Doubling Down: SS Brewtech Conical + FTSS + Glycol Power Pack

[marjen]

Just ordered my Glycol Chiller! Wow thats a lot of money, lol. Hopefully no more equipment this year. Next year will go Electric.

For those with a glycol chiller, what kind of glycol do you get? Is this good? And how much do you need to chill a single unitank?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GI2CIQS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[marjen]

Just curious what kind of connection people are using after the butterfly valve for transfers to the keg?

 

[byounger]

Just ordered my Glycol Chiller! Wow thats a lot of money, lol. Hopefully no more equipment this year. Next year will go Electric.

For those with a glycol chiller, what kind of glycol do you get? Is this good? And how much do you need to chill a single unitank?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GI2CIQS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

That’s what I have. Works great. Just add 2 gallons of distilled water in the reservoir.

 

[marjen]

That’s what I have. Works great. Just add 2 gallons of distilled water in the reservoir.

So I only need 1 gallon of that?

 

[byounger]

So I only need 1 gallon of that?

Yes. But that being said I did buy 2 just incase I ever need to add more. I have had it 4 months and haven’t had to yet.

 

[byounger]

Just curious what kind of connection people are using after the butterfly valve for transfers to the keg?

May want to consider serving directly from a Brite Tank since I see you’ve ordered a chiller. That way you can scrap your keg refrigerator (and kegs) and use the glycol chiller for both fermentation and conditioning/serving. I use these connections to serve.

 

[czmkid]

Just curious what kind of connection people are using after the butterfly valve for transfers to the keg?

1.5 tc that has a liquid out post on it...this then runs either to the filter (think I’m about done with it AGAIN lol) then back to the liquid out post of the keg I am filling. Thus filling from the bottom to the top.

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15blg.htm

Just kegged my pineapple sculpin this morning and brewed a Ron Mexico clone today. Tell ya what...kegging, then cleaning, then tearing down the tc fittings, putting them back together....and brewing all on one day is not so much fun. Think the cold side bit is gonna be on one day and then the brewing another.

 

[czmkid]

@byounger

How are your pours from the tank? I see you have a flow control perlick on there I assume that helps compensate for not having a length of serving line. Also how are you dealing with condensation from the tank and or glycol lines. Even with the neoprene and pipe insulation mine sweats a lot especially when the dewpoint is high. Even the top of my glycol tank beads up with water. Maybe is due to the fact mine are on the covered patio?

 

[Tozzi]

May want to consider serving directly from a Brite Tank since I see you’ve ordered a chiller. That way you can scrap your keg refrigerator (and kegs) and use the glycol chiller for both fermentation and conditioning/serving. I use these connections to serve.

This looks really nice and I've been searching for a connection like this one, like forever.
Could you provide me with a link where you got this TC to tap fitting from?
Man, you guys are really fortunate. It is a major PITA (and mostly in vain) to try and find seemingly basic stuff like this in Europe.

 

[byounger]

@byounger

How are your pours from the tank? I see you have a flow control perlick on there I assume that helps compensate for not having a length of serving line. Also how are you dealing with condensation from the tank and or glycol lines. Even with the neoprene and pipe insulation mine sweats a lot especially when the dewpoint is high. Even the top of my glycol tank beads up with water. Maybe is due to the fact mine are on the covered patio?

Flow control is an absolute must. My first taps weren’t... that lasted 2 pours. It was like drinking from a firehose.

There is slight condensation when I am not conditioning the basement (I live in Georgia so when the heat or air conditioning are not running ambient moisture builds down there). If I bump the air conditioning the problem goes away. If you zoom in on the pic you can see slight condensation.

 

[byounger]

This looks really nice and I've been searching for a connection like this one, like forever.
Could you provide me with a link where you got this TC to tap fitting from?
Man, you guys are really fortunate. It is a major PITA (and mostly in vain) to try and find seemingly basic stuff like this in Europe.

No problem... I out at my kids party tonight but will post all the links when I get back home.

 

[marjen]

I would rather transfer to kegs so I can use the unitank for another batch. Right now carbing in the tank is an issue, as transfers have not been smooth. Hoper to figure that out. Will use it basically as a fermenter for now.

Anyone have a good hop filter, or filter to attach to the racking arm? I got one for racking arm but does not fit. Looking to keep all the hops out of the transfer. Always issues with poppets and ball locks.

 

[Tozzi]

The Bouncer McDaddy isn't bad, but clogs up when lots of dry hops were used.
Also, I don't know if it can sustain the pressure.

