6.5 gallon corny keg - an affordable stainless fermenter, FINALLY!

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Ethanfox

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I just grabbed a pair of these this week - I've been trying to find a great, affordable solution to fermenting in stainless (currently using Speidel, love it, but wanted to eliminate the HDPE - broke 2 glass carboys already) and Ninkasi has finally answered my prayers (the goddess, not the brewery).

Forgive me if they've been posted elsewhere - I didn't see it. Posting here for anyone partaking in the same hunt for stainless fermentation

I know corny kegs have been used for fermenting, but I never liked the idea of downsizing batches < 5 gallons to accommodate high krausen. These 6.5 gallon Cornelius-style kegs are just the ticket - they provide 6" of head-space when filled with 5 gallons. They hold 60 PSI (great for closed transfers), and use standard corny keg parts (no special parts need to be ordered for replacements).

Here's a few photos:

Side-by-side with 5 gallon Cornelius ball lock keg (mine holds only 5 gallons + 1/2 pint)

20150912_160906.jpg


side-by-side top view (6.5 gallon is just over 9 inches diameter)

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6 Inches of headspace with 5 gallon batch (I typically do a 5.25 gallon batch to allow for trub, but I didn't think of that when I took the photo)

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I got them from Williams Brewing.

Upsides:
1. 6" headspace over 5 gallons
2. 60 PSI
3. 9" wide (requires less fermenter space than carboys)
4. Stainless (sweet) - no scratching (plastic) no breaking (glass)
5. Wide opening for easy cleaning

Here's the downsides:
1. They're not NSF (in fact, they're made in China) but so much stainless comes from China, I didn't let it stop me. Inside welds are great - outside welds are ... acceptable.
2. The website lists the keg at 25.5" tall - but I measured 26 5/8" tall. Still fits in my fermentation chamber (thankfully).
3. It's not QUITE 6.5 gallons. When I hit the lip, I still had 1/2 pint of water that didn't fit. But the 6" headspace is measured accurate.
4. It's made in China (worth mentioning twice)
5. They come with a heavy "new item" scent (see items 1 and 4), but the scent dissipated after a good oxy wash.

26 3/5" height:

20150912_162318.jpg


Here's my 5 gallon corny with 5 gallons of water - note the co2 in diptube is below the surface of the water (only 1/2 pint headspace)

20150912_150743.jpg




Hope this helps someone! Cheers!
 
I saw those 6.5 kegs here in the Sponsor Showcase, and have been thinking about them.

I assume the liquid diptube sits right near the bottom, as in other kegs? I'd have to be a bit more careful in my transfer to the fermenter (I don't strain, except for whole hops that clog my pump), but I could easily do an 11 gallon batch and leave behind more trub and still have a couple of nice fermenters and do closed transfers post fermentation.

Do the posts remove easily? (Not welded on, or otherwise problematic?)

Keep us posted on the quality/usefulness, please! I'm turning into a week little old lady these days and am trying to get rid of most of my glass carboys. I still have a ton of them full of wine, but eventually I'd love to go all stainless.
 
The dip tubes come out just as easy as my other kegs. These 6.5 gallon cornies are slightly different than the Cornelius brand 5 gallon kegs in that the bottom is actually punted (curves up, not down, in the center) and the dip tube is straight. Because it's straight, it picks up liquid from the side of the keg vice the center.

For transfer, a regular siphon eliminates the transfer of trub, but also eliminates the advantage of the closed system (if you care about that). For the closed CO2 transfer, you could either collect the first pint or so in a separate container until the transfer clears or just cut the tube. I plan on using the former technique, as the amount of trub my fermenters collect varies widely based on the style. In the past, I've always cold crashed to 32 degrees, so my yeast cakes/trub on the bottom are quite compact and separating the beer from the trub hasn't been an issue. I expect it to be the same with these. Will post results next month!
 
The dip tubes come out just as easy as my other kegs. These 6.5 gallon cornies are slightly different than the Cornelius brand 5 gallon kegs in that the bottom is actually punted (curves up, not down, in the center) and the dip tube is straight. Because it's straight, it picks up liquid from the side of the keg vice the center.

