Anyone fermenting in corny kegs? Need some advice...

[fury_tea]

I'm going to do a pilsner(ish) this weekend, might take this opportunity to try out my Xmas presents: floating dip tube and spunding valve

How do you guys oxygenate the wort when using a corny? I want to squeeze as much beer in to the keg as possible as I know I'll lose a bit to trub so was wondering if anyone has any techniques?

I'm using a kveik and those guys are oxygen fiends and I don't have an oxygen tank or anything so usually use the 'transfer from a height then shake the bejesus out of it' method but that ends up with about 1/5th of the volume being foam which in a corny is a good amount of the final volume!

Cheers

 

[BlackRegent]

You could get a cheap aquarium pump and stainless steel airstone.

This is what I got...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08CX9ZBNG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08G4M183J?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Otherwise plenty of splashing into the keg from the kettle.

 

[phildo79]

Oxygenate before you put it in the corny. If you don't already have one, get yourself a 23L brewing bucket. They cost about a tenner. Do all you need to do in that and then pour into the keg.

 

[phillc]

I would suggest some care squeezing as much beer into the keg as possible, especially if using a Kveik. I have had the experience of krausen spraying out the end of the spunding valve and making a right mess. Krausen build up can be quite large, especially as some kveiks go mental at warm temperatures. I know some, such as @Drunkula, cut most of the little gas port stem off inside the keg, to really maximise internal space.

As a suggestion, ferment in your normal FV for perhaps four days, until you obtain a gravity reading of 1020 or so. Then transfer to your corny keg. A little bit of oxygenation at this point won't hurt, and fermentation will finish in your corny with spunding valve attached. An added bonus is that the finished beer will already be carbonated, without the need of external CO2.

 

[Drunkula]

I know some, such as @Drunkula, cut most of the little gas port stem off inside the keg, to really maximise internal space.

Don't cut it, just take it out.

 

[fury_tea]

As a suggestion, ferment in your normal FV for perhaps four days, until you obtain a gravity reading of 1020 or so. Then transfer to your corny keg.

Yeah that's a good idea. I'll do this.

 

[fury_tea]

As a suggestion, ferment in your normal FV.

So turns out this was very good advice:



It's an absolute massacre!

 

[fury_tea]

@phillc (or anyone)

Fermentation has slowed down a lot (Kveik for you) I'm thinking I should transfer now before it finishes.

Should I just tip it into the keg and not worry about oxidation, due to fermentation still being active, or should I do a careful transfer under co2, or somewhere in between?

 

[Sadfield]

It sounds like you're well past the yeasts growth phase, so I'd transfer carefully. A pro brewer once told me that you want to avoid introducing oxygen once the fermentation is past 50% attenuation.

 

[phillc]

I generally think a little bit of oxygen won't hurt at this point, but it should be minimised. Similar would be transferring from an FV to bottles at the end of fermentation. Unless you're doing it under pressure, there's always going to be a little oxygen exposure, but it should be minimised.

Anyway, the way I transfer at this point is to first purge the keg of CO2. Even though the top will need to be subsequently opened, most of the CO2 will sit inside the keg. I then transfer from the FV to the keg using a bottling wand. Ideally, the bottling wand tip should be depressed beneath the level of the liquid in the keg. The same as when you're filling bottles, the tip is depressed on the bottom of the bottle. With a keg, if it's not possible to keep the wand tip depressed on the bottom of the keg, use the side, but keep it below the current liquid level.

Then seal the keg and add your spunding valve to the gas post. I generally try to keep the keg in a warmish room. Specifically, the room I use has a steady ambient temperature of 24C. This should keep fermentation ticking along for a bit. Watch the pressure increase on your spunding valve guage. Keep in mind that you probably want to over pressurise now. When you chill the keg later, the pressure will drop as the gas disperses in the beer.

Edit: Maybe take a gravity reading now too. The time I had krausen spewing out my spunding valve was when I transferred with a gravity of 1030. I was using Lallemand Voss Kveik yeast. Hence, I think you might want to be down to 1020 or thereabouts before transferring. Or leave plenty of headspace in the keg!

 

[fury_tea]

Well it looks almost finished, just a hair off 1.010. I added a few teaspoons of sugar to hopefully deal with any oxygen I picked up, and I also hit the keg with 15psi and purged a few times.

The Ubbe has pretty much completely cleared since this morning though! There were actual chunks floating in it earlier and now it's pretty much clear and bright. I pitched yeast on Saturday night so well under 3 days to this point.

Had a taste and it's lovely already as well. Just what I was hoping for. Fermented at 32c and I'll I'll leave the fridge at 25c for a day or 2 then cold crash it.