PartyBible
Active Member
Anyone fermenting in the keg? I am not talking about force carbing....I mean the real deal wort and yeast pitching action. How do you put an airlock on it?
Fermenting in Sankes?
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Click the link on closed system in my signature for info. Also, there is a lot if you use the forum search feature.
wyzazz
Well-Known Member
Orange Carboy Cap, put it in hot water to make it "stretchy" and pop it over the top, insert airlock and you're golden!
PartyBible
Active Member
Wort,
I am reading through your thread. excellent job btw.
Wyzazz, This one?
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/...utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=4604
I am reading through your thread. excellent job btw.
Wyzazz, This one?
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/...utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign=4604
wyzazz
Well-Known Member
Yep, if you're just looking to ferment in this like you would a carboy or Ale Pale this is the least expensive route. There is also a kit sold by brewershardware.com that is all stainless, but you'll pay a bit more for it than the Carboy Cap.
The BrewersHardware unit works incredibly well. Since I ferment inside a kegerator, the BH unit allows me to attach a blowoff tube that I run out the top of the kegerator. I then attach the CO2 to the blowoff line when I'm ready to keg and push the beer right out via the built in racking arm. The thermowell works great as well for tracking/maintaining fermentation temp.
Like anything in homebrewing, there is always the cheap DIY route and then there is the more elegant engineered solution. The difference is how much effort you want to contribute.
Like anything in homebrewing, there is always the cheap DIY route and then there is the more elegant engineered solution. The difference is how much effort you want to contribute.
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PartyBible
Active Member
Wow,
Just did a little reading. It appears I can use my corneys with a dip run from the input/gas side.
Just did a little reading. It appears I can use my corneys with a dip run from the input/gas side.
Are you talking about fermenting in the cornies? Sure, you can do that - but you won't be able to ferment 5 gal batches in them. That's why the Sanke's are great - you can do a 10 gal batch and have plenty of head room.
Duckfoot
Well-Known Member
I use a Sanke for most of my brews at this point... Stopper and an airlock or a tri-clamp / 1/2" barb to a blowoff tube...
zanemoseley
Well-Known Member
Guess the deal breaker for many people is trying to wrangle a 120+ lb fermenter into a chest freezer.
wyzazz
Well-Known Member
Duckfoot
Well-Known Member
That is why I have a converted side by side fridge, a hand truck and an alcohol-induced sense of He-Manism..
(Just waiting to hear that shelf collapse and watch as my garage is covered in delicious fermenting wort...)
Closed system fermentation is an interesting system. Mine is on it's maiden voyage. Assuming I get the hang of it and the beer turns out, it is way easier. Imagine, no more carboys, caps, airlocks, blow off tubes, etc. I just pumped from keggle to CFC, inline O2 and straight into sanke. And the beer never touches the air once it's pumped to your sanke.
Don't know about pumping to kegs, but transferring under CO2 pressure is where it is at!
That's what I was referring too - using CO2 to pump it (push it) to my kegs.
Ahhhh, sorry. Thought you were talking about actually pumping the beer into the kegs. I thought it sounded weird. 
After reading this post and several others, I've migrated away from the conicals and requested a quote fro Sabco for their Sanke Fermenter.
Be sure to compare their offering with the Brewers hardware kit.
http://www.brewershardware.com/American-Sanke-Keg-Fermenter-Kit-with-Thermowell.html
I'm using this and it is fantastic. No need for the racking arm setup or thermometer that Sabco offers. Just use a sanke keg with the spear removed and put the unit on the top with the tri-clamp. I really like the internal thermowell for monitor the fermentation temps.
http://www.brewershardware.com/American-Sanke-Keg-Fermenter-Kit-with-Thermowell.html
I'm using this and it is fantastic. No need for the racking arm setup or thermometer that Sabco offers. Just use a sanke keg with the spear removed and put the unit on the top with the tri-clamp. I really like the internal thermowell for monitor the fermentation temps.
klyph
Well-Known Member
I have and use the brewer's hardware sanke kit, it is great. However, I only put it on for transfers, while it is fermenting, i stick one of these:
rubber carboy caps in UPSIDE DOWN in the neck of the sanke. It fits perfectly, no stretching or heating required. The airlock is a bit recessed into it, but that makes it lower profile.
rubber carboy caps in UPSIDE DOWN in the neck of the sanke. It fits perfectly, no stretching or heating required. The airlock is a bit recessed into it, but that makes it lower profile.
