TheSeether
Well-Known Member
Anyone else doing this?
I searched HBT through Google and all the results were about using dry ice to carbonate or to keep a cooler cold, to cold crash or to store hops.
The General Technique I am referring to is placing a pound or so of dry ice in the bottom of your bottling bucket or secondary and letting it sublimate prior to racking. The CO2, being heavier than air, displaces the air in the bucket and pools at the bottom. So long as you keep the exposed end of the siphon tube below the visible cloud of gas the outflow of beer is protected from oxidation. You also get the most awesome effect of the CO2 cloud rising and pouring off the top as the liquid level rises.
Dry ice is cheap in my area if you must buy it and free if you don't. It is commonly thrown away at food distribution docks (hint). Storing it is somewhat of a problem so you do have to obtain it relatively soon prior to bottling. I don't always use it thanks to this but I do when I can. I can't say I've found a difference in my beer but I can say the peace of mind during transfers is worth it.
I would expect dry ice to be unsanitary so I do douse it in Star San which only helps it to sublimate that much faster.
I searched HBT through Google and all the results were about using dry ice to carbonate or to keep a cooler cold, to cold crash or to store hops.
The General Technique I am referring to is placing a pound or so of dry ice in the bottom of your bottling bucket or secondary and letting it sublimate prior to racking. The CO2, being heavier than air, displaces the air in the bucket and pools at the bottom. So long as you keep the exposed end of the siphon tube below the visible cloud of gas the outflow of beer is protected from oxidation. You also get the most awesome effect of the CO2 cloud rising and pouring off the top as the liquid level rises.
Dry ice is cheap in my area if you must buy it and free if you don't. It is commonly thrown away at food distribution docks (hint). Storing it is somewhat of a problem so you do have to obtain it relatively soon prior to bottling. I don't always use it thanks to this but I do when I can. I can't say I've found a difference in my beer but I can say the peace of mind during transfers is worth it.
I would expect dry ice to be unsanitary so I do douse it in Star San which only helps it to sublimate that much faster.