Another sanke fermenter

[bovine_OB]

Hi all,
Recently acquired an sanke keg (not stolen), and want to create a fermenter out of it. I currently use 5 gal carboys and dislike them for several reasons -
1) small opening
- hard to clean
-hard to shove dry hops in/out (and I like me some dry hop)
2) glass
- safety
- safety
- safety
3) 5 gal max capacity
- majority of batches end up with roughly 4.25 gal in keg after trub, yeast, and blowoff are accounted for

With that being said, I have been reading how several people have use snake kegs to ferment in. I like the idea of a larger vessel, but want a large enough opening to ensure cleanliness before dumping wort in. I’d like a easier method to add dry hops, etc. While I don’t intend to work on pressure fermentation, I do transfer via CO2 so it would need to hold <5 PSI.

I understand the dome angle isn’t steep enough to collect and funnel trub/yeast. If I were to flip her upside down and put a corny lid on the smooth bottom side (now top), and put a 2” TC on the bottom to drain out the bottom would I constantly be dragging trub out the bottom as I am transferring? With a conical fermenter there is a charge of trub and yeast at first, but then clear beer runs, with the sanke idea would the whole batch be a stream littered with cloudy material if it were drained out the bottom? I assume dry hops would plug up the opening as well - just looking for some insight.

Thanks.

 

[CanAm]

I use mine right side up with an orange carboy cap on the opening. There is a corny hole cut beside it, I use the kind of lid that has a gas post. To transfer I’ll put a racking cane through the large hole of the cap, plug the small hole of the cap and push the beer out with CO2 through the corny lid.

 

[bovine_OB]

Excellent idea. How hard was the corny lid to cut and how well does it fit? Did you use a jigsaw it a Dremel or what?

 

[CanAm]

The hole for the corny lid (I’m sure that’s what you meant but just to be clear the corny lid was not cut - only the legs that secure it were cut shorter) was made with a plasma cutter and smoothed with a die grinder. It is an air tight seal. When fermenting with a blow off tube or airlock there are plenty of bubbles. And CO2 does not escape when pressure transferring at 5 psi.

I like it very much as a fermenter. The larger opening makes it easier to see if it’s clean.

I’ve seen YouTube videos showing angle grinders used to cut tops off kegs for boil kettles etc. That may give you some tips.