Using corny keg as secondary fermenter

[f4an]

I am making muntons pre-hopped beer kits right now. I already owned a kegerator so I jumped strait to kegging. The only problem I am having is my beer looking cloudy. Can I use a corny keg as a secondary fermenter and clarify my beer without racking it to another corny?

 

[944play]

Are you racking to kegs too early? The SOONEST I would rack a beer is ten days - and that's only for small (~1.040) beers with very flocculent yeast (like S-04 or ESB). If you wait at least three weeks and rack carefully, the beer should be nice and clear going into the keg.

Cold crashing for a couple days before racking helps to drop out yeast, too.

 

[f4an]

It is ok to leave in the primary fermenter that long? And what is cold crashing?

 

[Brewing Clamper]

It is ok to leave in the primary fermenter that long? And what is cold crashing?

Since my fermenter is in a temp controlled chest freezer, I leave the beer in 1ry for 3+ weeks then crash cool...that is drop the temp to around 38F for a few days, then rack. You'd have to leave beer on the yeast cake a really long time to get bad flavors...

 

[thrawn86]

whirlfloc, isinglass, 2-3+ weeks in secondary, and very CAREFUL racking into the kegs. But yeah, you can use a keg no problem. actually if I had spare kegs I'd use them exclusively, then you can purge the keg and rack into an oxygen free environment.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I secondary all my lagers in a corny...and they naturally carbonate that way too. The only ales I secondary are high gravity ales and I secondary them in a corny as well. IMO, cornies make great secondaries because they are easier to lift and are much less likely to break.

Then when it's ready for the serving keg you just do a closed keg-to-keg transfer and there is no contact to air/oxygen and minimal mess/cleanup.

 

[brewman59]

I leave my beers in the carboy for 2 weeks then transfer to cornys using CO2 then set for 2 weeks.