![]() ![]() Prior to using a fermentation keg, it’s crucial to ensure the lid o-ring isn’t dried out or cracked, as this can result in CO2 leaking out of the keg lid. The keg is now ready to be used as a fermentation vessel. Since fermentation kegs are completely closed with no airlock hole, you’ll need to fashion a blowoff tube using a 4-6 foot/1-2 meter gas line and a gas disconnect (make sure to get ball lock if that’s your jam).įinally, in order to transfer the beer out of the fermentation keg and into a new keg, you’ll need to make a jumper using two liquid disconnects (again, ball lock if that’s what you’re using) and a 15 inch/38 mm length of beer line.Īnd that’s all it takes. I like to mark the kegs I’ve converted to fermenters by wrapping the handles with electrical tape.Īs every brewer knows, yeast produce CO2 during fermentation that needs to be released from the fermenter. While the tube can be cut with a hacksaw or Dremel, an inexpensive stainless tube cutter makes the task incredibly easy and clean, so I recommend it for those who might be making multiple fermentation kegs.Īfter cutting the tube and cleaning all parts of the keg, simply put it all back together, making sure everything goes in the proper spots. In order to lower the risks of clogging during transfers, it’s important to reduce the length of the dip tube by about 1 inch/25 mm so that the bottom rests above the trub line. With the posts removed, the long liquid dip tube can be pulled out of the keg in preparation for the next step. It may take a bit of force at first, but the posts will eventually loosen up and easily unscrew from the keg, at which point they can be soaked in the cleaner of your choice and scrubbed to remove any icky bits. Removing the posts is quite difficult without the right socket, there are both pin lock and ball lock versions that make removal a cinch. Once the keg is acquired, it’s important to disassemble it and give it a good cleaning. I prefer buying used and reconditioned kegs, as they cost markedly less than new kegs, plus you can get packs that further reduce the price, and having more than one keg fermenter is very convenient. ![]() While ball lock kegs are more popular among homebrewers, I went with pin lock because they’re less expensive and have easily distinguishable gas and liquid posts. The first and most obvious step is to get a corny keg, of which there are two main types– ball lock and pin lock. The beauty of fermenting in a corny keg is that the process of putting it together is less about actual building and more about adapting what’s already there, which doesn’t take much. ![]() My hope in penning this article is to cover both the very simple process of converting a corny keg to a fermentation vessel as well as thoughts and recommendations based on my personal experience, and discuss. I’ve been fermenting in kegs for nearly 4 years at this point and often receive questions from folks interested in doing the same. Constructed of durable stainless steel, capable of holding relatively high amounts of pressure, and outfitted with gas and liquid posts to allow for closed transfers, this seemed an ideal alternative to the stainless fermenter options at the time.Īfter making some minor adaptations to a keg, I gave it a shot and was immediately hooked. It was around this time I read of someone who had adapted a corny keg for use as a fermentation vessel. I didn’t build a fancy keezer with a bunch of expensive faucets, but rather picked up the bare essentials that would allow me to skip the hassle of bottle conditioning– a CO2 tank, regulator, gas and beer line, picnic taps, and of course, a few used corny kegs. As I brewed more, I learned about the perils of cold-side oxidation and found appealing the options afforded by some of the new stainless fermenters on the market, but I couldn’t justify dropping that kind of cash given my situation at the time.įairly soon after my introduction to brewing, I transitioned from bottling to kegging my beer. Having embraced the importance of fermentation temperature control, I repurposed a mini-fridge as a chamber and brewed smaller batch sizes because I couldn’t fit anything larger than a 3 gallon/11 liter carboy. I started brewing when I was a college student, a time when both space and money were rather limited. While higher end vessels offer myriad features such as the capacity for closed fermentation and pressure transfers to avoid oxidation, they cost upwards of 25 times more than their less expensive counterparts that don’t have all the bells and whistles. Mosaic Of Change IPA by House Of Pendragonįrom cheap plastic buckets to stainless conicals that emulate the pros, the fermentation vessel options available to brewers these days is quite vast and can lead to some difficult decision making. ![]()
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