For transfer, a regular siphon eliminates the transfer of trub, but also eliminates the advantage of the closed system (if you care about that). For the closed CO2 transfer, you could either collect the first pint or so in a separate container until the transfer clears or just cut the tube. I plan on using the latter technique, as the amount of trub my fermenters collect varies widely based on the style. In the past, I've always cold crashed to 32 degrees, so my yeast cakes/trub on the bottom are quite compact and separating the beer from the trub hasn't been an issue. I expect it to be the same with these. Will post results next month!

Great info- thanks. I want to do closed transfers, so I am thinking about the logistics of cold crashing. I don't think those will fit in my kegerator fridge (I have exactly enough room for a 5 gallon once the fittings are on, with no extra space at all). I don't cold crash now, but I'm siphoning. Closed transfers would allow me to save some of my power lifting moves, and that really is the driving desire behind wanting to go with closed transfers for the most part.

I'm using mostly giant plastic buckets (bigger than ale pails) from Brewcraft for fermentation for both wine and beer, but stainless kegs would be easier for sure- no lifting!
 
My last post got me thinking - I just checked how my standard Cornelius dip tube would work in the 6.5 gallon corny, and it may solve the issue.

Since the bottom of the keg is punted, most of the yeast will settle around the sides. Using the bent dip tube from the 5 gallon keg places the bottom of the dip tube in the center, with a finger-width of space between the bottom of the keg and the dip tube. This is probably going to be the best solution to minimize trub transfer.

Holding the two dip tubes (5 gallon and 6.5 gallon) side by side, it looks like the 5 gallon dip tube would be SLIGHTLY longer than the 6.5 gallon dip tube if it were straight. So, if I can figure out how to bend the 6.5 gallon dip tube without kinking it, the shorter length might give slightly more than a finger-width of space at the bottom and be even better.

Thanks for prompting the idea!
 
Great info- thanks. I want to do closed transfers, so I am thinking about the logistics of cold crashing. I don't think those will fit in my kegerator fridge (I have exactly enough room for a 5 gallon once the fittings are on, with no extra space at all).!

In my original post, I didn't include MY #1 reason for buying these - because it's so specific to my system. BUT, for anyone who might find it useful, the 9" diameter of these was smaller than any other container I could find, and allows me to place 2 of them into my fermenting chambers at the same time. I couldn't find ANY other container (at the 6-6.5 gallon size) that would allow me to place two of them into my fermenting chambers (2 old kegerators). Here's my "chamber" with both of them inside:

b2daab60-5c37-4b4e-9930-0efeca155afe.jpg
 
Neat idea. Are you going to fit some sort of airlock to the lid?

Not initially. I just took apart a gas-in ball lock disconnect (removed the guts) and will use it as a blow-off with a tube attached. With the 6 inches of head space, I doubt anything but CO2 will be coming out (I may eat my words after my first double IPA, we'll see), so I'm not concerned about the restricted blow off tube for now.

Like this (pulled from google search):

5652465687_568b3c4601.jpg


Worst case scenario, if my big beers with lots of hops do cause a problem, I can always get a spare lid and drill a hole in the center for a larger blow off tube.
 
Not initially. I just took apart a gas-in ball lock disconnect (removed the guts) and will use it as a blow-off with a tube attached. With the 6 inches of head space, I doubt anything but CO2 will be coming out (I may eat my words after my first double IPA, we'll see), so I'm not concerned about the restricted blow off tube for now.

Like this (pulled from google search):

5652465687_568b3c4601.jpg


Worst case scenario, if my big beers with lots of hops do cause a problem, I can always get a spare lid and drill a hole in the center for a larger blow off tube.

That's really clever. How cool
 
Wow, glad I saw this. I might pick these up for regular serving! I'm going to get a 7gal conical and figured might as well brew enough to fill it pretty well :drunk: -- these would be perfect.
 
Wow, glad I saw this. I might pick these up for regular serving! I'm going to get a 7gal conical and figured might as well brew enough to fill it pretty well :drunk: -- these would be perfect.

Ha! My quest was for MORE head space! In a 7 gallon conical, a 6½ batch will be TIGHT! FermCap-S is your friend!
 