I'm now using this one, which is extremely nice, but somewhat exotic and I don't know if it's available outside Europe (while it evidently was made in China, so it should be available through one of the usual outlets there):
https://www.braubebo.de/tri-clamp/filter/35/hopstrainer-hopfenfilter?c=15

Else, you could try to use a Blichmann HopRocket and fill it with rice hulls or other sorts of husks.
You could also use flower hops to give your beer an "extra kick"...
I've done that before and it also works quite well.

As for the transfer, a typical mistake is to have the pressure set too low.
Try with a few more PSI on both serving and receiving sides, keeping the difference as low as possible.
A spunding valve on the keg's gas post helps immensely.

 

[helibrewer]

I also have the Brite tank (10 gal) and was disappointed that there wasn't a way to relieve pressure when there is product in the tank. I modified mine like this:

 

[helibrewer]

Just curious what kind of connection people are using after the butterfly valve for transfers to the keg?

I use a 1.5" TC to male 1/4" flare connector with a John Guest 1/4" flare to push connect (5/16") fitting (http://www.farmhousebrewingsupply.com/1-4-mfl-push-to-connect/). I use BevSeal Ultra tubing with push connect fittings on everything; faucet tail pieces, keg connectors, Unitank and Brite tank

 

[Morrey]

I had huge success with CIP cleaning today after switching from a Chugger 7 gpm pump over to a 1/5 hp Harbor Freight sump pump I use for keg system cleaning. I installed a ball valve on the pump's output to control flow rate. Beautiful setup and worked like a charm.

I didn't have such great success transferring carbed beer with a 1 micron filter inline between the Uni tank and keg. I filled keg with sani-clean and pushed sanitizer out of keg, thru the filter and into a catch bucket. I sanitized and purged the filter and lines in one operation. Very smooth and no foaming inside the filter and 3/16" lines.

HOWEVER, when pushing carbed beer I got NOTHING BUT FOAM after the filter in the output line. The filter created turbulence that made a darn mess pumping foam. Remembering what Tozzi said, I increased input pressure to 10 psi and increased spunding valve back pressure to 7 psi. I tried every combo of pushing pressure and spunding back pressure and finally gave up.

The beer (lager) is pretty clear anyway so I ditched the filter and put on my standard transfer line after wasting a quart or so of beer. Unless there is something I missed, my impression is that carbed beer may be problematic through a filter. Maybe uncarbed beer works better, but I am not impressed with my not so great filtration efforts.

 

[Morrey]

1.5 tc that has a liquid out post on it...this then runs either to the filter (think I’m about done with it AGAIN lol) then back to the liquid out post of the keg I am filling. Thus filling from the bottom to the top.

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15blg.htm

Just kegged my pineapple sculpin this morning and brewed a Ron Mexico clone today. Tell ya what...kegging, then cleaning, then tearing down the tc fittings, putting them back together....and brewing all on one day is not so much fun. Think the cold side bit is gonna be on one day and then the brewing another.

Yeah, all that is a bit too much for one day...at least for me as it seems we agree totally. Brewing and cleaning up is a pretty long process, and transfer to keg and cleaning is a long process in itself. I stagger these a day apart as I find it too taxing all in one day.

 

[Tozzi]

Unless there is something I missed, my impression is that carbed beer may be problematic through a filter.

Yes, unfortunately, that may well be the case.
The hop particles probably cause gushing (Mentos effect).

 

[Morrey]

this then runs either to the filter (think I’m about done with it AGAIN lol) then back to the liquid out post of the keg I am filling.

Did you have a bad experience (like me) pushing carbed beer thru the filter?

 

[martianpc]

So I'm looking for tips here. I use sight glasses to capture and save yeast (instead of Mason jars) however, I'm making a 12 gallon Czech lager right now and when I closed the valve right on the dump port and removed the sight glass I attached another capped sight glass to fill again since mine was 100 percent full of beautiful yeast. Didn't think about all the oxygen that would introduce by opening the valve. Of course it all bubbled up, I immediately purged the headspace, but can't help wonder if I got oxygen into the beer since fermentation is done.

Any ideas how to minimize or eliminate that? And thoughts on if I will notice the oxygen?

Thanks

 

[helibrewer]

So I'm looking for tips here. I use sight glasses to capture and save yeast (instead of Mason jars) however, I'm making a 12 gallon Czech lager right now and when I closed the valve right on the dump port and removed the sight glass I attached another capped sight glass to fill again since mine was 100 percent full of beautiful yeast. Didn't think about all the oxygen that would introduce by opening the valve. Of course it all bubbled up, I immediately purged the headspace, but can't help wonder if I got oxygen into the beer since fermentation is done.

