Spunding valves vs force carbing?

[412CiderGuy]

I’ve been force carbing for a while but I recently read about using a Spunding valve on a keg to carb in primary. Sounds pretty interesting especially if it retains more flavor.

Does anyone have experience? Thoughts?

 

[Bassman2003]

It is something I have been trying over the last six months. Paired with a low oxygen keg purge and closed transfer, it is the best way to go for true flavor and minimizing oxidation. Is it easy? Not exactly as you need to transfer your fermentation with about 1/2 - 1 Plato left before final gravity so the yeast can stay active and make the CO2. The tough thing is hitting the target. I have purchased a Tilt hydrometer and that makes it a lot easier! If you 'miss the spund' you can just put it on gas as always and get em' next time...

I also added floating dip tubes to my kegs so they pour clear even with more yeast in the mix. I think it is a proper way to handle things but so far, it is not life changing! It was definitely easier when I let the beer sit in the fermenter, cold crashed and transferred clear beer. But oxygen is not good on the cold side.

 

[Dland]

Do you ferment in keg? If so, you can use a spunding valve, or just an airlock on keg, and take airlock off when fermentation slows, ideally with .006-8 left in gravity to work off. You should have a gauge though, so might as well have the valve too.

I rack from conical when almost done working,(closed transfer of course) then I spund, and D rest if lager. That leaves the primary trub out of beer. I think it is as easy as force carbing once you get used to it, unless you just "set and forget" the force carb. It makes for a evenly carbed beer as soon as finished spunding, with free CO2, and most importantly, without the O2 contamination from the CO2 tanks.

 

[LittleRiver]

...It was definitely easier when I let the beer sit in the fermenter, cold crashed and transferred clear beer. But oxygen is not good on the cold side.

Cold crashing and transferring can be done without oxygen exposure, or using bottled CO2. More info in this post.

 

[Bassman2003]

I agree. I was just thinking of my previous process which had no time constraint and I just let the beer flow open into the keg.

 

[beernutz]

It is something I have been trying over the last six months. Paired with a low oxygen keg purge and closed transfer, it is the best way to go for true flavor and minimizing oxidation. Is it easy? Not exactly as you need to transfer your fermentation with about 1/2 - 1 Plato left before final gravity so the yeast can stay active and make the CO2. The tough thing is hitting the target. I have purchased a Tilt hydrometer and that makes it a lot easier! If you 'miss the spund' you can just put it on gas as always and get em' next time...

I also added floating dip tubes to my kegs so they pour clear even with more yeast in the mix. I think it is a proper way to handle things but so far, it is not life changing! It was definitely easier when I let the beer sit in the fermenter, cold crashed and transferred clear beer. But oxygen is not good on the cold side.

Interesting description of a process I'm considering myself since I have a tilt and can transfer from my Speidel fermenter straight into a purged keg's liquid out port from it.

Did you make or buy the spunding valve(s) for your keg(s)? Do you have any valve sourcing tips?

 

[Bassman2003]

I made my own with a gas post, gauge, some tubing, a brass T and a PRV (pressure relief valve) from Morebeer. There are some threads that have a whole list of parts from Amazon. I used those parts but went with the Stainless PRV from Morebeer as it was recommended.