Kegging/barrelling before fermentation has finished

[MikeFallopian]

I'm planning a kellerbier this winter, and I've been thinking, would it work if I kegged or barrelled beer during late fermentation? This could then produce enough carbon dioxide to gently carbonate the beer, which is what I'm looking for in the kellerbier, and I don't want to prime or carbonate using external co2.

I was planning to use a pressure barrel for the kellerbier, but do you think that this will also be effective using a corny keg? I was thinking of racking during late fermentation to a vessel which will be used for both lagering and dispense - a pressure barrel in the case of the kellerbier, but I was thinking of using this method for a bock in a corny keg, using external co2 just to dispense.

A friend of mine works at a brewery, and they use this method when racking to casks - straight from the fermenter to the cask for condition and dispense.

 

[kh54s10]

My question on this is how will you know how much carbonation you will get?

I have not always gotten a tight seal in my cornies without first pressurizing to 15 to 20 lbs, then releasing some of the pressure.

 

[dyqik]

If you have an adjustable pressure relief valve for the corny, then you can control the pressure and temperature in the keg, and hence the carbonation. I have the morebeer assembly for this, but you could build your own easily enough.

You can hit the keg with a blast of CO2 to seal it, then release the pressure with the pressure relief valve assembly.

 

[MikeFallopian]

My question on this is how will you know how much carbonation you will get?

I have not always gotten a tight seal in my cornies without first pressurizing to 15 to 20 lbs, then releasing some of the pressure.

I'm not too bothered about exact volumes of co2, just a gentle carbonation, which will be about right for a kellerbier.

I use a not-too-disimilar method when I've cornied other beers - I rack from primary to corny after fermentation, prime with 90g of sugar (in a boiled solution), leave it carbonate natural for 3-4 weeks, then dispense. I hardly use any external co2 this way - I only start to use the gas when the flow slows down just after half way through the keg. This method gives me lovely condition, gentle cask-like carbonation, a creamy mouthfeel (ahem) and fantastic head (ahem ahem).

You can probably tell that I don't like gassy carbonic beer!

 

[JPFuller]

Sounds like your looking for a spunding valve, it allows you to capture just the amount of gas you wish to retain for carbonation. BYO or Zymurgy had an article on making one awhile ago and I bet there is information on them in the DIY section of the forum. I'm planning on putting one together this winter, if work ever settles down

 

[dyqik]

I ended up buying the Morebeer assembly (on a ball lock) because I couldn't find a source for the pressure relief valve. Does someone have a source for those (0-30 psi adjustable pressure)?

 

[Stealthcruiser]

I ended up buying the Morebeer assembly (on a ball lock) because I couldn't find a source for the pressure relief valve. Does someone have a source for those (0-30 psi adjustable pressure)?

They have some here, not sure what type you're looking for.......


http://www.mcmaster.com/#adjustable-pressure-relief-valves/=ozb2xm

 

[MikeFallopian]

Sounds like your looking for a spunding valve, it allows you to capture just the amount of gas you wish to retain for carbonation. BYO or Zymurgy had an article on making one awhile ago and I bet there is information on them in the DIY section of the forum. I'm planning on putting one together this winter, if work ever settles down

Wouldn't the pressure release valve on the corny be enough? Say if I transferred from primary when I'm about two points away from final gravity, then if there's too much pressure when serving I could just burp it to relieve excess pressure?

 

[dyqik]

They have some here, not sure what type you're looking for.......


http://www.mcmaster.com/#adjustable-pressure-relief-valves/=ozb2xm

Not ones that are that expensive! Those are all much more (apart from one) than the whole $35 Morebeer assembly.

 

[MikeFallopian]

Bump

 

[cjhammel]

The most reliable method here is to let the fermentation finish then add priming sugar to the keg like you would be bottle conditioning. That way you will not over carb the beer. You can use a keg as a secondary with a pressure relief valve like was mentioned here there is a long thread on pressure fermentation https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/closed-system-pressurized-fermentation-technique-44344/ but I would then move the beer from the secondary keg to a serving keg.