For anyone following, I gave it a whack and bent the diptube. It was actually quite easy - just pressed it against the side of a 35 pound barbell weight. I was wrong about it being a little shorter - the angle of the original 5 gallon dip tube made it appear longer, but I think they're the same length. With this one bent right over the center of the bottom, it's a finger's width (I know, not very specific) above the bottom. This should be perfect for minimizing yeast cake uptake during transfer though, since the yeast will settle to the sides of the keg. I'll post after the first fermentation.

e986cc43-7c10-4435-b6ce-ca1f81b82b5c.jpg
 
Awesome! This is fantastic news. I ferment 3.5-4.5 gallon batches in regular cornies...might have to pick up a couple of these suckers.
 
So, with the guts removed from the "gas in" post, to allow it to be used as a blowoff tube.............Isn't there a little valve in the gas Q D, that is actuated by the poppet valve in the post?

You know, so the gas can flow.

I don't recall, but I don't remember a gas Q D " free flowing" when not connected to a post, and the gas line pressurized.
 
Sorry, to be clear, I plan to also remove the poppet during fermentation. I'll replace the poppet and use an intact qd before charging and cold crashing.
 
The only reason I would do this is to reduce restriction in case some hop particles do manage to pass through. With the poppet and qd guts, they'd likely clog.
 
Most of the time you probably won't need to remove the poppet though. I'll just be a pain to have to put it back in when you go to rack to your serving keg. I leave mine in. Once in a while, I'll have a nasty blow off that's actually clogged it before. But it was a Belgian beer, so it was kind of an exception. Most beers you wouldn't need to take that precaution.
 
Saw these in the last William's Brewing catalog I got in the mail. Looks like they'd be perfect for storing and serving 6 gallons of wine, which is the typical wine kit size.

@Yooper, I know you've used kegs before in the past for your wine. Any thoughts about using these?
 
Saw these in the last William's Brewing catalog I got in the mail. Looks like they'd be perfect for storing and serving 6 gallons of wine, which is the typical wine kit size.

@Yooper, I know you've used kegs before in the past for your wine. Any thoughts about using these?

I have thought about it for that as well, but I have plenty of 5 gallon race-track style cornies I've been using for wine, and just bottling 1 gallon of a kit. Or, sometimes I do two 3 gallon kegs for the wine.
 
FYI for anyone thinking of using these as a primary - working great so far. Fermented a 1.052 stout, zero blow off, perfect seal. I'll check back in after transfer, but I think I'll let it sit for another week or two. Mostly out of laziness.
 
FYI for anyone thinking of using these as a primary - working great so far. Fermented a 1.052 stout, zero blow off, perfect seal. I'll check back in after transfer, but I think I'll let it sit for another week or two. Mostly out of laziness.


Thanks for all the great info in this thread Ethan. Fantastically thorough pics

I have been debating going to a closed transfer and these seem to fit the bill perfectly.
 
You don't need to remove the guts of the gas connect, just remove the gas post (male connector) and the blow off tube (standard tube size) fits right over top. I use a hand tighten clasp type screw
 
I finally transferred my Irish dry stout from the 6.5 primary corny kegs into the 5 gallon serving corny kegs. It was extremely easy, and the entire process was completed in a fully closed system, free of oxygen.

First, I filled the serving kegs with starsan, and pushed it out using CO2 to ensure no oxygen was present in the kegs.

Next, I bled off any trub that was initially pushed up the dip tube (hardly any):

Trub.jpg


Then I started the transfer into the serving kegs. I started with 4 psi for about a minute, then cranked it up to 20 psi (because I got impatient). Since there's no O2 in the keg, I realized I could've just started at 20psi to being with. Hands free:

Transfer.jpg


Here's a picture of what was left in keg 1:

Inside2.jpg


And keg 2:

Inside1.jpg


And best of all, you can see that high krausen didn't get anywhere near the top of the keg (granted, it was a small OG ~1.057).

