Burton Union System - DIY

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brewpirate

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I have always been fascinated with replicating/updating old world techniques and stumbled across the Burton Union System and want to play with this.

What is the Burton Union? link

"Traditionally, a union system (later referred to as a Burton Union after becoming linked to its use in the Burton area) is a network of several wooden casks and troughs interconnected via copper plumbing. All of the casks work in union during fermentation, commingling their beer and yeast. As the beer ferments, pressure pushes some liquid up into long troughs above the casks (like blowoff in a homebrew setup), where the yeast settles out of suspension and the remaining volume of beer trickles back into the casks. This allows for easy harvesting of yeast — essentially a form of top cropping — for immediate reuse. It also minimizes the loss of beer through blowoff."

Since I am now brewing double batches I can use this concept to attach 2 carboys together and at high krausen allow the yeast to be transferred from Carboy #1 into #2


Here is my concept:
ZwNUdmT.png


Carboy #1 will be a 5g carboy filled .5" to just under the neck, as the krausen builds up it will travel up to a soda bottle which will fall and travel to Carboy #2 which is a 6g carboy. There is an airlock at the top of the soda bottle to allow for CO2 release and a blow off on Carboy #2.

What do you think?

Burton_Union_fermentation_system,_Coors_Visitor_Centre_-_geograph.org.uk_-_476438.jpg
 
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