Spunding for lager in Sanke Keg

[erichsmith]

I’m now a professional brewer but still do some homebrew stuff. Spunding is relatively new to me and I’ve got a valve. I want to do a lager and ferment in a Sanke keg. I’ve got a way to put the valve on. My concern is, when it’s finished, how would I transfer to my serving keg? I’ll have the spear out of the fermentation keg.

 

[Mr. Vern]

Edited for additional info

I bought a fermenting kit for cleaning and closed transfers.. It has worked very well.

I plug the liquid side during fermentation, you could do the same for spunding. The only issue I had was a worn gasket did not want to seal very well, a new/spare gasket on hand would have been ideal.

https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Sanke-Keg-Tee-Fermenter-Kit.html

 

[erichsmith]

Edited for additional info

I bought a fermenting kit for cleaning and closed transfers.. It has worked very well.

I plug the liquid side during fermentation, you could do the same for spunding. The only issue I had was a worn gasket did not want to seal very well, a new/spare gasket on hand would have been ideal.

https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Sanke-Keg-Tee-Fermenter-Kit.html

Ordering this. Thanks.

 

[Bassman2003]

Here is a video I just completed about closed transfers. My Kegmenter is a modified 1/4 barrel. It has a dip tube for liquid out.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...d-pressure-transfer-video-is-complete.729035/

 

[Climb]

@Bassman2003 - Nice video. Best one I have seen covering spunding, purging with fermentation CO2 and closed transfers.

@erichsmith - Since you are a professional brewer, I assume you have access to plenty of Sanke couplers. So why not use them? I ferment in a 1/2 barrel Sanke keg, with the spear in the keg, and use Sanke couplers, with the check valves removed, to ferment, purge the serving keg with CO2 from fermentation and closed transfer. See attached video for its configuration during fermentation. The blue handled ball valves on the fermentor allow me to change from fermenting to a closed system transfer to the serving keg.

This setup is more economical than those shown above assuming that you can borrow two couplers from the brewery if you need to.

 

[erichsmith]

Here is a video I just completed about closed transfers. My Kegmenter is a modified 1/4 barrel. It has a dip tube for liquid out.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...d-pressure-transfer-video-is-complete.729035/

Awesome video. While the exact set up you have won’t work for me, you did give enough information that I can do something very similar using a T and a few valves along with my keg filler.

 

[erichsmith]

@Bassman2003 - Nice video. Best one I have seen covering spunding, purging with fermentation CO2 and closed transfers.

@erichsmith - Since you are a professional brewer, I assume you have access to plenty of Sanke couplers. So why not use them? I ferment in a 1/2 barrel Sanke keg, with the spear in the keg, and use Sanke couplers, with the check valves removed, to ferment, purge the serving keg with CO2 from fermentation and closed transfer. See attached video for its configuration during fermentation. The blue handled ball valves on the fermentor allow me to change from fermenting to a closed system transfer to the serving keg.

This setup is more economical than those shown above assuming that you can borrow two couplers from the brewery if you need to.

I’m planning on using couplers. The information from these replies have been helpful and I appreciate all the help. I’m happy to be able to get back to my roots and and didn’t realize how much I had forgot about homebrewing after working on a commercial scale.

 

[DuncB]

You could use this

https://www.kegland.com.au/products...d-to-2-inch-tri-clover-commercial-keg-adaptorThen spunding goes on gas post.

If you are dry hopping suggest getting the filter to fit on end of floating dip tube.

You can just use a normal sanke connection and take the non return valve out of the gas side. Fit ball lock posts on the connector gas and liquid sides.

 

[erichsmith]

You could use this

https://www.kegland.com.au/products...d-to-2-inch-tri-clover-commercial-keg-adaptorThen spunding goes on gas post.

If you are dry hopping suggest getting the filter to fit on end of floating dip tube.

You can just use a normal sanke connection and take the non return valve out of the gas side. Fit ball lock posts on the connector gas and liquid sides.

My spunding valve is already a 2” Tri clamp.

 

[DuncB]

My spunding valve is already a 2” Tri clamp.

Then it's very simple for you, attach the spunding valve.

 

[Brushwood Brewing]

This is very intriguing. I got a 1/2bbl sankey keg for free from my father last year that I haven't known what to do with. I've been planning to start pressure fermenting lagers in a 5gal corny keg (beginning with a dunkel next week), which sounds great other than the reduced batch size. But fermenting in a full size sankey would open some possibilities...

My concern about fermenting in a sankey would be how to clean it afterward (without an expensive CIP setup), since I can't get my arm in there. For those of you who do it, what is your cleaning process? I do have a pump from my Anvil Foundry.

 

[Climb]

You would be very interested in reading the linked thread below. In it, I mention my process and some of it's weaknesses, but there are many good comments from others as well.

Cleaning a sanke keg​

 

[Broken Crow]

This is very intriguing. I got a 1/2bbl sankey keg for free from my father last year that I haven't known what to do with. I've been planning to start pressure fermenting lagers in a 5gal corny keg (beginning with a dunkel next week), which sounds great other than the reduced batch size. But fermenting in a full size sankey would open some possibilities...

My concern about fermenting in a sankey would be how to clean it afterward (without an expensive CIP setup), since I can't get my arm in there. For those of you who do it, what is your cleaning process? I do have a pump from my Anvil Foundry.

If you're using it without the spear and it's freshly emptied, it's reasonably easy as long as you have a laundry tub or somesuch you can attach a garden hose to a hot-water tap. Just turn it upside down and spray hot-water upwards and around for a few minutes and then fill it with 130° PBW, let it soak and rinse it again. For initial cleaning, or if anything seems to be stuck, you can take one of those nylon-mesh bags they sell oranges or lemons in, throw some SS nuts and washers in and tie it it and throw it in with about a gallon of hot PBW and swish it around the bottom and sides...that part is a PITA, but not usually needed. You don't actually need to mix up a full 15G of PBW to soak, you can do just 5, let it sit upright about 20 mins, turn it on its side and rotate 90° about every 20 mins till you've got all the sides, then put a 2" TC cap on it and set upside down for the same and when it's done; another thorough upside down rinse.
Just never ever ever let it sit open to the air with beer in it! Clean it the moment you open it up and empty it.