Krausen from keg 1:

Krausen%201.jpg


And from keg 2:

Krausen%202.jpg


Just to see for myself how much beer I missed on the bottom of the kegs from bending the dip tube, I inverted the primary kegs, pouring the beer into a quart mason jar. Hardly any beer came out (mostly trub):

Leftovers2.jpg


Flawless closed transfer. Hope this helps someone out there.
 
Yep, while the sanke has a slight size advantage, I've read they can be difficult to clean, and setting up an air lock isn't quite as easy. This 6.5 gallon corny only needs parts I already had laying around.
 
Was thinking about this using this and how it would impact yeast reuse. I guess it would make sense to dump a gallon of water in post packaging and stir or shake. Then let settle for an hour, and transfer off the settled trub for further decanting or storage. That should work.
 
Since I've been doing 2.5-3 gallon batches in my Picobrew Zymatic using my 5 gallon kegs for the brew (gotta have room for all the starting water) and fermentation, I've really been enjoying fermenting in my minifridge fermentation and doing closed vessel transfers, have you have done in this thread.

Out of curiosity, I plugged a 5G final volume batch into the Recipe Crafter and maxed out the grain additions at 9lbs. It looks like an OG of 1.05 could be attained if one were to do the multi-step high efficiency mash, which could ferment down to a ~5.5% ABV beer. Not bad.

I probably won't give it a shot, since these kegs are $120 AND I can't even drink the 3 gallon batches I'm making - but its nice to know these exist! Keep us updated!
 
Since it's been a while from the original post, I was wondering how your experience continues to be? I am very interested in going this route.
 
Since it's been a while from the original post, I was wondering how your experience continues to be? I am very interested in going this route.

Thanks for the reminder - I've been meaning to post an update, but laziness has always prevailed.

I'm still using them! I did run into two issues:

1: The dip tubes were low quality, and the lips (which prevent them from falling into the keg) broke off of one liquid and one gas dip tube. As such, I replaced all 4 (2 kegs) with better quality parts.

2: When I dry hop for my IPAs, the small dip tubes get clogged, so I have to siphon the beer out. Not a big deal. Sometimes even with my regular beers I still siphon out of laziness anyway.

Otherwise, I love them. When I cold crash, I charge them with ~20psi of CO2, which prevents oxygen from being sucked in as the temperature drops, which has been the case with any other fermentation vessel I've ever used. Having the beer in stainless free of O2 gives me the option to just let it sit for a long time without worry. I also fill the headspace with CO2 after adding dry hops to keep the O2 levels to a minimum. As you may have guessed, I get lazy, and have left my beers sitting in the fermenters for much longer than my initial schedule has called for. Peace of mind is great.
 
I am doing something similar with my IPAs (closed system transfers, natural carbonation). I took some 400 mesh screen, cut it to size, wrapped it around the dip tube to get proper fit, soldered it and crimped one end. This slips over my dip tube and prevents any trub or hop matter from clogging the tube or other small parts...you can also buy them from AIH if you are not handy or don't want to bother making them yourself...

http://www.homebrewing.org/Corny-Keg-Dip-Tube-Screen_p_2091.html
 
+++1 on the Clear Beer draught system. I currently have one in three kegs. Really makes a difference!
I also have dip tube screens on all my other kegs. Since I frequently keg condition I've also shortened the dip tubes by about 1/2".
 
Looks like they don't have any at the moment. Might want to contact William's Brewing to see if they plan on getting more in
 

$205 now. That's too much for a corny fermenter. You are getting into ssbrewtech almost at that price. I shot an email to Williams so I'll post back when I hear from them.

I was brainstorming ideas for more Conicals and one of these with a brewjacket and a stainless filter over the diptube might just be the ticket. Then throw in your keezer for a day or two to cold crash and transfer right from the keezer into the serving keg and swap them out. At $120 for the keg and $199/EA for the heated/cooled brewjacket if you buy 3, you'd be at $320 for a heated/cooled stainless fermenter that you can do pressurized transfers in with pretty much zero o2 exposure. You'd probably have to buy a neoprene jacket too for the keg to help keep fermenting temps.

Edit:got ahold of Williams brewing and they said they will not be getting anymore of these and that they have been "discontinued" which is really too bad. At the $120 price point they would've worked out awesome.
 
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