1/2 BBL Fermenters

I am in the process of building a 1/2 bbl brewery and I was hoping to get some input on the use of 1/2 bbls for primary fermenters...I'm specifically interested in racking valve placement and cleaning techniques.
Anyone got any ideas or experience?

What if you made two, one for a primary and one for a secondary?

I'm thinking of using 1/2 barrel kegs as fermentors too. I too want to cut a hole in the top of mine so that it can be manually cleaned out. I don't think I would trust cleaning out yeast sediment with stock Sanke keg hardware.

I also want to be able to carbonate the beer in my Sanke.

I think I am going to cut a 4" round hole in top of my kegs and machine a plate to fit over the hole that has a dip tube and CO2 in fittings. I'll hold it down with a bar that goes across the keg top, through the handle holes.

Anyone have a better idea ?

Now if I could just find the time to work on some of this stuff.

Brew man, why not cut the top off a corny keg and use that?
The other thing I'd look at is turning the thing upside down and fit to the bottom.

Brew man, why not cut the top off a corny keg and use that?
The other thing I'd look at is turning the thing upside down and fit to the bottom.

Click to expand...

Because the corny costs $20 and a welding shop wants about 1 hour ($75) to pressure weld a Corny top to a Sanke. I don't have tig welder.

I think I can accomplish the same thing by cutting a hole and putting a plate over it. And if I can't, I can always get a corny welded in place.

And, the corny hole is ok for a corny, but it would be nice to have something just a bit larger, at least for my forearms.

Brewman,
This might be helpful:
http://users.adelphia.net/~aken75/Fermenter Lid/Fermenter Lid.html

Boston said:

Brewman,
This might be helpful:
http://users.adelphia.net/~aken75/Fermenter%20Lid/Fermenter%20Lid.html

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm basing my stuff on the pictures in the link, unless I come up with something I like better. In process of building the Brew Shack even though it's going a tad slow (got a contract for a computer rollout) and I haven't cut anything in/off/around the kegs until I have a definate plan in place.

I want to brew 12 gallon batches. I'll fill two 6.5 gallon carboys as secondaries. After conditioning for a time (depending on style) I'm going to fill two cornies and bottle the remaining for longer term bottle conditioning.

A friend of mine in town has one of the very few houses with a basement. I want to put a fridge in it (with lock and key, or long term conditioning will never happen) so the fridge won't have to work hard in the basement.

Has anyone considered cutting a hole in top of the 1/2 bbl keg for a corny lid and replace the spike with a 2" tri clover blind flange drilled for an airlock. Have converted a couple 1/2 bbl kegs for others with this approach, all that is needed for tools is a 3" hole saw and file.

If you could wield a coupler flush or nearly flush with the bottom and had some kind of stand to access the attached valve you wouldn't need a secondary. You could just dump the trub. Like with a conical.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18630

This has worked well for me so far. To add in transfer I remove the trap and plug with a stopper. I added a ball-lock on the top so that I can add a little C02 to assist in racking and harvesting yeast.
Jeffrey

Wow sabco is mighty proud of their fermentor, looks impressive with the 4" triclover in the center of the keg but no pictures of the interior. I wonder if the smaller fittings were back welded and polished on the inside or if the welds are strictly exterior only. The conversions I have made involved cutting an oval hole in the top of the keg midway between the spike and rim for the corny keg lid, and cut about 3/8" off the legs of the lid latching system. Looks like if a person wanted to use the corny keg posts and tubes you could order the 9/16" SAE fittings from Swagelok and specify bore-through for mounting the in and out posts and dropping the feed tubes into the keg.

The conversions I have made involved cutting an oval hole in the top of the keg midway between the spike and rim for the corny keg lid, and cut about 3/8" off the legs of the lid latching system.

Click to expand...

Tell me more ! Pics please !

I was thinking of doing exactly this, but stopped because the Sanke keg tops are rounded versus the corny lids are flat.

Are you saying the curvature of the Sanke keg tops doesn't prevent this from working ?

Does it seal well enough to allow the keg to be used for carbonation ?

A picture would be worth a 1000 words right about now.

