Curious what everyone's take is on the viability of using the Spike Flex plus and/or a CF5 as a serving vessel. I have poked around a bit to see if anyone is doing this, but I cannot find any good feedback. I currently have 3 spike flex plus and one CF5... I have kegs but I do not currently have a kegerator, nor do I want to bottle. My thought was leaving the glycol chiller run to keep the beer cold after fermentation, carb the beer and keep pressure on the tanks- from there, could I just serve using the sample port? If I use the CF5, should I dump yeast first and then carb/pressurize? For the Spike Flex, I was thinking I would need to rack to a clean Flex (to remove the yeast), but also not sure if that is 100% needed. I have seen breweries serve right from unitanks (essentially being used as a bright tank) and thought there should not be much difference between that and the spikes, yet all information I have seen only discusses transferring out of the spikes (closed transfers, etc.). Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance!
Spike Flex Plus (Or CF) as serving vessel?
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I was thinking of putting a hose or something on the sample port, but also thought maybe a floating tube connected to one ports on the lid? something like this and then have a floating dip tube cut to length? then I can just run a party tap off it... or do you think that would result in too much foam as well? I plan to bite the bullet and get a kegerator but trying to hold off for now...
A floating dip tube could work, though it's important that the inlet stays below the surface - something I've had some issues with in my Flex+. This handy widget helps attach the floating dip tube at a 1.5" TC lid port - might also work on a side port.
Your picnic tap may perform adequately, though it might benefit from additional flow restriction. You may also want to consider this tap product.
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You could use one of these TC to faucet shanks. https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15shank.htm
I haven't used one as I have four taps. I may try it some day. At the link, a flow control faucet is recommended. Which reminds me, I have an extra flow control faucet I bought in a lot, so maybe some day soon!
You can serve right out of a keg carbed with corn sugar or DME. People ferment in kegs and also then serve from them. I don't think in the short term there are issues really. Maybe a little clarity. The yeast will flocculate and compact down in the cone. I'd consider dumping myself with the unitank, mainly for a little clarity. I would definitely dump dry hops and trub before hand. On the other hand, leaving just the yeast might raise the level enough for another beer or two!
I've seen it mentioned a time or two that floating dip tubes can get caught on any coils used. I thought about using them to transfer but have stuck with a rotating racking arm.
I haven't used one as I have four taps. I may try it some day. At the link, a flow control faucet is recommended. Which reminds me, I have an extra flow control faucet I bought in a lot, so maybe some day soon!
You can serve right out of a keg carbed with corn sugar or DME. People ferment in kegs and also then serve from them. I don't think in the short term there are issues really. Maybe a little clarity. The yeast will flocculate and compact down in the cone. I'd consider dumping myself with the unitank, mainly for a little clarity. I would definitely dump dry hops and trub before hand. On the other hand, leaving just the yeast might raise the level enough for another beer or two!
I've seen it mentioned a time or two that floating dip tubes can get caught on any coils used. I thought about using them to transfer but have stuck with a rotating racking arm.
Oh, very good point @Deadalus. Yeah, if glycol cooling is used, I'd stay way far away from floating dip tubes. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier!
Thanks for the reply and suggestions!
The Spike Flex does not have a dump port so I am not 100% sure what the best way is to accomplish removing yeast/trub from this other than racking to a secondary... That should definitely help clear things up but this also requires another complete setup with temperature controls. This also presents a potential issue for lagering, as I have been told to dump trub/yeast after primary fermentation is complete (typically after 2 weeks), cold crash, remove yeast and trub that has fallen out and then continue lagering for an additional 4 weeks or so. Again, it seems like the "best" solution would be to rack to a secondary for lagering (use as a brite tank) but it seems like that does not seem to align with Spike's description of this being an "all in one" tank, if it requires two tanks. Anyone with experience on this?
This advice is one way to go. Others, even with conicals, find that dumping isn't necessary. Some believe that lagering can be shorter.
A major stream of recent thought expressed by many here: notwithstanding previous practice, transfer to a secondary fermenter should be avoided unless the beer won't get packaged for, say, two or three months or more.
In my case, I purge my serving keg with fermentation gas, and do closed transfer from my Flex+ to the serving keg. Beers that require longer (i.e., secondary) fermentation sit in the serving keg in a closet. Could be a fridge for more traditional lagering, if I had yet another fridge.
Just some alternative ideas to consider. HBT has many discussions of these questions.
