Aging in a Cornelius Keg

Guys--I can imagine that you "ol' timers" get tired of the questions us fish (newbes) keep throwing at you (I'm a Grandpa, so putting myself in a beginner's grouping, no matter what the hell it relates to, is a different experience). On the other hand, it should raise your self-esteem to know that we look up to you and depend on your good natures to share your hard-earned knowledge. Anyway, enough of the philosophical crap, here's another opportunity for us all.

I'm going to make a couple of batches of Ed's apfelwein over the next few weeks. I want to age them both for at least six months, but I have only 2 carboys, and certainly will need them for other adventures before the aging is completed. If I do a regular batch and keep it a carboy for, say 10 weeks at 70F, can I then transfer it to a cornelius keg for the remainder of the aging process at 45F? More particularly:

1. Can I age apfelwein in a keg?

2. If so, should I positively kill the fermentation after a couple of months, before the transfer, with campden?

3. If it is ok to age in the keg, what CO2 pressure is advisable?

4. When do you take the final OG reading in the process?

5. How am I going to drink all this stuff???

Thanks,

Blue

1.Yes you most certainly can. A keg is actually pretty ideal since it's sturdy, portable and blocks out all light.

2. Nah you don't need to kill the fermentation, just pop the relief valve every two weeks or so

3. If it's not fermenting any more, you can either pressurize it or not, it's strictly up to you.

4. The primary fermentation should be done after about 2 weeks, just take hydrometer readings every few days after that. Once it's stopped, then it's fine to transfer to keg.

5. One glass at a time, just like the rest of us!!

Now I got some questions. Are you wanting to actually dispense this from a keg, or just use a keg as an aging vessel then bottle it? If you're going to just keg it, don't bother with the carboy just rack to the keg and leave it like that!

If the fermentation is mostly done when you transfer in to the keg, you will have very little problems. I like to remove the dip tube and age with it out, I cut an inch or two off of the bottom of the dip tube so you don't suck any sediment out.

Yeast behave differently under pressure, but you can just pull the relief valve every few days or weeks to let the pressure off. I age a lot of meads in kegs, if I want a sparkling, mead I don't let off all of the pressure. I have made a little part you put over the nipple of the keg after you remove the poppet valve, then you can stick in an air lock, it works great, but it is too expensive to be practical.

Just what I needed to know. Thanks, fellas. In the future I think I'll just make the stuff in the keg, but for the first couple...I wanna watch.

Kegorator--with your cutting of the dip tube, does this mean you then only use this particular keg for aging?

EvilTOG--I will likely bottle most of this first couple batches. I don't yet have a tap, so that will come later.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Blue

Cutting off some of the dip tube is a common practic because these things were made for soda, and homebrew can have sediment. I cut about an inch of my dip tubes and have never used them for aging, just serving, so there will be no need to just use it for aging if you do this.

Thanks, newell456--I'll get the hacksaw out.

Blue

I dont cut my diptubes. only the first glass or so picks up any sediment and I dont lose the last couple glasses a cut diptube cant reach. After opening a finished keg there is sediment all across the bottom except a small clean circle around the bottom of the diptube.

hello, treat the corney keg as any carboy. remove the dip tube. remove the pressure release from the lid, it unscrews. buy any generic airlock off ebay. cut 1/2 inch off of a 5/16 inch id racking tubing, start it on the end of the airlock then heat it a little with a lighter. (this takes patience) push it on by shoving it against a wall or door. you may have to wiggle it or tap it. "screw" the airlock into the lid of the keg(with the tubing on the bottom) until it seats or the airlock starts bending.
leave about 2 1/2 inches from the top (lid) to fill with your vino. (if primary)
i have used these kegs for primary and aging for years and it works great.
if the seal is not satisfactory, add a couple pennies under the legs of the lid lock for a tighter seal. go wine!!