Closed-system pressurized fermentation technique

[De55jay]

Hi with the talk on here on stainless steel conical fermenter I started doing some research and came across this http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/closed- ... que-44344/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; using a keg for a fermentation chamber . OK I already have one LOL. I like the idea no more plastic or large glass to deal and that once its in the fernenter the never sees air or light till it hits the glass. Some I have read do it in the larger Keg but I think they would be harder to clean. I like the idea of the clean out of the corny keg it just the size . If it work could have one modified and have a piece added to give more volume .

So does any one on here brew like this or thought about it.

Don

[bluenose]

would you transfer the beer after you're done fermenting, or drink it right out of the keg? I wonder how you'd deal with the trub

[adams81]

I looked into this a while back but the only thing that seemed remotely safe to me was doing an open ferment, then closing and adding a spunding valve near the end of fermentation. Spunding valve is just an adjustable pressure relief valve that you can set for whatever psi you want to carb at (i guess). I've gone as far as building the valve but haven't used it yet.

People also talked about using the valve to do a counter pressurized keg transfer. You put the spunding valve on the gas in port of the receiving keg, then use a keg jumper line to connect both out ports. As long as your spunding valve is set slightly lower than your CO2 reg you are able to transfer from keg to keg under pressure. Solves the problem of serving from a dirty keg!

[De55jay]

No you do a keg transfer after 3 to 4weekand you cold crash it the last week .

Some of them like an open with the in line into a bucket and then put the valve on after day 3 or 4 . They talk about the yeast having trouble work at first at pressures above 8 psi also saves possible blow off into your valve .Some actually go into a second keg to catch the blow off .

So Geoff did you try it as an open or non pressurized fermentation . Could just put an air lock on the hose after 3 or 4 days .
Part of it sound like to save on CO2 and to naturally carbonated not that I am worried about using CO2 .Oh and to get your beer ready to drink in a shorter time again not my concern .

So those out there in the Micro brewery is this how its do there?
I just like the cleanness of it.

[adams81]

I haven't actually done it. What I read was from ProBrewer, and they were talking about using spunding valves as a homebrewer to replicate their use of another valve. I forget the name, but it was something like "Barby- " valve. They were just using it to carb after fermentation was basically done. Someone else chipped in and said that if you ferment at a low PSI for the whole fermentation you can get a cleaner yeast profile. I was going to try this for a lager but haven't gotten around to it yet.