam sanitizes the spear.  Be sure you leave a gap and don't create an explosion!

8) Chill and rack your beer like any other fermenter.  Drop the spear in and put the ring back in to seal up.

9) Use any sanke coupler you like for ferment.  Just remove the check valve on the gas side, and seal off the liquid side (I use a nickel inside the beer nut but you can buy valves to open/close).  Connect line of your choice on gas side and place in sanitizer.

10) ferment.  Witness the lovely bubbles in your sanitizer

11) When you're near the end of ferment you can disconnect the coupler, thus bunging the fermenter, thus getting some free CO2 into your beer and I find it helps drive yeast to bottom.

12) Closed transfer!  No doubt you can figure out the plumbing (same as tapping a keg, just run liquid to corney keg).

13) Harvest your yeast.  Just remove spear and flip the keg over and capture in vessel of your choice.  Another nice thing here you can use heat to sanitize the keg opening.  I use a small propane torch.

 

No light issues, no glass breaking, closed transfers, and relatively cheap compared to buying conicals.  I've been doing this for years without infection issues.  This is no different then learning anything else about your system - you figure out how to clean and inspect properly and will gain confidence as you go.

 

If you need photos I can find time to provide what you want.

 

Tons of good info here. Thank you.

[HVB]

Is that setup I linked at the top really worth it or no?

I like the bigger triclamp opening. A typical Sankey can utilize a standard 2" tri clamp gasket and clamp.

[positiveContact]

I like the bigger triclamp opening. A typical Sankey can utilize a standard 2" tri clamp gasket and clamp.

Do you mean that people make the opening larger?

[HVB]

Do you mean that people make the opening larger?

Yes, that one has an opening bigger than a normal keg.

[positiveContact]

Yes, that one has an opening bigger than a normal keg.

 

oh I get it now.

 

that seems like a pretty good deal but I'll have to check around to see if I can get a sanke to moderfy on my own.

Edited by pickle_rick, 12 March 2018 - 03:23 PM.

[positiveContact]

people must be more honest than in the past. not much in the way of unmodified sanke kegs in my area.

[positiveContact]

it seems like the 20% off on ebay isn't a completely rare thing based on looking through my e-mail.  i'll have to pay attention in the future.

[positiveContact]

I use sanke kegs all the time for fermenters.  Here's what I do and some tips.

 

1) Removing the ring and spear really isn't that hard once you do it a few times.  Plenty of Youtube videos will show you how.

2) Spray clean best you can.  One of those plastic canes with the cap and holes on the bottom you can hook up to your sink works great.  Gets most of the solids out just with hot water.

3) PBW or cleaner of your choice soak gets all but the most stubborn residue out.

4) Carboy cleaner (carboycleaner.com) you hook to your drill gets the rest of the job done. 

5) Get a small mirror to stick inside and really inspect everything well.  A carboy brush should knock out the last bit of residue you may find.

6) Cut the bottom inch or so of the spear off.  This helps when racking and leaves behind a bunch of great yeast to harvest.

7) Boil it to sanitize.  I put the spear inside the ring and put into the keg when boiling.  All that steam sanitizes the spear.  Be sure you leave a gap and don't create an explosion!

8) Chill and rack your beer like any other fermenter.  Drop the spear in and put the ring back in to seal up.

9) Use any sanke coupler you like for ferment.  Just remove the check valve on the gas side, and seal off the liquid side (I use a nickel inside the beer nut but you can buy valves to open/close).  Connect line of your choice on gas side and place in sanitizer.

10) ferment.  Witness the lovely bubbles in your sanitizer

11) When you're near the end of ferment you can disconnect the coupler, thus bunging the fermenter, thus getting some free CO2 into your beer and I find it helps drive yeast to bottom.

12) Closed transfer!  No doubt you can figure out the plumbing (same as tapping a keg, just run liquid to corney keg).

13) Harvest your yeast.  Just remove spear and flip the keg over and capture in vessel of your choice.  Another nice thing here you can use heat to sanitize the keg opening.  I use a small propane torch.

 

No light issues, no glass breaking, closed transfers, and relatively cheap compared to buying conicals.  I've been doing this for years without infection issues.  This is no different then learning anything else about your system - you figure out how to clean and inspect properly and will gain confidence as you go.

 

If you need photos I can find time to provide what you want.

 

so I ended up buying a keg like the one in the OP (got it on sale).  can anyone suggest the right way to steam sanitize that setup?  should I just plan on sanitizing the lid/posts in starsan and just boil the fermentor and the liquid pickup tube?