Any ideas how to minimize or eliminate that? And thoughts on if I will notice the oxygen?

Thanks

Use a valve on the sight glass instead of a cap. Crack the downstream valve then open the dump.

 

[martianpc]

Use a valve on the sight glass instead of a cap. Crack the downstream valve then open the dump.

I assume you mean crack just a tiny bit to allow pressure out. Wouldn't I lose a bunch or beer / yeast that way?

 

[helibrewer]

I assume you mean crack just a tiny bit to allow pressure out. Wouldn't I lose a bunch or beer / yeast that way?

By regulating the dump valve and bleed valve you can get very fine control of the flow with little loss.

 

[martianpc]

By regulating the dump valve and bleed valve you can get very fine control of the flow with little loss.

Thanks, I'll give it a try after this sight glass is full. I'm getting tons of good yeast from this batch. I have 4 sight glasses so it's easy to keep filling them as long as good yeast is settling down.

 

[sfrisby]

Use a valve on the sight glass instead of a cap. Crack the downstream valve then open the dump.

May I trouble you for a pic, please?

 

[czmkid]

Did you have a bad experience (like me) pushing carbed beer thru the filter?

Yes! Same results as you posted. It didn’t happen with my first transfer (ever from the tank) of the pliney clone. Maybe because it wasn’t as carbonated as yesterday’s? I too, tried to bump up the psi with no good result. So I think the filter is going back on the shelf....OR the beer won’t be carbonated in the tank if I wanna use the filter. Ended up just going from the 1.5 tc post out to the liquid out on the keg. It just added to an already long beer day.

Going from my Ss brewbuckets I always had clear beer but both of the beers coming out of the tanks have been hazy. Think I’m gonna get two of those Ss dryhoppers that you provided the links for. I use the same company’s Ss hop basket in my boil so i know the quality is there like you said. So no real reason to use that filter in the first place.

 

[helibrewer]

May I trouble you for a pic, please?

I don't have a pic since I don't collect yeast at home, but it is essentially a block and bleed setup where the sight glass replaces the "T"

 

[Morrey]

Yes! Same results as you posted. It didn’t happen with my first transfer (ever from the tank) of the pliney clone. Maybe because it wasn’t as carbonated as yesterday’s? I too, tried to bump up the psi with no good result. So I think the filter is going back on the shelf....OR the beer won’t be carbonated in the tank if I wanna use the filter. Ended up just going from the 1.5 tc post out to the liquid out on the keg. It just added to an already long beer day.

Going from my Ss brewbuckets I always had clear beer but both of the beers coming out of the tanks have been hazy. Think I’m gonna get two of those Ss dryhoppers that you provided the links for. I use the same company’s Ss hop basket in my boil so i know the quality is there like you said. So no real reason to use that filter in the first place.

I had this water filter rigged for beer filtration for close to a year and never used it. After yesterday, I think it will find its way back to the shelf unless I transfer something "still" or non-carbed.

Uni tanks offer the advantage to dump trub after crashing and before carbing which seems to give nicely clear lagers w/o finings (or filtration) anyway. I'm always trying for ways to reach the higher fruit, when I really should be thankful for the beer quality being made now.

 

[dunnry]

Just curious what kind of connection people are using after the butterfly valve for transfers to the keg?

I use a flare fitting like this: https://www.ssbrewtech.com/collections/accessories/products/1-5-tc-to-1-4-mlf-threaded-flare

That connects directly to a normal draft line connection (using swivel nut of course) and terminates with standard ball lock connector that connects to keg. You don't need to have a ball lock post on the fitting, but you can add one easily if you wish.

 

[emr25]

Made some upgrades for fermentation prior to brewing the latest batch of NE IPA over the weekend.

First and foremost the Penguin 1/2 HP Glycol Chiller, with thick walled 3/8” silicone tubing and foam pipe insulation plumbed to the SS Brewtech 7 Gal BME Chronical chiller coils.

Also, a 3-way T-flow ball valve was added inline with my blowoff cane tubing. This will allow easy injection of CO2 into the conical headspace for uses such as flushing after adding dry hops and creating positive pressure for trub dumps, cold crashing, and pressure transfers to the keg.

The CO2 manifold was another new addition to be able to move the tank outside the fridge, with a 1/4” flare fitting pass-through bulkhead installed in the fridge sidewall to pass CO2 in for the keg.

Looking forward to year-round dialed in fermentation temperature control, minimized O2 exposure, and a true cold crash prior to racking to the keg!