Why not just leave it in place? My blowoff tube has a MFL fitting on it, so I remove it from the blowoff jug and attach the CO2 right to it. The out post of the sanke kit has a QD on it for attaching to the OUT post of the kegs.
klyph
Well-Known Member
So I can use it to transfer from any of the kegs I have fermenting. Several kegs, one fancy gadget...
That makes sense... Doh!
Doh!
This assumes that I have a Sanke laying around which is not the case. Unless you know of an affordable source for Sanke kegs...?
klyph
Well-Known Member
Call local distributors/breweries and ask if they have any decommissioned shells. Check metal salvage/scrap yards. Craigslist...
I got all mine from Craig, nice guy but his sales people can be real weirdos.
One more question about this setup. How do you clean the inside? I know that I have to use a brush to clean the inside of my glass carboys. I can't see getting a brush through the neck or being able to see the inside to know if it's clean. The Sabco has that 4" opening at the top and one of the main reasons I prefer it. However, I'd hate to drop 3x the price of the BH setup if I don't have to. I could have three BH fermenters (plus 3 kegs) for the price of the Sabco and several more for the price of the Blichmannn. I just want a better fermenter than a 6.5 gallon glass bottle. I'd like to brew 10 gallon batches and it needs to fit in my fermentation chamber. The chamber was built to fit a Blichmann 14 gallon conical.
Scut_Monkey
Well-Known Member
I soak a 15.5 gallon sanke with ~8gallons of super hot tap water and 2 scoops of oxiclean. I install the spear and flip it upside down to allow it to clean all the dried on crap first while the water is at maximum temp. I flip it after about 30 minutes and will let it sit until the next evening or morning. At that point I remove the spear and rinse very well. I can inspect the insides with a mechanics mirror and an extension cord with a light on the end but this is generally not needed at all. It reads like a lot of work but is really quite easy and no scrubbing involved.
Using a 15.5 gallon sanke I can ferment 5 gallon batches all the way up to ~12 gallons if I wish. I can use super hot water (try that with a carboy or better bottle). Best of all when the fermentation is done I simply hook up the tap and push it with CO2 to my keg to reduce oxidation chances. Plus let's admit, a SS keg looks 10 times cooler than a fermentation bucket....
buzzkill
Well-Known Member
I clean mine with Oxy free and hot water..shake, let soak for few days. Then shake dump,shake while dumping. rinse with water. done. Before next use I rinse,boil 2 gals hard with Alum foil on top. Dump,let cool and fill.
Ditto as Skut Monkey!!! Only sometimes I just use cold water and let it sit a day or two before flipping and resting another day or two. I no longer have to look in the keg with a mirror or anything, as I know it is clean. Oh, and Skut... I just fermented 15.25 gallons in my Sanke under pressure with nothing coming out the spunding valve but nose burning CO2. God I love Sankes!!!
God I love Sankes!!!
Scut_Monkey
Well-Known Member
Ditto as Skut Monkey!!! Only sometimes I just use cold water and let it sit a day or two before flipping and resting another day or two. I no longer have to look in the keg with a mirror or anything, as I know it is clean. Oh, and Skut... I just fermented 15.25 gallons in my Sanke under pressure with nothing coming out the spunding valve but nose burning CO2.
Do you mean you use a cold water/oxiclean mixture or just plain cold water? Looking in the keg is more for reassurance for me. They always look clean but I like to look at the shiny stainless. It makes me happy.
