Using carbonation caps to force carb small batches?

[aangel]

So I'm currently ordering/assembling my setup, and after I get my process down, I want to run some experiments. IE, "hmm, this basic ale recipe isn't bad, but what would it taste like (fermented at higher temp) or (using this different yeast)or even (filtered vs unfiltered)

At the same time, I do NOT want to brew full 5G or even 3G batches for all these ideas! For one thing I'll become a human balloon! My idea is to subdivide my batch and ferment in 2L pop bottle. That way I can split a 5.25gal batch approximately 12 ways - giving me quite a bit of variation per experiment.

Now since I want to force carbonate, this might complicate things. BUUUT I found carbonator caps while surfing my LHBS's website and they sound awesome. I could ferment in a 2L pop bottle, rack to another 2L bottle, evacuate all the air by squeezing it, then attach one of these caps and then force carbonate. With a few splitters I could force carb all 12 bottles at once even.

Will this work? Also will a 2L soda/pop bottle serve as a decent fermentation vessel? I'm not looking to age these experimental batches at all, so so I figured the extra oxygen permeability wouldn't really affect things.

 

[day_trippr]

Well, as described you have a major act of commitment going on there, but it's all certainly feasible.

If you're determined to carry on with this, I recommend getting a nice stainless steel carbonator cap.
I have a standard plastic one that is a gas-leaking POS compared to the actually less expensive stainless steel carbonator cap I picked up from Alibaba...

Cheers!

 

[brewguyver]

Sounds like it would work in theory. I recommend getting 1 or 2 to start with and then getting an expanded setup later if your first experiment works.

I did a sour experiment with 20 strains last year - 10 gallon batch got split into 20 1 gallon glass jugs. It wasn't too bad until bottling time. Racking 10 - 20 vessels is a royal pain in the @$$. Words cannot describe how miserable it was, especially because i had to take extra care not to cross contaminate.

As long as you can figure out an easy way to handle this part (eg. squeezing to move to the other bottle w/o pulling too much trub along with it, you should be ok. Maybe put a hose barb through a bottle cap and silicone it to seal - you can attach a hose one each end and then suck the beer over into the other bottle.


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[aangel]

Well, as described you have a major act of commitment going on there, but it's all certainly feasible.

If you're determined to carry on with this, I recommend getting a nice stainless steel carbonator cap.
I have a standard plastic one that is a gas-leaking POS compared to the actually less expensive stainless steel carbonator cap I picked up from Alibaba...

Cheers!

Is THIS the standard POS one?http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/search&keyword=carbonation&category_id=0

Also I checked out your link - kinda crazy but my LHBS has them pretty much in that price range: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Carbonation_cap_for_Beer_p/carbonation-cap.htm

Considering I'd have to buy both the $12 cap and $5 ball lock gas disconnect *for every vessel I'll be fermenting simultaneously*, I'm looking at $17/vessel for SS and $8/vessel for plastic. Hopefully those plastic ones aren't terrible...

Have you tried putting some teflon tape on the thread of the plastic carbonation cap?

Oh right, the other thing. I'm trying to figure out if pressurized transfer is possible. I'd just need an appropriately small bung or cap, a racking cane, and a gas-in, and i'd be able to push the beer with CO2 through my filter (without oxidizing the brew).

 

[day_trippr]

The plastic POS cap looks like this one

and sold for $12. They're now up to $15 and still crap.

The leak was between the cap post and the QD, not the cap base and various bottles. New o-ring didn't fix it so I basically tossed it in a corner and got the SS version - which works great.

I got the impression you wouldn't be carbing up a whole fleet of bottles simultaneously. As you said, excessive parallelism would get pricey. Maybe just a couple of caps and QDs would be enough - it doesn't take long to carbonate a two liter bottle...

Cheers!

 

[732Brewer]

Well, as described you have a major act of commitment going on there, but it's all certainly feasible.

If you're determined to carry on with this, I recommend getting a nice stainless steel carbonator cap.
I have a standard plastic one that is a gas-leaking POS compared to the actually less expensive stainless steel carbonator cap I picked up from Alibaba...

Cheers!

Good find on that - seems the lowest price shipped is $9-10ish

 

[732Brewer]

Just picked up 3 of the metal ones (2 from one place one from another ...in case something goes wrong w/ the shipment). I couldn't buy a piece of plastic for $15 so figured it was time to buy a nice metal one for less

 

[Atalanta]

Well, as described you have a major act of commitment going on there, but it's all certainly feasible.

If you're determined to carry on with this, I recommend getting a nice stainless steel carbonator cap.
I have a standard plastic one that is a gas-leaking POS compared to the actually less expensive stainless steel carbonator cap I picked up from Alibaba...

Cheers!

I have an earlier version, without the inside barb. I just saw this one and wanted to know what you thought of it. I have been using the other for a couple years and really like it (skipped the plastic version). I use it to make seltzer water and it looks like with the tube, it will make it even easier!