Syringe for Injecting Gelatin into keg...

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Rob2010SS

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I remember seeing a post on HBT somewhere where someone posted a picture of a big syringe they use to inject gelatin into a keg. Has anyone seen it?

Better question - does anyone know of a big syringe that I can buy that readily hooks up to some tubing and the threaded corny keg posts?

I bought these syringes to do that with but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get this hooked up to a piece of tubing that will then hook up to one of the threaded corny keg posts. Any ideas?

Thanks.
 
I did post that, though I'd be surprised if someone else hadn't thought of it way before :)

Using a big syringe filled with payload you can jack right into the tubing side of a bare gas disconnect plugged on the keg and pump straight in with minimal if any O2 ingress along the way.

Timing counts, of course - don't plug the QD on the keg then make a phone call ;) Have the syringe(s) loaded and ready to go, pop the PRV once, plug on the QD, and go to town...

Cheers!
 
I couldnt find that post . I think it was in my thread but no luck . Figured you had your ears on lol ;)
 
Here is my setup. I purchased the syringes on Amazon and they came with some tubing. You will need a barbed disconnect also. Bleed the keg and then connect. Open the PRV and inject. Burp with additional CO2.
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Has anybody done something like this with duotight fittings?

This would probably work as is but I'd like to be able to do it into systems under pressure and the connection between the tubing and the syringe above looks like it would not hold thus @9Kegs recommendation to bleed off the pressure before adding.
 
I remember seeing a post on HBT somewhere where someone posted a picture of a big syringe they use to inject gelatin into a keg. Has anyone seen it?

Better question - does anyone know of a big syringe that I can buy that readily hooks up to some tubing and the threaded corny keg posts?

I bought these syringes to do that with but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get this hooked up to a piece of tubing that will then hook up to one of the threaded corny keg posts. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Hey that was me!

Yeah I used these Frienda 4 Pack Large Plastic Syringe for Scientific Labs and Dispensing Multiple Uses Measuring Syringe Tools (150 ml):Amazon:Industrial & Scientific

and I used some 3/8 ID silicone tubing with a QD on the other end.

The real trick is to make sure you bleed pressure from the keg before shoving your syringe in (makes a mess everywhere if not). AND put your syringe in an ice bath for about 20 mins to chill the liquid if you are putting it into carbonated beer. I made the mistake of injecting hot gelatin into a carbonated beer once and got a face full o' liquid.

I had hooked this up just for a photo and it was handy, I normally only use 3-4" of tubing.

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Thanks man.

I've been using this method and it works great! I have mine shortened up like what you see @9Kegs posted above your pic. I was finding that I was losing a lot of liquid in the line when I kept it long like that.

I also don't chill the syringe first. I do it when it's still hot. I've found that as long as I have the syringe, the tubing, and the QD all connected and tight, I can pop the QD on the keg (while supporting the syringe plunger with my thumb), inject the syringe (never releasing pressure off of the plunger), and then quickly disconnect the QD with no problems. Been working great for me!
 
Thanks man.

I've been using this method and it works great! I have mine shortened up like what you see @9Kegs posted above your pic. I was finding that I was losing a lot of liquid in the line when I kept it long like that.

I also don't chill the syringe first. I do it when it's still hot. I've found that as long as I have the syringe, the tubing, and the QD all connected and tight, I can pop the QD on the keg (while supporting the syringe plunger with my thumb), inject the syringe (never releasing pressure off of the plunger), and then quickly disconnect the QD with no problems. Been working great for me!

I assumed this would work. The plunger gives you a lot of leverage over the pressure in the keg. I'd still want to make sure the connection between the syringe and the short hose and the quick connect are quite secure, Why I was asking if there is a duotight or even luer lock type of solution. the connection between that syringe and the hose looks pretty scary. Not even really a barb on that syringe tip.
 
