Trying carboy cap siphon to keg - Page 2

nostalgia · 08-15-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

Well, EXTRA points for running a hose from the gas in disconnect up to the small port on the carboy cap (after you get the siphon started off course).
This is a completely closed transfer and if you purge the keg with a blanket of CO2, the beer never sees air. As the beer flows into the keg, it pushes the CO2 back into the carboy on top of the beer.

Ok, now I see the big picture

I'm just wondering how much overkill it is. If there's already a blanket of CO2 in the carboy and we've purged the keg with CO2, the beer never 'sees' air, even with the lid off as I have.

I guess it's one of those things that you can take as far as you want: if you don't mind the extra effort it certainly doesn't hurt. We just don't know what the point of diminishing returns is.

I mean heck, how many of us siphon from an open carboy into a bottling bucket without a CO2 purge, and still end up with great beer? You're talking about a much larger surface area for O2 contact there than in a keg, especially a keg that's been purged with CO2.

-Joe

jds · 08-15-2008, 05:36 PM

I do something similar. I purge the keg first, then pressure-transfer from carboy to keg through the liquid out tube. I attach a picnic tap to the liquid out post, jam the "out" racking cane from the carboy cap into the spout on the picnic tap, attach an open fitting to the gas in port on the keg, and apply about 2 PSI of CO2 (just enough to get flow) to the carboy cap.

This makes for a no-air-contact transfer, and requires a minimum of sanitizing. I just toss the picnic tap and racking cane into the keg when I sanitize it, and I'm ready to go.

**Bobby_M** · 08-15-2008, 06:38 PM

I was just giving you food for thought in taking the insanity to the next level. The only time I care about a closed transfer is for a beer I plan to age for a LONG time like a barleywine. On every other beer, I just lay my corny lid on TOP of the hole, enough to vent out but keep stuff from falling in.

antelopepoop · 04-12-2011, 11:34 PM

I noticed you guys were using glass carboys. I know they aren't rated to hold any pressure, but I was just wondering what kind of psi you think they can comfortably handle. What about better bottles?