Keg Fermenter

[JohnnyMac]

As X has reminded me, forgot to post the pictures of the keg fermenter project that X, Ratchet and Nash helped me through back in December. The design is based on a similar product from Brewers Hardware which sells for $79 plus shipping so over $100 dollars by the time received.

With the help from my Homebrew Brothers, I had to chuck down $12 bucks to finish the job (I already had the keg).

For your viewing pleasure.....

[mr x]

That turned out really nice. The keg itself is in unbelievable condition.

[ratchet]

agreed... looks great man!

that keg looks like you yanked it right off of the factory line.

[GAM]

How do you cleak the keg after use?

[JohnnyMac]

How do you cleak the keg after use?

I use PBW for cleaning and steam for sanitizing. After the PBW, I put about a gallon of water in it and boil it on one of my burners for about 10min.

[JohnnyMac]

After looking through a few older pictures, I didn't post the last modifications I made to the fermenter/secondary project.

I altered the dip tube to accomodate a valve as I'm using CO2 to transfer the beer from the primary on the left to the secondary/maturing keg on the right. As well, for this setup I started out using Tri-Clamp fittings so needed to be compatible on the new keg.

Here, I'm transferring a traditional Burton Ale that I want to mature for a couple of months on oak sprials.

[mr x]

Christ, that keg on the left is quite the piece of work...

[JohnnyMac]

Fuck, I know.

I'm thinking that I need to find something else to occupy my time.

[LiverDance]

That's awesome! You've got top notch gear John

[chalmers]

I'm sure all of the ladies tell him that.
Dot com

[NASH]

I'm sure all of the ladies tell him that.
Dot com

JohnnyMacstoleALLmybrewerydesignsandisgay.com

[mr x]

rotflmfao

[JohnnyMac]

I'm sure all of the ladies tell him that.
Dot com

JohnnyMacstoleALLmybrewerydesignsandisgay.com

Ha! Although I know this could go on forever;

GregNashcompensatesforsmallpeniswithlotsofhopsANDsecretlylovesappletinisANDmenwithhandlebarmustaches.com

[NASH]

I'm sure all of the ladies tell him that.
Dot com

JohnnyMacstoleALLmybrewerydesignsandisgay.com

Ha! Although I know this could go on forever;

GregNashcompensatesforsmallpeniswithlotsofhopsANDsecretlylovesappletinisANDmenwithhandlebarmustaches.com

We'll talk my friend...

[macdonaldtomw]

Question:

What exactly is the overall benefit of having your primary and secondary fermenters in kegs?

I'm guessing that there is less chance of spoilage because you are never exposing the wort (or is it beer once it's finished the primary stage?) to the air when racking to the secondary fermenter (since you have a CO2 hookup).

On the other hand, it seems like a bitch to clean, and I'm wondering why you would be drawing the wort from the bottom of the primary to the secondary (wouldn't you get a lot of yeast and other undesirables?).... though I see there is a few inches of space between that fitting and the bottom of the primary from the pictures.

Also, I'm interested in the keg on the left in this picture:



Is this keg your boil kettle as well? It looks like the opening/fitting on the top is huge! If so, then this makes a lot more sense system-wise to me (since you could simply cool down the wort in the kettle without having to syphon to a primary.)

-Tom

[JohnnyMac]

Ok, the primary benefit for me to ferment, primary and secondary, in these kegs in particular was to control fermentation temperature.

My main fermenter is a 14.5 gallon conical, so I needed extra capacity, had 2 kegs sitting around doing nothing and knew that I would soon be building a Keezer. The idea would be that I could use this second setup for colder fermentations, extended lagering or maturing without tying up all my gear for long periods of time.

I prefer stainless as it's easy, for me, to clean and sanitize and will likely outlive me. I transfer using CO2 under a blanket of CO2 as I'm kinda freaky about cleanliness. Its no sweat to clean, the primary on the left has a 6" tri-clamp opening so I can clean it out by hand. The secondary on the right has the standard small valve opening so I clean it using PBW and hot water and sanitize with steam. Comes out clean as a whistle.

The primary on the left has an adjustable racking arm so I can transfer beer without grabbing sediment. Alternatively, I can turn the racking arm down and harvest yeast slurry from the bottom.

The primary on the right is not my boil kettle. It's for primary fermentation principally but can function as a uni-tank. I do see the advantage of boiling and fermenting in the same vessel although carrying around a keg with 12 gallons in it would be a bitch.

Let me know if I haven't covered all of your questions. Check out Sabco's website, may fill in some of the blanks for you. http://www.brew-magic.com/fermenter.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;