You don't really need to fight the keg pressure do you?
I just slap on a spare bare gas disconnect, let the scant head space pressure flush it out, plug the loaded syringe tip inside the male flare end and shoot away.

I also trimmed back the Luer collar to better expose the pointy end within...

keg_injection_3sm.jpg


keg_injection_4sm.jpg


keg_injection_5sm.jpg


Plugs right in, no needle needed...

Cheers!
 
So you are carbonating the beer then clarifying it? That's interesting; I've used gelatin before but it was always before carbonating.

I'm actually asking because I want to try dosing with sodium meta bisulfite (SMB) to further reduce oxygen after doing a good clean oxygen free transfer. The ability to add a fining agent is a bonus but the beers that I really care about getting total oxygen in the keg to absolute minimum tend to be highly hopped and IPAs and most people prefer these hazy these days anyway so no real need for gelatin.

you can reasonably ask if you are doing a good oxygen free transfer why bother with the SMB but those low oxygen guys have me convinced there are still souces of oxygen I can't avoid including for example the oxygen that is in the CO2 I use to carbonate the beer and other sources that add up.
 
no pics, but what i do is use a 6oz soda bottle, a little bitty one. basically you put your liquid in the bottle, squeeze it until the liquid hits the rim of the bottle, and then screw on a carbonation cap. zero air in your system. blast that sucker to like 30-40psi. you want a decent amount of head space in bottle when its gassed up to propel the liquid.

then it goes bottle+ carb cap to my injection rig is which is liquid qd--> tiny piece of 1/4 tubing over both barbs<-- gas qd on the keg.

purge your rig with co2, then connect the bottle, then lastly connect to keg gas post. blam. liquid is in, nothing coming out. works for biofine/gelatine, adding more gypsum/chloride/salt/acid/hop tea/etc. when needed.
 
So you are carbonating the beer then clarifying it? That's interesting; I've used gelatin before but it was always before carbonating.

I've done both, but it doesn't really matter whether it's carbonated or not, you still don't want to open your keg to put stuff into it.
 
I've done both, but it doesn't really matter whether it's carbonated or not, you still don't want to open your keg to put stuff into it.
I mean if you've purged your keg with CO2 before you filled it, and the beer already had some residual CO2, I hardly think pouring gelatin in would make that much of a difference compared to using a contraption.
 
I mean if you've purged your keg with CO2 before you filled it, and the beer already had some residual CO2, I hardly think pouring gelatin in would make that much of a difference compared to using a contraption.

Agreed with day tripper.

Purging a keg with CO2 will not keep your packaged beer free from oxidation if you open the keg at any point, even to transfer the beer into it. The residual CO2 in the beer does not protect it from oxidation at all. If that were the case then bottled beer could never oxidize and yet it does. So this contraption is intended to add the gelatin without allowing ANY air into the keg at all and will keep it fresh tasting for longer.

If you've ever had a beer taste like green apples, cardboard, dull muddy malt flavors, or what I've heard described as "homebrew flavor", you're probably tasting oxidation that could have been prevented.
 
Yeah just trying to figure out exactly how this process works for you all since it seems to be popular. I assume you are also fermenting under pressure, then transferring your beer from your fermenter under CO2 from the bottom of the fermenter, so that it never touches O2? Also, at no point are you adding dry hops to the keg? I know Matt Brynildson mentioned oxygen being contained in hop pellets, and to dry hop while yeast is still able to consume the O2.

I'm also curious about how soon you have noticed that your kegged beer was oxidized using your previous process/methods that allowed them to be oxidized.

Cheers!
 
Yeah just trying to figure out exactly how this process works for you all since it seems to be popular. I assume you are also fermenting under pressure, then transferring your beer from your fermenter under CO2 from the bottom of the fermenter, so that it never touches O2? Also, at no point are you adding dry hops to the keg? I know Matt Brynildson mentioned oxygen being contained in hop pellets, and to dry hop while yeast is still able to consume the O2.

