I recently just picked up four pin lock kegs for free, although I am setup for ball locks. No big deal I thought, free is free and I can change out the posts! I am already maxed out with what my kegerator can hold but again, who says no to free corny kegs? Not me! So then it hit me, why not use these to ferment in and have a closed system and minimize the oxygen exposure?
I have spent many hours researching and reading about using a corny keg to ferment in. I have read various threads from this forum (like this write up) and others. Even this BYO article was helpful. I have even watched youtube videos and what not. I know some who use corny kegs to ferment in will trim the output tube so it's above the yeast cake. Others will bend the dip tube instead of cutting it and others will leave it as is. Some use fermcap to minimize the amount of foam that is caused by fermentation and what not.
So here are my questions.
1. - If I am going to use the gas in post as a blow off tube. I assume I should remove the poppet and the post, right? If so, when I go to transfer the beer then I have to reassemble it. Is that what others do with this setup?
1A. - Do I need to modify the gas connector to use it as a blow off? If so, what do I do? Or just connect the tube like any other blowoff?
2. - Do you remove the poppets from the liquid in posts on both kegs when you transfer the beer? I would think you might want to, to help prevent any clogs from occurring from hop debris or yeast sediment. But then I think it won't hold pressure that is needed for the transfer.
3. - I was thinking if I do a 10 gallon batch then I could use all four corny kegs to ferment all 10 gallons. Normally I try to get 5.5-6 gallons into my fermenters to account for all the loss and still end up with 5 gallons. Here I could place 3 gallons into each keg and then transfer the two kegs with the same yeast into one serving keg and do the same with the other two. If I do this, there's nothing new I have to account for, right?
4. - Is there a certain length of tubing I should use to transfer? Or does that not matter?
5. - How do you go about dry hoping? Usually I dry hop in the keg (leave it in till it kicks), but a lot of methods I see to purge the serving keg is to fill it with San Star and push it out then fill. Do you just dry hop in the fermenting keg instead?
6. - Lastly, does anyone have any tips? Is there anything I may have missed?
Thanks in advance everyone! Cheers!
I have spent many hours researching and reading about using a corny keg to ferment in. I have read various threads from this forum (like this write up) and others. Even this BYO article was helpful. I have even watched youtube videos and what not. I know some who use corny kegs to ferment in will trim the output tube so it's above the yeast cake. Others will bend the dip tube instead of cutting it and others will leave it as is. Some use fermcap to minimize the amount of foam that is caused by fermentation and what not.
So here are my questions.
1. - If I am going to use the gas in post as a blow off tube. I assume I should remove the poppet and the post, right? If so, when I go to transfer the beer then I have to reassemble it. Is that what others do with this setup?
1A. - Do I need to modify the gas connector to use it as a blow off? If so, what do I do? Or just connect the tube like any other blowoff?
2. - Do you remove the poppets from the liquid in posts on both kegs when you transfer the beer? I would think you might want to, to help prevent any clogs from occurring from hop debris or yeast sediment. But then I think it won't hold pressure that is needed for the transfer.
3. - I was thinking if I do a 10 gallon batch then I could use all four corny kegs to ferment all 10 gallons. Normally I try to get 5.5-6 gallons into my fermenters to account for all the loss and still end up with 5 gallons. Here I could place 3 gallons into each keg and then transfer the two kegs with the same yeast into one serving keg and do the same with the other two. If I do this, there's nothing new I have to account for, right?
4. - Is there a certain length of tubing I should use to transfer? Or does that not matter?
5. - How do you go about dry hoping? Usually I dry hop in the keg (leave it in till it kicks), but a lot of methods I see to purge the serving keg is to fill it with San Star and push it out then fill. Do you just dry hop in the fermenting keg instead?
6. - Lastly, does anyone have any tips? Is there anything I may have missed?
Thanks in advance everyone! Cheers!
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