Temperature for Transferring Carbonated Lager to Serving Keg?

[Clint Yeastwood]

Thanks for the tip.

I guess I could put a spigot in the bucket lid instead of using a fancy post for gas. I could put a disconnect on the other end for the keg. Now that I think about it, a spigot in the lid would make it easier to put in a blowoff tube or add gelatin to the fermenter.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Lots of great info! Glad it all worked out for your first attempt, it's a great feeling when things fall into place. Congratulations!!

 

[BongoYodeler]

Thanks for the tip.

I guess I could put a spigot in the bucket lid instead of using a fancy post for gas. I could put a disconnect on the other end for the keg. Now that I think about it, a spigot in the lid would make it easier to put in a blowoff tube or add gelatin to the fermenter.

I did exactly that for a while with my Speidel fermenter.

 

[mac_1103]

I guess I could put a spigot in the bucket lid

Never thought of that, although I have used a barbed valve from time to time. Mostly I just push a barbed connector through the grommet in the bucket lid. The blow-off tube is in two pieces with a QD in the middle. Let's me put whatever I need in between (krausen catcher, cold crash guardian, etc) at any given time.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I had another cute idea today. Band-aid instead of airlock. It's sterile and lets air pass. Easy to put on and take off. Wouldn't give you a barrier to incoming air, but not everyone thinks that's important.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

For the airlock I've seen these foam bungs or plugs. It does the same, allows the gas to escape and a little better than a band-aid but not as cool looking.

 

[BongoYodeler]

That looks interesting, but the amount of air exposed to the beer during what I did seems extremely small. The headspace is small and full of CO2, and the lid is only off for a few seconds. Then you can blow in more CO2 to reduce the O2 concentration in the keg.

Is there some reason people don't shoot gelatin into fermenters as they do transfers? Seems easier. Pop the airlock off a bucket or open a little screw cap on an All Rounder; shoot gelatin into the hole. Close everything back up.

I'm going to be using buckets for most beers. I don't know what to do about oxygen, if I decide to do anything. I could put a post on a bucket lid and push CO2 in slowly while it drains into the keg, but I would still have an open keg and a length of tubing going through the mouth. I guess it's possible to rig up a disconnect on the keg side and a hose clamp to keep the tube from blowing off the bucket spigot.

I once left a heavy ale in a keg for months and months. It only got better. Back then, I just ran a tube from the bucket to the bottom of the keg, with the lid off both. It makes me wonder how much oxygen has to be in there before it becomes a problem.

Heavily hopped ipa's are most affected by oxygen, so if you don't brew that style then oxygen exposure may be less of an issue. But it's my understanding that oxygen is detrimental to almost every style, just some styles are affected more than others.

I just bought those syringes recently and actually plan to use one later today to add gelatin to my Irish Red Ale. I've added gelatin to this recipe in the past and just opened the keg lid and poured it in, then purged the headspace a few times. In the time it took me to finish the keg I noticed no ill effects doing it this way. But this time it's actually just a test using the syringe method to gain some experience for when I brew a future neipa or a west coast ipa, where limiting oxygen exposure is much more important.

And yes, I've read some people add gelatin directly to the fermenter a couple days prior to transferring to the keg, or even prior to bottling.

 

[Bassman2003]

The injection approach is different once you transfer under pressure. That is why I asked how you got the gelatin in the keg if you transferred at 15psi.

 

[BongoYodeler]

I fermented at 10psi not 15, but I share your concern. I decided to try this tomorrow since I got tied up today. I'll let you know how it goes.