If I understand you correctly, are you suggesting the “lagering” takes place in the keg? Assuming the keg can be kept at a lagering temp, it seems like that will not be much different from transferring to a secondary (just to get it off the yeast and trub) but this way it will be one less transfer and potentially carb while lagering, thus having the beer read to consume after a month or so. If this is viable, it will free up the fermenter, but maybe I’m missing something….
If you have the sample valve from Spike, I'd be tempted to use it temporarily with some long tubing attached with a picnic tap on the end. If not, I'd splurge on the sample valve/pigtail combo from brewhardware.com.
You can probably get a decent dorm fridge that would hold a keg or two for about $200 (or a used chest freezer now that I'm thinking about it). Just add a couple of picnic taps to get you through until you get a proper keezer/kegerator. Then the dorm fridge (or freezer) can be used for commercial beer or for your other fermentation vessels not hooked up to the glycol chiller.
You can probably get a decent dorm fridge that would hold a keg or two for about $200 (or a used chest freezer now that I'm thinking about it). Just add a couple of picnic taps to get you through until you get a proper keezer/kegerator. Then the dorm fridge (or freezer) can be used for commercial beer or for your other fermentation vessels not hooked up to the glycol chiller.
Yes they will. I just fermented a Kölsch in a Chapman fermenter with a temp twister coil and floating dip tube. While doing a gravity transfer through the tapping head on top, the transfer kept stalling. I finally determined that the FTD was getting hung up on the coils. I would jiggle and restart. It took about 3 restarts to get it all transferred. So much for a transfer of clear beer. Fortunately, I was planning on lagering this one for a month and hopefully it will clear back up.
I also have a thermowell mounted into the lid. I’m thinking about adding a larger ring to the diptube inlet/float connection and slipping it over the end of the thermowell. My thoughts are the diptube pickup will be “captured” by the thermowell and have to slide down the thermowell with the beer, and this will keep it away from the coils.
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Could work some but you'd want to consider how long the thermowell is as it would slip off the end when the beer level dropped. Maybe a rubber stopper on the end of the thermowell to hold the ring in place? That won't work actually, as then the float would only pick up beer until the end of the thermowell depth.Yes they will. I just fermented a Kölsch in a Chapman fermenter with a temp twister coil and floating dip tube. While doing a gravity transfer through the tapping head on top, the transfer kept stalling. I finally determined that the FTD was getting hung up on the coils. I would jiggle and restart. It took about 3 restarts to get it all transferred. So much for a transfer of clear beer. Fortunately, I was planning on lagering this one for a month and hopefully it will clear back up.
I also have a thermowell mounted into the lid. I’m thinking about adding a larger ring to the diptube inlet/float connection and slipping it over the end of the thermowell. My thoughts are the diptube pickup will be “captured” by the thermowell and have to slide down the thermowell with the beer, and this will keep it away from the coils.
You may already have a plan for hooking it up when filling when the float is not holding on to the thermowell. An idea would be to loop a thin string, like fishing line, through the ring and back out. Lift the ring past the end of the thermowell. You could then keep the ring on the thermowell as it is filled, then pull on one end of the string and release the other end to get the string out.
With a sideways thermowell, you use the stopper and the ring over the thermowell. Then perhaps careful tubing length could allow the thermowell to just reach the bottom when nearing empty. When full, the float would be submerged most likely.
Just some spitballing.
Exactly so. Serving keg as secondary. One fewer transfer. Frees up the primary, and can be pre-carbed.
Cheers.
I actually can adjust my thermowell to extend all the way to the bottom of my fermenter. When I installed it, I left the excess sticking out the top rather than trimming it, just in case I decided to move it to a larger vessel later. At a minimum, I can go beyond the lowest coil on the chiller.
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I use the upper port on the CF but often serve the several pints using a pigtail.
The real problem is keeping it cool for an extended period of time. Even with a jacket it will require significantly more cooling than a typical kegerator and condensation may be an issue depending on the climate in the space where you keep it. I sometimes see significant condensation in the spring/fall when we aren't running the heat or AC. And in the right conditions, condensation may lead to mold or mildew. While you could keep it in a fridge, it will consume more room than a keg of similar volume so you may as well keg it.
The real problem is keeping it cool for an extended period of time. Even with a jacket it will require significantly more cooling than a typical kegerator and condensation may be an issue depending on the climate in the space where you keep it. I sometimes see significant condensation in the spring/fall when we aren't running the heat or AC. And in the right conditions, condensation may lead to mold or mildew. While you could keep it in a fridge, it will consume more room than a keg of similar volume so you may as well keg it.
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