Sanke Keg possibilities

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RevDroz

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I have a 15.5 gallon sanke keg that I have been kicking around for awhile now. Logically I should return it for the $50 deposit, but where else would you get a 15.5 gallon fermenter or keggle? The real question remains is which do I want to do with it? Now I did by the NorCal Cross to use it for fermentation but I am still torn. It would be nice to be able to brew bigger batches and get 2 birds stoned at once. I really like my Castalyst Conicals and will definitely be buying more once we buy a bigger house.

So, I know I have spun in circles here and I still don't know what I want to do since both are viable options. Guess I will have to drink about it some more.
 
Return it. Those cost the brewery a lot more than the deposit to replace.

Edit: Sometimes they do get retired by the brewery. If you have any nearby, ask them about it. You can sometimes buy and old one direct from them.
That is a pretty good option too, perhaps down the road I will return it. I really didn't want to cut it up.
 
Fermenting in sanke's is the way to go. That being said, return the keg and look for ones that are out of circulation.
 
I hate to say it but that keg is not yours.

The $50 is a deposit, not a purchase. It's like this one time I rented a jet ski and it had a $500 deposit. I would have been charged with felony theft if I just kept it. It's the same thing on a smaller scale. And we wonder why some businesses struggle...
 
I don’t like the idea of fermenting in a Sanke for a few reasons. First, I don’t brew batches that big. I would never go through the beer. Second, that’s a heavy container to be moving around when its full. Third, I can’t see inside of it. Fourth, it has a narrow opening at the top for such a large volume that could easily get plugged. Fifth, those spears are dangerous to work with and people get injured playing with these things, especially when they don’t have the right knowlege and the right tools to be working on them.

Those are designed to dispense finished beer, not ferment beer.
 
Well, to each their own.

You are correct that taking the spear out can be dangerous. The pressure MUST be released before taking it out. And yes, it is very heavy with 10+ gallons of wort/beer in it. But, the opening has never been an issue for me. I use a Carboy Cleaner for Sanke and PBW to clean, and I use this to ferment. To sanitize, on brew day while mashing, I put a couple gallons of water in it, put the fermenter cap on and leave both the racking cane and blowoff port open, then put it on the burner. I'll run the burner until I have a steady stream of steam coming out of both openings. I have never had an infection, and I've never had an issue with the opening getting clogged.
 
Says the man with a quote in his sig that says
“If you measure beer in gallons, and you don’t think 40 gallons is alot of beer - you might be a home brewer.”
I took to brewing smaller batches a long time ago. I am really the only one in my house who drinks beer. I also like variety.

If I brew even 5 gallons of one beer thats 2 cases. Then you start multiplying that by the number of batches. If you like to brew and you brew just 5 batches, then you have over 10 cases of beer before you realize it. Its not hard to do.

I found 3 gallon batch sizes work best for me and my situation. I will brew the occasional 5 gallon batch, but tried and true recipes and not real often. Obviously, I’m not fermenting in a 15 gallon container.

Like you said, everybody’s situation is different, whether people have many beer drinking friends or they are supplying the local VFW or something. 😄
 
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