Secondary in Corny's??

I've tried searching this topic but with no results. I have heard of people doing this in the before but I never go that much info on it.

My plan is to start racking beer into my corny's as a secondary. I can let them sit there until it is time for the fridge and then pressurize them and squirt the remaining yeast out. Does anyone else do this?? If so do I need to set up some type of airlock? Can I just add some corn sugar and to the beer for a cask conditioned beer?? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I have 13 corny's but only 2 sets of carboys. This would let me increase the overall number of brews I can have on hand for all my beer mooching friends and family.

You can use any airtight food grade container as a secondary, you only need an airlock if you think you will exceed the vessels maximum working pressure which is over 100psi in a corni so thats extremely unlikely particularly as it has a PRV.

Normaly I would have suggested a plastic bucket FV but as you have so many cornis it would be silly not to utilise them.

The draw back is you will probably loose a good pint or so drawing off the sediment.

What about transfering to a sanatized keg thru a filter?

Personaly i'm not a fan of filters, they filter out taste. If corn sugar is added to produce a cask conditioned beer then sediment is to be expected and if all the yeast is filtered out then cask conditioning is no longer an option.

I use cornies this way, usually yeast isn't a problem. Once in a while I'll have to transfer a second time or filter, maybe one in 20 batches. You don't need an airlock, in fact, you want to retain the CO2 for carbonization. The relief valves generally vent at 135 PSI, but it's unlikely you would ever see that much pressure. That would take several cups of primer. Most people cut the priming sugar in half, I don't prime at all.

You don't see much info, because it's so simple: let it age, first pint has yeast, end of test.

Thanks DAAB and David, The input is is very helpful.

The biggest question about the whole process is.... When you push beer into the secondary do you let it rest for a certain time and then add sugar for the cask conditioning or hope for the conditioning during the secondary???

To me these seem like petty questions. I plan on trying this process my next brew. I fugured I would learn just like I learned how to homebrew, trial and error. This just seems like a very easy way to streamline brew sessions. It just isn't talked about to much.

For true cask conditioning, you would not prime at all. I just go from the fermenter into the cornie and wait a month or so, then put it on pressure for another week.

Thanks, I will trying it out real soon

DAAB said:

Personaly i'm not a fan of filters, they filter out taste. If corn sugar is added to produce a cask conditioned beer then sediment is to be expected and if all the yeast is filtered out then cask conditioning is no longer an option.

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Actually it can and is done. A reason to remove the fermenting yeast from the beer prior to packaging is consistency. If you want to bottle/keg condition a beer and control the amount of yeast in the bottle/keg, adding fresh yeast to filtered beer is a very good method of accomplishing this goal. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company uses this method.

david_42 said:

For true cask conditioning, you would not prime at all. I just go from the fermenter into the cornie and wait a month or so, then put it on pressure for another week.

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True cask conditioning is just the opposite. Cask condition is done through natural carbonation not force carbing.

Wild

There's always one isn't there

Yep, but tomorrow it’s somebody else's turn.

Wild

95% of my beer is placed into a corney after 10 days of fermentation. I like to wait 8-10 days to let more yeast drop out. After I force carb I draw a glass off and feed it to the dog and the next is for me nice and clear and no cleaning a secondary fermenter. If you are going to move your corney a lot you should do a secondary in a carboy as when you disturbe the yeast at the bottom of the corney you get to drink some. ( workes for wheat beer) I end up with 1/4 inch of yest in the bottom of the keg. this was the second best shortcut I have learned the first being keging