Fermentation issue

[RyPA]

Backstory: I brewed a batch Sunday and as I was cooling, my wort chiller sprung a leak and a thin spray of water made it into the 190F wort for a few seconds. I decided to keep going and used a backup cooler. Fermentation kicked off ~18 hours later and everything was going smooth.

This morning I threw in my high krausen dry hops. When I popped the lid everything looked fine, just a slightly foamy head on top. I was thinking I may have avoided contamination and all is well.

An hour ago I decided to move the fermenter into a different room to allow my iSpindel to make contact with my router. I ferment in a Torpedo keg which introduces a range problem.

When I put my blow off tube back on, I saw no bubbles and thought something was up. I go to add some CO2 from my kegerator and I hear no gas when I connect it.

I pull the PRV a few times and it finally lets out a spray of crap across the room, literally. I bring the keg into a nearby bathroom to let off some excess pressure and hopefully get it under control - it again sprayed pressurized crap against the wall. I now have a hose connected to the IN and OUT ports and have the PRV stuck open and its not letting anything out. If I bob the PRV up and down I get a hiss here and there.

Lesson learned, I am never fermenting in a keg again.

Is this batch bad, or did the hops maybe kick off another round of fermentation? I'm nervous the keg is going to explode, but am hoping it would force pressure out through one of the opens before aluminum would give way. Any pointers are appreciated

Using Verdant IPA yeast and last update I got from iSpindel it was at around 75% attenuation

 

[day_trippr]

I'm gonna guess the hops provided a gazillion nucleation sites that tried to drive krausen everywhere...

 

[RyPA]

Maybe I can roll the keg on the ground to rinse out what is clogging up the PRV and IN port where I connect my blow off tube to.

 

[adhomebrew10]

I think you are ok. Getting rogue water into 190 degrees likely didn’t contaminate your beer. Hard to say but could be that Krausen blocked the prv and you now have offgassing from the beer building up slight pressure. Will likely be fine.

 

[RyPA]

I think you are ok. Getting rogue water into 190 degrees likely didn’t contaminate your beer. Hard to say but could be that Krausen blocked the prv and you now have offgassing from the beer building up slight pressure. Will likely be fine.

Yeah I think that’s exactly it. The crap shooting out is Krausen. I hope I can get it under control so I can get a blow off tube back on. Once it finishes releasing most of the pressure I’m going to roll the keg on the ground for a while to get the plumbing cleared out

 

[RyPA]

I got it under control. I finally got enough pressure out where I was able to nudge the keg lid in/open. I then put some CO2 into the port I use for blow off to clear it out and I now have it back on a blow off.

Open questions:
1. Will this last through the night
2. Will the beer be salvagable
3. Did my iSpindel survive It survived, but for some reason stopped sending updates.

 

[adhomebrew10]

I got it under control. I finally got enough pressure out where I was able to nudge the keg lid in/open. I then put some CO2 into the port I use for blow off to clear it out and I now have it back on a blow off.

Open questions:
1. Will this last through the night
2. Will the beer be salvagable
3. Did my iSpindel survive It survived, but for some reason stopped sending updates.

If you have a blow off hooked up that should vent the yeast if fermentation is still that active. Beer is resilient. During active fermentation so much co2 is bubbling up it is blowing things up and away. Let it ride, wait it out and see what happens. It will be beer for sure.

 

[RyPA]

If you have a blow off hooked up that should vent the yeast if fermentation is still that active. Beer is resilient. During active fermentation so much co2 is bubbling up it is blowing things up and away. Let it ride, wait it out and see what happens. It will be beer for sure.

I use a blowoff tube, the problem is the krausen went bonkers and clogged everything up. I ferment in a keg, so the outlets are pretty small.

 

[odie]

it would help if you described this keg ferment set up. Lots of details not included and will create assumptions.

1. keg size and batch size? I do 5 in a 5 and do not have these issues.

2. blow off tube? how attached? size? poppet? QD? post installed? I find it best to completely remove the gas fitting and just slip a large diameter silicone hose over the threaded post into a jar of water.

3. PRV? what psi? I use the blue 10psi ones for initial pressure fermenting and swap to red 35psi for finishing.

4. temperature? higher temps will mean more aggressive krausen. Are u using a ferm chamber to help control rate of fermentation?

 

[RyPA]

it would help if you described this keg ferment set up. Lots of details not included and will create assumptions.

1. keg size and batch size? I do 5 in a 5 and do not have these issues.

2. blow off tube? how attached? size? poppet? QD? post installed? I find it best to completely remove the gas fitting and just slip a large diameter silicone hose over the threaded post into a jar of water.

