Pressure Fermenting

[Breameister]

Having carried out a fair bit of research on pressurized fermenting i thought i would try it.
i brewed a citra ipa last summer at atmospheric pressure and it was really good.
i have just completed the same brew fermented at 15psi and the difference is quite apparent.
all brewed in identical conditions and same malt and hops (same packets)

hop flavours are more pronounced and the mouthfeel seems better.

i think this needs more trials but my 1st impression is that it improves the final product.
Has anybody else got any feedback on this method.

 

[Minimag1]

I am experimenting with a Summer Lightning Clone @ 20psi. I haven't transferred from the fermentasaurus yet - will do that this weekend, so it is likely to be another week before I sample. Given the lowish hops in the Summer Lightning the difference may not be so pronounced as your citra IPA, but I have high hopes

 

[F00b4r]

Pressure fermenting is supposed to suppress esters, the amount depending on the pressure , but you might also want to try fermenting with the spunding valve set very low as the results you have seen may also be due to a using a closed system (assuming a cliff transfer to the keg) rather than the pressure ferment itself.

 

[Snoop]

I have a fermentasaurus and have done various brews with and without pressure. I am not totally convinced it has made my beer loads better but does come with some advantages. You can ensure absolutely no oxidation on beers like neipas, which is nice. You can also naturally carb stouts and british ales which is a bit more cask like and I do seem to think it give a better mouthfeel than force carbing. And of course you can fully carb any beer you like as it crashes. Crash chilling is better as there is no suckback due to the pressure.

But the real winner is pressure transfer. All day long. Siphons are the work of the devil.

You can also pre flush your keg ready by attaching it to the FV as it ferments (spunding valve then goes on the keg). I don't always do this but will do if I have a clean and sanatised keg ready. Kegging is then simply a case of swapping a disconnect and adding more pressure to the FV. Super easy.

 

[Petrolhead]

I am just starting to put some kegging kit together so early days but I do like the idea of fermenting and kegging all under pressure. Especially like Snoop’s idea of pre flushing which seems like a no brainer.

Are you all using Fermentasaurus or similar or is anyone using Cornies to ferment?