Sorry but there were no pictures taken after the conversion, but kegs were used both for fermentation and force carbonation. The curvature of the top of the keg was not enough to cause problems with sealing the lid. Make a heavy paper template and fit it to the corny lid as tight as possible and mark where legs from sealing lever hit. Then keep long axis parallel to outer rim and move until area without embossed printing is located, critical to make sure that gasket o-ring has a smooth surface to seal to and seal mechanisim dos not hit spike or rim. Use template to mark the cut area and place hole saw teeth up to locate pilot hole for guide bit, and drill 1/4" holes. It might be safer to use an undersize hole saw and then increase the size of the opening with a rotary file than have the hole saw wobble and make too large of an opening ( lesson learned the hard way).

Hey brewman !
I can't locate the website but I stumbled across a guy who flipped his keg upside down and cut a whole in the bottom to fit the Cornelius keg lid. He place the cut right in the middle of the bottom. He stated that it work great. Even better, he removed the valve, cut the siphon tube to 2" in length and replaced it. He then purchased a connector for the Sanke valve and he actually drains his beer from there. He did have to fashion a couple of legs so as to have easy access to ball-valve but I reckon a 2x4" stand would work. It would be fun project to try once I stumble across some more used kegs.

brewman ! said:

Tell me more ! Pics please !
A picture would be worth a 1000 words right about now...

Click to expand...

runhard said:

I can't locate the website but I stumbled across a guy who flipped his keg upside down and cut a whole in the bottom to fit the Cornelius keg lid. He place the cut right in the middle of the bottom...

Click to expand...

Here is one on the bottom:



from:
http://www.kettlemoraine.com/mikesbeerpage/gadgets.php

Edit:
and another one:
http://www.brewcommune.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=83

Looks like an interesting approach to a conical from an inverted sanke style keg. Another approach comes to mind, cut the spike tube off and install the traditional sanke tap valve assembly, install corny lid in top, silver solder modified swagelok 1/2" tube to pipe adapter 3" below bottom ring on keg, and use teflon ferrules to allow racking tube to rotate while maintaining seal.

Sounds like a more detailed set of instructions might be needed.
Cut and fit the corny keg lid in the top while keeping enough clearence from the outlet to allow the use of the tapping valve. Obtain a swagelok SS-810-1-8 BT (bore through) fitting and cut off pipe thread side of fitting next to hex wrench area, file smooth. Drill 9/16" hole in keg 3" below bottom reinforcing ring on the keg and center fitting opening on 9/16" hole and solder fitting to keg. Bend 1/2" SS tubing in as large a radius bend (probably could bend over outside of keg) to reach bottom of keg and test fit to fitting opening( may take a round file to open up inside of fitting) to allow the tube to be inserted and removed for cleaning. Insert tube and slide the teflon ferrules (swagelok T-810 set) and SS nut down tube and finger tighten, adjust tube pickup end for center of keg bottom and mark tubing behind nut for future reference. Install swagelok fitting in ball valve (SS-810-1-8 for 1/2" pipe threads) and attach fitting to end of tubing extending from outside of the keg, position ball valve to indicate position of pickup tube inside keg, tighten nut on fitting in valve 1 1/4 turns past finger tight. Tighten nut on fitting attached to keg until racking tube rotating friction is enough to need gentle pressure to rotate.
Here are couple options for the keg liquid pickup spike;
1- Shorten liquid pickup tube on spike in keg and use sanke tap valve with liquid out connection capped and airlock on gas in connection.
2- Remove liquid out spike and use 2" triclover blind flange drilled for air lock.
3- Remove liquid out spike and use a 2" rubber stopper drilled for an airlock

Thanks, guys. Much appreciated !

Times a wasting
time to hook-up the drill and grind 18# of two row.
I bottled 100 yest and brewing another 100 today.
Who else is brewing today?

Have you considered using unscented dishwashing powder like cascade or electrasol in hot water to dissolve the Krausen and yeast residues. Also remember to remove 1/2" tubing as there will be trapped material between tube and fitting, this was a lesson learned the hard way with a CFC with swagelok fittings.

Tried both liquid automatic dishwasher det. and straight A back to back and the dish det. worked a lot better
Hit my temp. 150 1/2* one hour left to mash. Today I'm stirring every few minutes - enzymes dont have legs
drinking an IPA