anyone tried this? sanke keg fermenter idea

I think Sabco makes them: Sanke Kegs that have Corny keg lids? But they are super expensive.

I like the idea of using a sanke keg as a fermenter, I do 10 gallon batches now and finding reasonably priced 15 gallon vessels to use as fermenters has been problematic.

What I don't like is the idea of trying to clean it out of that tiny hole in the sanke fitting top.

So has anyone tried DIY'ing a fermenter out of a sanke keg similiar to the sabco ones?

Seems that it wouldn't be too hard, trace the outline of a corny keg lid on the top of the sanke keeping in mind to make the actual hole like a 1/2" smaller, get out the jigsaw and cut the hole. May have to use a hammer to flatten out the edges maybe use two gaskets on the corny lid to get a good seal? But it seems pretty doable? Am I off the mark here?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/super-simple-15g-plastic-conical-276378/

This is a good thread for a proper 15g fermenter.

I use unaltered sanke kegs for my 10-12 gallon batches with a #11 stopper and an airlock with great success. Just build one of these to clean it: https://www.google.com/url?q=https:...ds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGlHmFhchq3f8RFar4PrRLg3b1pTQ Works like a champ!

I thought about it too when I had a spare euro keg(13.5 gal) with the smooth top then changed my mind when I realized how heavy it would be full. I gigure it would need to be on some sort of stand to be able to rack off

akthor said:

I like the idea of using a sanke keg as a fermenter, I do 10 gallon batches now and finding reasonably priced 15 gallon vessels to use as fermenters has been problematic.

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Use a regular Sanke keg and one of these.

http://www.brewershardware.com/Sanke-Fermenter-Kits/

I know several people that use them and they work great. Just clean them with a DIY carboy washer and push the beer out with C02.

srimshot said:

Use a regular Sanke keg and one of these.

http://www.brewershardware.com/Sanke-Fermenter-Kits/

I know several people that use them and they work great. Just clean them with a DIY carboy washer and push the beer out with C02.

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Dang that kit alone is $80... You can get an entire 16 gal Speidel fermenter (when available) for $60.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/12095/104258/Speidel_Plastic_Fermenter_-_60L_159_gal


I have one of the 8 gallons and it's nice.

stubbornman said:

Dang that kit alone is $80... You can get an entire 16 gal Speidel fermenter (when available) for $60

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If cheap is what your after you can get three 6 gallon buckets for $24, I've done it like that for years. I don't want to get into a debate about plastic vs. stainless but obviously stainless is always going to be more expensive. Compared to other 10 gallon stainless fermenter options using a Sanke and the stainless kit is pretty inexpensive, especially if you already have a Sanke.

I ferment 10 gallon batches in sanke's, I don't use a airlock, but the air in the fermentation freezer will extinguish a flame. It's the only time a use a secondary and I CO2 push into 6.5 better bottles, cold crash, and keg... work's for me
P.S. If your boiling 13 gallons of wort in a sanke, you better be there at 208 degrees F. Because a boil over isn't pretty

I've not had any problems cleaning my unmodified sankes. How are you cleaning them, and what issues are you having?

srimshot said:

Use a regular Sanke keg and one of these.

http://www.brewershardware.com/Sanke-Fermenter-Kits/

I know several people that use them and they work great. Just clean them with a DIY carboy washer and push the beer out with C02.

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Those kits seem like a waste of money to me. I use sanke fermenters almost exclusively, and don't see any disadvantages to using my system, which costs a fraction of what one of those kits runs. I either use a drilled stopper with an airlock, or a spunding valve connected to a coupler for pressurized fermentation. I counterpressure transfer after fermentation using a slightly shortened sanke spear and a standard sanke coupler. From what I've seen and read on here, securing the temp probe to the outside of the fermenter and insulating it provides better temp control than using a thermowell, so the thermowell option doesn't appeal to me either.

You can also take the 5/6 gallon carboy cap(orange), put it in hot water, and then just place it over the top of the sanke bung.

You can then use any kind of hose you want, or airlock.

For transferring from the chiller to sanke I use this set up. Threaded hose barb to 1/2" female to TC 2". Then i just stick a hose on it and into a bucket for a blow off.

I have no issues with plastic. But a 6.5 gal bucket with lid here is $16 bux, so 2 for a 10 gal batch is $32. I had the sanke so it was free. I used the rubber stopper and air lock method. It was nice not to have to divide the batch between two fermenters I will report back on how cleaning it goes.

srimshot said:

If cheap is what your after you can get three 6 gallon buckets for $24, I've done it like that for years. I don't want to get into a debate about plastic vs. stainless but obviously stainless is always going to be more expensive. Compared to other 10 gallon stainless fermenter options using a Sanke and the stainless kit is pretty inexpensive, especially if you already have a Sanke.

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akthor said:

I used the rubber stopper and air lock method.

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I think it will work fine.

akthor said:

It was nice not to have to divide the batch between two fermenters.

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I totaly agree.

I use these for ma 10 gallon batches. They fit iin the fermenter (chest freezer) and I dont use air locks, never had a problem and the atmosphere in the fermenter would kill a canary

I honestly don't understand the big fascination with stainless fermenters and clamps on this board... maybe it has to do with everyone calling their garage setups a "brewery" despite being non-commercial.

Dhruv6911 said:

I honestly don't understand the big fascination with stainless fermenters and clamps on this board... maybe it has to do with everyone calling their garage setups a "brewery" despite being non-commercial.

