Anyone fermenting sours in corny kegs?

[KirkMN]

I am using corny kegs for fermentation vessels and was wondering if they'd be good to use for sours too.

Does being able to see the pellicle add a lot of value?

 

[burninator]

It adds an interest factor for me, but the beer doesn't come out differently because I can see it, Schroedinger notwithstanding.

 

[DaftCaskBC]

It's not the best option. You can leave a carboy and traditional airlock alone with less mess and less worry.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

It adds an interest factor for me, but the beer doesn't come out differently because I can see it, Schroedinger notwithstanding.

you have beer in a vessel, and have pitched yeast. Until you open the vessel and check the gravity, it simultaneously both has and has not reached fg.

 

[MileHighBrewer]

If you purge the corny before racking and after ( just a little, not trying to carb it) then odds are you will not have a pellicle. Having a pellicle just means your beer is being exposed to oxygen, it is not indicative of making a good sour.

 

[TAK]

I believe Palmer mentioned that he ages his sours in kegs on some episode of Brew Strong.

 

[wardens355]

I ferment in carboys, secondary in carboys for 6 months or so, then transfer to keg for extended aging. When the sour starts hitting the sweet spot, I fill bottles from keg and drop a sugar drop or two in the bottle and carbonate. I can fill individual bottles this way and keep bulk aging.

 

[cram]

Perhaps, not the answer you're looking for, but I think corny kegs are great for sour mashing because you can add CO2 and seal it up pretty well. Plus, in the summer in a hot climate, you can maintain high temps pretty well with a couple hacks. Otherwise, for long-aged sours, I prefer the clarity of glass.

 

[Austin_]

I secondary/bulk age all my sours in corny kegs. Just easier for me. I like the amount of space they take up. I like that I can take samples without having to open up the vessel and allow oxygen in. Just throw a short picnic tap on, grab a sample, and disconnect. If I want to bottle, I can force carb it in the keg and then bottle. It takes some of the guesswork out of bottle priming sours.

I don't know if they form a pellicle in the keg. Probably not. I purge with CO2 prior and I never open them up to find out. Pellicles are cool to look at and admire, but a pretty pellicle doesn't necessarily mean a pretty beer.