Sanke keg conversion to fermenter??? - Page 3

TwoHeadsBrewing · 01-13-2010, 05:57 PM

I am going to be ordering 2 of the Sanke Fermenter kits from Brewer's Hardware, and moving to using only sankes in my brewery. I figured to use a hot soak in PBW to remove the krausen, then a 15 minute boil with 1-2 gallons of water to sanitize. Anyone see a problem with this method?

**Reelale** · 01-13-2010, 06:08 PM

Do you think it's feasible to ferment 5 gallon batches in a Sanke? Or would there be too much head space?

**WortMonger** · 01-13-2010, 10:46 PM

As much CO2 that is produced during fermentation, I would have no problem fermenting 5 gallons in a 15.5 gallon Sanke. Head space is really a worry after fermentation (unless you are fully purged and not open to atmosphere during your transfer such as into a secondary), unless we are talking wine... then it is important to always have a full vessel you have your drink in. CO2 forms a nice blanket on the liquid and if you smell it coming out your airlock you are good to go.

Datchew · 03-20-2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reelale

Do you think it's feasible to ferment 5 gallon batches in a Sanke? Or would there be too much head space?

Quote:

Originally Posted by WortMonger

As much CO2 that is produced during fermentation, I would have no problem fermenting 5 gallons in a 15.5 gallon Sanke. Head space is really a worry after fermentation (unless you are fully purged and not open to atmosphere during your transfer such as into a secondary), unless we are talking wine... then it is important to always have a full vessel you have your drink in. CO2 forms a nice blanket on the liquid and if you smell it coming out your airlock you are good to go.

To bring this back from the dead for a moment...

I'm completely onboard using a sanke for a primary, even with small batches as the CO2 produced will "protect" it.

You touched on 2ndary. If I use CO2 to rack from a sanke primary to a sanke 2ndary and add some CO2 first, is that sufficient?
Any firsthand experience?

I hate to think that on the few times I need to 2ndary that I'll have to split it between two glass carboys.

Photopilot · 03-20-2010, 04:31 PM

The orange carboy caps also work well. They are serve the same function as the stainless steel tri-clover but not nearly as slick. I am using these now as I had two sitting around. You have to stretch them a bit to get them over the top of the keg opening. Then a large enough pipe clamp holds it in place. I have placed a hose over the skinnier tube to act as a blow off for the first week then cover that tube and add a airlock to the other port for the rest of the month. When it is time to transfer i will add a racking cane to the wider hole and use CO2 in the smaller inlet to push out my beer.

The only downside from Derrin's setup is no thermowell. I would go with his setup if I was not planning on trying a pressurized setup next. Speaking of this, Wortmonger how do you check temperature inside the pressurized system? I assume externally, no chance for a thermowell?

One other issue to consider with sanke fermenting is the larger mass. I am assuming hotter fermentations. I have no way to monitor the temps yet so put my sanke fermenters in a colder room than my normal fermentations. Now I have bubbling in stereo in our TV room. Thankfully SWMBO is very understanding.

jangevaa · 10-08-2011, 03:13 AM

Has anybody tried just using a sanke coupler which has an adjustable safety relief valve for the spunding mechanism?

**WortMonger** · 10-08-2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jangevaa

Has anybody tried just using a sanke coupler which has an adjustable safety relief valve for the spunding mechanism?

Yes, but I like to make a more controllable valve so you don't way over-carbonate your beer and have to bleed that much off. Check my link in my signature for more.