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Maybe I'm missing something here

The OED said:

brewery, n.
Pronunciation: /ˈbruːərɪ/
1. a. A place for brewing, especially beer, ale, etc.

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I love my buckets, I just wish they made 15 gallon ones.

akthor said:

I love my buckets, I just wish they made 15 gallon ones.

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I see these for sale around me fairly often, usually for less than $20:
http://www.containerandpackaging.com/item/D032

I believe some HBS get their bulk LME in containers like this. You could always ask around.

Those ARE the EXACT fermenters I want. People use them for maple syrup up here. I have stopped at three strangers houses asking where they got them because shipping on them is probitively expensive. They all just say they got them here and there or can't remember. AND they won't sell them.

akthor said:

Those ARE the EXACT fermenters I want. People use them for maple syrup up here. I have stopped at three strangers houses asking where they got them because shipping on them is probitively expensive. They all just say they got them here and there or can't remember. AND they won't sell them.

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Bummer. The soda bottlers here sell their used HDPE barrels pretty cheap, and have sizes ranging from 15 gal to 65 gal. There's also a couple guys on craigslist that sell them here. And as mentioned, LME comes in them, so homebrew shops often sell them when they're empty too. The 15 gal size usually go for $10-15 each here.

akthor said:

Those ARE the EXACT fermenters I want. People use them for maple syrup up here. I have stopped at three strangers houses asking where they got them because shipping on them is probitively expensive. They all just say they got them here and there or can't remember. AND they won't sell them.

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They're used for a lot of bulk food deliveries. I see full ones outside of restaurant supply shops and empty ones behind restaurants a fair bit in NYC, ranging in size from what I'd guess is ~10gal to ~40gal (yet, they're always blue for some reason). Try some restaurant suppliers perhaps? You might need to buy 15 gallons of frosting to get one that way, though.

The white version the first guy posted about are the ones I mean. One guy did tell me his daughter got him some from the hospital she worked at. Some sort of sterilization fluid came in them he said. My GF works at a different hospital and I have her checking for me. If I could buy them locally for $17 I would have a bunch of them.

I will also keep my sanke kegs for fermenters whenever I come across one but technically this one cost me $130

BTW has anyone tried putting the spear back in and pumping the wort with CO2 into Corey's come time to keg after fermenting is done? Is it hard to get that spring thing back in? Problems with trub clogging it up?

Any chance you could check and see how much either UPS or USPS would charge you to slap a label on one and ship it to 04416?

Perhaps you could sell me some at a slight markup?

JuanMoore said:

Bummer. The soda bottlers here sell their used HDPE barrels pretty cheap, and have sizes ranging from 15 gal to 65 gal. There's also a couple guys on craigslist that sell them here. And as mentioned, LME comes in them, so homebrew shops often sell them when they're empty too. The 15 gal size usually go for $10-15 each here.

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All the restaurants and bakeries up here seem to get 5 gallon buckets for there foodstuffs. I have an unlimited supply of 5 gallon food safe buckets, I use them to make 4gal batches of hard cider and Apfelwein and skeeter pee. But they don't help as much now that I have moved to 10 gal all grain batches for beer.

MalFet said:

They're used for a lot of bulk food deliveries. I see full ones outside of restaurant supply shops and empty ones behind restaurants a fair bit in NYC, ranging in size from what I'd guess is ~10gal to ~40gal (yet, they're always blue for some reason). Try some restaurant suppliers perhaps? You might need to buy 15 gallons of frosting to get one that way, though.

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akthor said:

BTW has anyone tried putting the spear back in and pumping the wort with CO2 into Corey's come time to keg after fermenting is done? Is it hard to get that spring thing back in? Problems with trub clogging it up?

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That's what I do, and I have no issues at all. Like I said earlier, I see no reason to waste money on those expensive "kits". Once you get the hang of it, removing and replacing the spear is really quick and easy.

akthor said:

Any chance you could check and see how much either UPS or USPS would charge you to slap a label on one and ship it to 04416?

Perhaps you could sell me some at a slight markup?

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Sure. It might take me a week to get around to it though. If you don't hear from me in a week, send me a pm to remind me.

JuanMoore said:

That's what I do, and I have no issues at all. Like I said earlier, I see no reason to waste money on those expensive "kits". Once you get the hang of it, removing and replacing the spear is really quick and easy.

Sure. It might take me a week to get around to it though. If you don't hear from me in a week, send me a pm to remind me.

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Did you cut the bottom of the spear to avoid the yeast cake? I read people cut about 3/4 inch off the bottom. Also any advice on replacing the ring?

DrPhilGood said:

Did you cut the bottom of the spear to avoid the yeast cake? I read people cut about 3/4 inch off the bottom. Also any advice on replacing the ring?

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I cut off ~1/2" off of a couple spears for doing transfers. You'll leave a lot of beer behind if you try to completely avoid the yeast cake. I sometimes discard the first couple ounces which are always cloudy, but I'm often too lazy. It doesn't suck much trub up though, so it's not a big deal IMO.

The trick to replacing the spiral ring is to squeeze it in with pliers. It makes it easier to remove later if you're concious of the orientation when you install it. I like to place it so that the top end is just past one of the notches in the neck. I also made a tool that depresses the spear just like a lot of breweries use, but I found that putting it on and depressing the spear usually took longer than just pulling the ring out without it.