I'm also curious about how soon you have noticed that your kegged beer was oxidized using your previous process/methods that allowed them to be oxidized.

Cheers!

Yep you've pretty much nailed it. Fermenting under pressure isn't necessary, but a closed transfer under CO2 pressure is definitely necessary.

I add dryhops in the fermenter early in the fermentation for exactly the reasons you describe, and I'm still working on methods for minimizing O2 during dryhopping.

The fastest I can remember noticing oxidation is within the first couple days of kegging a dunkel before I used to do closed transfers. When I kegged it, it had nice bright malt flavors and within just a few days it started tasting dull and ended up getting so bad after a few weeks I dumped the end of the batch.
 
The rate and degree of oxidation symptoms seem to rise with post-boil hoppage but are present in all styles if abused during their creation.
There have been plenty of apocryphal tales related on HBT of highly-hopped beers that were kegged bright and flavorful but went brown and tasteless within a week or two, due to such insults as the use of "secondary fermenters", cold-crashing with no O2 mitigation, open-transfers to unpurged vessels, etc.

Imagine all of those on one hapless neipa. Nasty.

Cheers!
 
Cool I might give it a shot. I've been using glass for years but got a free pony keg. Might be worth trying out pressurized transfers.

Well worth the effort IMO, the quality and shelf life of my beers has improved drastically since switching to closed transfers
 
no pics, but what i do is use a 6oz soda bottle, a little bitty one. basically you put your liquid in the bottle, squeeze it until the liquid hits the rim of the bottle, and then screw on a carbonation cap. zero air in your system. blast that sucker to like 30-40psi. you want a decent amount of head space in bottle when its gassed up to propel the liquid.

then it goes bottle+ carb cap to my injection rig is which is liquid qd--> tiny piece of 1/4 tubing over both barbs<-- gas qd on the keg.

purge your rig with co2, then connect the bottle, then lastly connect to keg gas post. blam. liquid is in, nothing coming out. works for biofine/gelatine, adding more gypsum/chloride/salt/acid/hop tea/etc. when needed.

I really like the idea of this method- I just can't seem to find any 6oz bottles anywhere.
 
Sometimes iced tea comes in the really small size, sometimes chocolate milk for kids, you just gotta keep your eyes open at the liquor store or qwicky mart
 
How much pressure can be in my conical when using a syringe to inject?
My conical is currently at 13 PSI, do you think I'd be able to keep the plunger under control against that?

I'd like to keep the pressure up as high as I can so I can use it to purge kegs, but I'd rather not have beer sprayed up my nose when attempting this for the first time!
 
I've done it in my kegs at 10psi with no issues. However, I keep my thumb on the back of the syringe at all times to keep it from blasting off. When I go to disconnect, I also disconnect the keg QC with my thumb still on the back of the syringe to make sure it doesn't blast me in the face. At 13 psi, I think you'll be fine.
 
It turns out that I couldn't inject it into my conical because I didn't plan ahead. I had a CO2 post in the lid, but it was attached to a 90 elbow, so the post was horizontal.:(

Didn't want to open up the conical to move the post, so I transferred to a keg and used the syringe to inject gelatin. That went fine, but next time I'll have a post oriented vertically.
 
Nope, never had an issue. I don't know WHY I've never had this issue, but it's never reared it's head. I'll usually turn up the pressure a bit once I reconnect the gas line so maybe that blows the gelatin out of the post?
 
Im thinking about naturally carbing a keg with a mixture of about 4 oz dextrose and 2 grams of CBC-1. I’m wondering if I could use this method to do so.

Dissolve the 4 oz of sugar in about 6 oz. of water. Then add the 2 grams of CBC-1 into the sugar water. Then quickly inject the mixture/slurry strait into the keg post using one of these large syringes.

My only concern would be because it is a measured mixture Id need every last bit of it to get into the keg. Not sure if there would be any Schmutz left on the interior walls of the syringe.

Any thoughts?
 
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