3. PRV? what psi? I use the blue 10psi ones for initial pressure fermenting and swap to red 35psi for finishing.

4. temperature? higher temps will mean more aggressive krausen. Are u using a ferm chamber to help control rate of fermentation?

1. 6g Torpedo, and I probably overfilled it a bit, I should have left more headroom for the Verdant yeast

2. Blowoff tube connected to the gas IN port on the keg. This is part of my problem, as it’s very easy for krausen to clog the small opening

3. Stock white PRV, this too was clogged by krausen

4. I was fermenting at around 68, all was fine until I added high krausen dry hops. This made the krausen go crazy.

I’ve fermented in this keg for the past 2 years almost exclusively and never had an issue. I usually use kveik and rarely add hops on krausen.

 

[odie]

#2 is your problem. remove the gas in port completely and use about a 1/2" tube.

well, actually you didn't answer #2

 

[RyPA]

#2 is your problem. remove the gas in port completely and use about a 1/2" tube.

well, actually you didn't answer #2

It’s using a ball lock post / fitting and I have an old liquid line attached to it.

So with your method, the line just rests in the hole and relies on friction to be air tight?

 

[odie]

It’s using a ball lock post / fitting and I have an old liquid line attached to it.

So with your method, the line just rests in the hole and relies on friction to be air tight?

bad, bad, bad...

I only do that once the blowoff drops a lot.

I use a silicone tubing. 12mm I think. fits nice and is air tight enough.

 

[RyPA]

bad, bad, bad...

I only do that once the blowoff drops a lot.

I use a silicone tubing. 12mm I think. fits nice and is air tight enough.

View attachment 841850

It works, I've brewed using this method for 99.56% of my batches with 0 issue.

Not to say it isn't flawed, it becomes a problem when you get a crazy krausen like I had and you filled the keg to near capacity. If your fermentation is under control, and/or you use some ferm-cap, you're good to go.

But I like what you did, I'm going to construct something like that but I want to get a fitting that screws/seals onto the keg and I'll use that going forward. It was a bit scary having a keg loaded with who knows how much pressure and no way to release it.

 

[day_trippr]

I want to get a fitting the screws/seals onto the keg

Good luck with that quest. Keg riser threads are rather exclusive.
But if by some miracle you actually find something other than a post with the poppet removed, be sure to let everyone know

Cheers!

 

[RyPA]

Good luck with that quest. Keg riser threads are rather exclusive.
But if by some miracle you actually find something other than a post with the poppet removed, be sure to let everyone know

Cheers!

lol thanks for the warning, I wonder if @Bobby_M has anything

 

[day_trippr]

This is what you'd be looking for to start.
While I assume you'd be looking for a gas riser attachment I've pasted these thread sizes for both gas and liquid risers from popular keg types.
Note that these are all straight pipe threads as they are not thread-sealed connections, they rely on that small O-ring under the dip tube flange to seal...

Firestone V Challenger, Firestone VI Challenger, Firestone Super Challenger
Gas 9/16"-18
Liquid 5/8" -18

Cornelius Spartan & Super Champion
Gas 19/32" - 18
Liquid 19/32" - 18

Cheers!

 

[Bobby_M]

I think modifying the lid to have a larger output port would be advantageous. No reason a 1/2" pipe nipple couldn't be welded on (sanitary on the underside) and then use a swivel /barb to direct it to a hose. When you're done fermenting, remove the barb and cap it.

 

[RyPA]

I think modifying the lid to have a larger output port would be advantageous. No reason a 1/2" pipe nipple couldn't be welded on (sanitary on the underside) and then use a swivel /barb to direct it to a hose. When you're done fermenting, remove the barb and cap it.

View attachment 841881

Any possibility of fabricating a fitting that connects to the IN port of the keg and converts it to 1/2 NPT, or a hose barb?

 

[RyPA]

I found a piece of hose that fits snugly onto the post, the krausen hopefully will not be able to clog that hole

 

[Bobby_M]

The only downside is that you do expose the beer to oxygen when you have to take that hose off.

 

[RyPA]

The only downside is that you do expose the beer to oxygen when you have to take that hose off.

I was planning to remove the hose and add the QD fitting when I dry hop, since the beer would be exposed with that step. I usually do 10 or so co2 purges when I dry hop.

 

[sibelman]

crap shooting out

For future reference: a generous towel draped over the top of the keg will somewhat limit the blast radius. Best in a sink or tub.

 

[RyPA]

For future reference: a generous towel draped over the top of the keg will somewhat limit the blast radius. Best in a sink or tub.

Yeah the initial blast only occurred because I initially didn’t know anything was wrong. I moved the keg into a bathroom for the rest of the detonations.