Spunding Questions

[BeardedBrews]

Hey LoDo pros,

I have a series questions on the packaging side of the process that I'd like to clear up. I BIAB and generally transfer a fair quantity of sediment and trub into the carboy. This means that a cold crash is greatly helpful for transferring clear beer without clogs, and I am not able to pressure ferment in primary.

1. Is cold crashing in a non-pressurized primary even something that can exist in LoDo?

2. Is there a best practice for avoiding O2 ingress during the cold crash? I would assume this is the desired setup, or something similar fabricated with kegs: http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Harvester-Kit.html

3. Is it reasonable to rack the fully fermented and cold beer into the keg with the addition of priming sugar solution to re-start fermentation and provide excess CO2 to spund and carbonate?

4. Am I making this too complicated?

 

[Big Monk]

Hey LoDo pros,

I have a series questions on the packaging side of the process that I'd like to clear up. I BIAB and generally transfer a fair quantity of sediment and trub into the carboy. This means that a cold crash is greatly helpful for transferring clear beer without clogs, and I am not able to pressure ferment in primary.

1. Is cold crashing in a non-pressurized primary even something that can exist in LoDo?

2. Is there a best practice for avoiding O2 ingress during the cold crash? I would assume this is the desired setup, or something similar fabricated with kegs: http://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/CO2-Carbon-Dioxide-Harvester-Kit.html

3. Is it reasonable to rack the fully fermented and cold beer into the keg with the addition of priming sugar solution to re-start fermentation and provide excess CO2 to spund and carbonate?

4. Am I making this too complicated?

a.) You should be trying for the clearest beer you can muster into the fermenter. In general, you want as much hot and cold break excluded from entering the fermenter. Cold crashing in attempt to clear the beer is treating the symptoms rather than the main problem.

b.) If you have a spare keg, ferment in that.

c.) You can certainly supplement or replace remaining extract if you miss the spunding window, but it's always preferrable to transfer with 4-6 points of extract remaining.

 

[BeardedBrews]

a.) You should be trying for the clearest beer you can muster into the fermenter.

Understood, I am just not certain how to manage heavily hopped beers or poorly floculating yeasts even if I eliminate kettle trub.

This sediment level is not uncommon for me even after several days of cold crash:


Clearing the beer is secondary to my need to reduce the floating pellet hops that have traditionally plagued my corny pop-its.

 

[mongoose33]

There are a couple ways you can limit O2 ingress during cold crashing. One is to use a CO2 capture setup w/ mason jars that will feed CO2 back into the fermenter as it crashes. The other is to use a bread bag, fill it with CO2, then tie the end over the airlock so as it draws in gas, it's drawing it from the breadbag and not the atmosphere.

 

[MSK_Chess]

I have a question about cutting the liquid out diptube in a keg, how much on average sedimentation do you get from an average 1050 lager and how much do you need to cut the tube by?

 

[MSK_Chess]

I have a question about spunding. Are you guys generating all of your Co2 for self carbonation from the spunding stage?

 

[Die_Beerery]

Yes.