Moving sour beers

[CoolDaddy]

I will be moving in July and need to move two 5 gallon sours that are currently in carboys. They are both in secondaries after racking off the yeast cake and adding oak. The first was brewed 9 months and has been in secondary for 8 months. The other was brewed 7 months ago and has been in the secondary for 5 months.

I am trying to find the best way to move them. Small samples have been taken 1-2 times from each since going in to the secondary, but have not taken gravity readings. I also changed to S airlocks a couple of months ago because they were sucking sanitizer in possibly due to temp swings, so oxygen may be flowing both ways. The both have pellicles on them.

At this point I see three options.

1. Do nothing and just move them as is.

2. Add a small amount of starter wort to get push oxygen out and then move.

3. Rack to kegs and flush with co2. I would need to rack back to the carboys and I do need the kegs for clean beers. I would need to change anything that is rubber like o-rings and probably relief valve.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

 

[milldoggy]

When I moved, I just moved them as is. No ill affect. One did start fermenting again in transit. Shot off the solid stopper I put in it.

 

[IslandLizard]

How far do you need to move them?

I think they can be moved safely in the carboys. I've done it, but it was only 20 miles, in the back of the van surrounded by blankets. You could hear them slosh.

If I were you, I would have flushed the headspace with CO2 after each sample, and would do the same before moving them. Plug em up, move, then replace with airlocks at destination. If you think they'll degass while in transit leave the airlocks on.

Oh, forgot to say, safety first while carrying them. Put in padded crates or use brewhaulers. 2 people, 1 person on each side.

 

[CoolDaddy]

How far do you need to move them?

I think they can be moved safely in the carboys. I've done it, but it was only 20 miles, in the back of the van surrounded by blankets. You could hear them slosh.

If I were you, I would have flushed the headspace with CO2 after each sample, and would do the same before moving them. Plug em up, move, then replace with airlocks at destination. If you think they'll degass while in transit leave the airlocks on.

Oh, forgot to say, safety first while carrying them. Put in padded crates or use brewhaulers. 2 people, 1 person on each side.

Both have brewhaulers, safety always first!

I will be moving about 20 miles as well. I do try to flush with co2 when I take samples. Someone did suggest to me just plugging with solid bung, but I could flush first just to make sure and then move them as gently as possible. I know they will slosh around and hearing that would make me worry about oxygen, but it may be the best and easiest option.

 

[MysticX]

When I moved recently, I put all the sours that weren't ready to be bottled in some pin lock kegs I bought, where they still reside. It made moving them, and now storing them, easier, and I was also concerned about all of the sloshing around.

 

[IslandLizard]

Both have brewhaulers, safety always first!

I will be moving about 20 miles as well. I do try to flush with co2 when I take samples. Someone did suggest to me just plugging with solid bung, but I could flush first just to make sure and then move them as gently as possible. I know they will slosh around and hearing that would make me worry about oxygen, but it may be the best and easiest option.

If it were cross country or so, I'd keg em. Not worth the bother for 20 miles.

Definitely flush them with CO2. That sloshing is a great way to oxidize that beer, unless the headspace is very small (~1" under the neck).

Make sure the stitching hasn't rotted out on the brewhaulers. (wet floor or submerged in tubs/swamp coolers).

 

[505-Brewer]

If your really worried about O2 then use a stopper with 2 holes in each carboy. Send CO2 gas in the first hole first carboy which exits the second hole first carboy into the first hole second carboy and the exits the second hole second carboy -either through an airlock or a blow off tube type airlock. 1-2 psi would be plenty.
I'd be more worried about glass breakage then O2. Pellicle will reform.

 

[CoolDaddy]

If it were cross country or so, I'd keg em. Not worth the bother for 20 miles.

Definitely flush them with CO2. That sloshing is a great way to oxidize that beer, unless the headspace is very small (~1" under the neck).

Make sure the stitching hasn't rotted out on the brewhaulers. (wet floor or submerged in tubs/swamp coolers).

I will definitely flush it with CO2 as it has a bigger headspace than 1". Will also check the brewhaulers, good call!

 

[CoolDaddy]

If your really worried about O2 then use a stopper with 2 holes in each carboy. Send CO2 gas in the first hole first carboy which exits the second hole first carboy into the first hole second carboy and the exits the second hole second carboy -either through an airlock or a blow off tube type airlock. 1-2 psi would be plenty.
I'd be more worried about glass breakage then O2. Pellicle will reform.

Interesting. I'll definitely be flushing with CO2, but you idea may ensure that all O2 definitely gets flushed out. Thanks.

 

[milldoggy]

I would not worry about o2. Brett will take care of it. I drove twenty miles sloshly all around. I did not flush. Sours came out amazing.

 

[Bassaholic]

I am in a similar situation, but I am moving across country from New York to California. I have a Flanders red and a lambic that are around 5-6 months in now. I do not have the option to keg, but if I flushed with c02 and put a solid stopper on would they survive the trek?

 

[foltster]

Maybe just bottle it up before you move. Can always continue to age in the bottles...

 

[Bassaholic]

I'll have to check the gravity on them and see if it's low enough to bottle. I was hoping to bulk age them a little longer before bottling though.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

If ya' wanna' move them some distance, in carboys, get another carboy, and use it like a blowoff bottle.
Purge both the holding and blowoff vessels with CO2, put a sanitized blowoff tube on the holding vessel, and route it to the other carboy that has a level of StarSan in it, to submerge the tube, and drive on.
Watch your temp swings on the holding vessel, so's ya' don't siphon sanitizer back into it.

 

[Bassaholic]

So I think I will have space for a kegerator after I move. I definitely want to have one dedicated tap for sour beer. I was wondering if a keg used to store a sour for the move could then be sanitized and used for clean beer after? Would I just need to replace the gaskets and rings?

 

[foltster]

For my sour kegs I am planning to replace all the non-stainless parts. While I have the keg posts off, I would PBW soak or run them through the dishwasher. Reassemble the kegs. Then I am planning on 3 cleaning/sanitizing steps.

1. overnight soak with PBW made with hot tap water. shake as often as seems reasonable, but at least 3 times. Dump and lightly rinse right before step 2.

2. overnight soak with star-san. again shake often. dump and rinse right before step 3.

3. a hot water "pasteurization" of sorts. 3 or so gallons of boiling water dumped in the keg, shake it a few times over the course of about 30 minutes(careful, hot). then push out at least a couple gallons through a cobra tap. Drain hot water. Rinse. Flush with co2 if not immediately filling with beer.

After those 3 steps I would be confident the keg is ready to go into back into rotation. I would use star-san again immediately before filling the keg.

 

[BGBC]

I am in a similar situation, but I am moving across country from New York to California. I have a Flanders red and a lambic that are around 5-6 months in now. I do not have the option to keg, but if I flushed with c02 and put a solid stopper on would they survive the trek?

That's a long trek. I'd say bottle it up or buy a couple kegs just for the trip. Pressure and temp changes with taking it across the country, over mountains etc will make it hard to control in a carboy.

Short move should be find in the carboys.

 

[CoolDaddy]

That's a long trek. I'd say bottle it up or buy a couple kegs just for the trip. Pressure and temp changes with taking it across the country, over mountains etc will make it hard to control in a carboy.

Short move should be find in the carboys.

Since mine is short, 20 miles, I plan to leave in the carboy based on feedback from people that replied.

If I were doing the long trek from NY to CA I would do kegs instead.