First closed transfer from fermzilla to keg advice please

[Libigage]

Hi, I've just done my first brew in my fermzilla and I am going to attempt a closed transfer to a corny keg. I have two options, 3 metres of 3/16 or 2 metres of 3/8. Also can anyone advise on pressure. Currently fermented at 25 psi and started cold crashing today.so pressure is dropping due to temperature drop. Do I chill the keg and line before. Sorry for the questions but I just want to get it right. Cheers all

 

[foxy]

Hi, I've just done my first brew in my fermzilla and I am going to attempt a closed transfer to a corny keg. I have two options, 3 metres of 3/16 or 2 metres of 3/8. Also can anyone advise on pressure. Currently fermented at 25 psi and started cold crashing today.so pressure is dropping due to temperature drop. Do I chill the keg and line before. Sorry for the questions but I just want to get it right. Cheers all

Why 25 PSI! One has to wonder what some folk are reading about closed vessel fermentation.
https://www.facebook.com/KegKingAu/...with-snub-nose-fermentasaurs/566348053855901/

 

[Libigage]

Why 25 PSI! One has to wonder what some folk are reading about closed vessel fermentation.
https://www.facebook.com/KegKingAu/...with-snub-nose-fermentasaurs/566348053855901/

I let it go for 5 days then set the pressure to 25psi after dry hopping. I haven't found the bible on pressure fermenting yet so I was after some advice not criticism, as I said its my first one. I've watch video's and search various sites and everyone does it differently. I'll see how it turns out and go from there. Sorry if I upset you.

 

[foxy]

I let it go for 5 days then set the pressure to 25psi after dry hopping. I haven't found the bible on pressure fermenting yet so I was after some advice not criticism, as I said its my first one. I've watch video's and search various sites and everyone does it differently. I'll see how it turns out and go from there. Sorry if I upset you.

Just trying to help you, doesn't upset me. This is the article which started the pressure fermenting craze. As you will see she is a commercial brewer who brews for a living and in 1992 she put forward a valid suggestion for home brewers to follow the lead of how beer is finished commercially. In 2007 someone went of at a tangent hence the differing opinions of those who joined the pressure fermenting fraternity.
By the way your pressure isn't dropping as you cold crash it is being absorbed into the beer.
https://docplayer.net/20986464-Clos...endorf-copyright-1992-2010-by-the-author.html

 

[Arcs]

Just trying to help you, doesn't upset me. This is the article which started the pressure fermenting craze. As you will see she is a commercial brewer who brews for a living and in 1992 she put forward a valid suggestion for home brewers to follow the lead of how beer is finished commercially. In 2007 someone went of at a tangent hence the differing opinions of those who joined the pressure fermenting fraternity.
By the way your pressure isn't dropping as you cold crash it is being absorbed into the beer.
https://docplayer.net/20986464-Clos...endorf-copyright-1992-2010-by-the-author.html

So I am led to believe this is correct. Especially in a corny as it needs a temp of 4C to absorb the pressure into the beer?? Dunno if you can go much lower though. Someone stand me a correction or further infomation if need be.

 

[foxy]

So I am led to believe this is correct. Especially in a corny as it needs a temp of 4C to absorb the pressure into the beer?? Dunno if you can go much lower though. Someone stand me a correction or further infomation if need be.

The lower temperature encourages the co2 in the head space to dissolve into the beer. Doesn't have to be like that, using sugar to carbonate the beer will still work, just takes a bit longer. I sometimes use sugar in a keg depends how much of a hurry I am in.

 

[Matt_W]

I’ve always fermented at between 5-10psi for a couple of reasons.
first off, safety. These things are pressure rated but that doesn’t factor in the abuse some people give them when at home.

Also when coming to transfer to a keg it the beer is highly carbonated in the Fermzilla you have to transfer really slowly. Getting it really cold helps a lot here.

My understanding is CO2 will go into solution at higher temps but not as easily and will come out of solution very easily.
The colder it is the easier it goes in and harder it comes out of solution.
I’ve never heard anyone complain about a cold flat beer

with the line you’ll find the long thin line will take a lot longer to transfer. But it it’s carbonated and you have the time it’s not a bad idea. Experiment and see what works best for you.

I have heard/read recently that high levels of CO2 in solution can be detrimental to yeast health. Most of these studies will have been done at a commercial level so might not be an issue for home brewers.

 

[RGeats]

So i would suggest using the 3/8 for the beer transfer, and the 3/16 to connect the two gas posts (assuming you are doing that?). That way you'll equalise the pressure and not waste CO2. In terms of pressure, if you do it the above way, 10psi will be fine and then you will be at serving pressure already. If you cab chill the keg to the same temperature as the beer then that will help but you don't need to.

 

[Libigage]

So i would suggest using the 3/8 for the beer transfer, and the 3/16 to connect the two gas posts (assuming you are doing that?). That way you'll equalise the pressure and not waste CO2. In terms of pressure, if you do it the above way, 10psi will be fine and then you will be at serving pressure already. If you cab chill the keg to the same temperature as the beer then that will help but you don't need to.

OK so if I go gas to gas as well and the pressure is equal, will the beer transfer? I thought that you had to have more pressure in the fermzilla

 

[RGeats]

So you need to have the fermzilla higher than your corny keg. If you do that, connect the beer to beer and gas to gas lines. Then pull the pressure release on the keg to start the beer flowing, and once it is gravity will do the rest.

 

[RGeats]

When I'm fermenting I connect the gas out of the fermenter to the beer out(with the correct disconnect) of my keg, and put the spunding valve on the outlet of the keg. That way the CO2 produced during fermentation purges the keg of oxygen. Then when fermentation is nearing end I close up the spunding valve to carbonate the beer. I leave it all connected during cold crash, and only find the pressure drops a few psi this way. I aim for about 13psi before cold crash, which will give me around 10psi after crashing. Then the keg is ready for transfer and I do the above method for transfer. It probably takes about half an hour to complete transfer for me, slow and steady.

 

[fgoulding]

Personally, I wouldn’t chill the keg. Because when you transfer the cold crashed beer, you’ll see a line of condensation on the keg showing how full it is. And I always leave a bit of space at the top.

When I pressure ferment I set my spunding valve to 15psi after 2 or 3 days (actually after dry hopping) but I know some people that use 35psi! Each to their own in my opinion.

The closed loop transfer takes quite a bit of time, so patience is the key.

Three quarters of the way through this video should help you: