Fermenting Under Pressure

[Goose]

thanks Dr WEAL.

I am closed system and about as LDO as can be, from boiler the beer never sees air until it comes from my dispensing taps. Fully note the effect of temperature and pressure but for lagers I think its mostly about the viability and cell count of the yeast which of course is a prerequisite for any of the techniques described here....

 

[malt junkie]

So back to my high temp ferments. both saw the sunny side of 38c (ambient) @ 15PSI; one a simple pale on San Diego Super yeast 2l starter OG 1048 with an fg of 1011 and an IPA on a US 05 cake OG of 1065 and FG 1012.

Both have finished up quite clean, the IPA is dank as, so very hard to pick faults with in the malt profile but there's enough there to support the hops, the pale has a fairly sweet finish and just enough hops to let you know they're there the sweetness could be hinting at VDK but doesn't seem out of place (mash was 66-67c). I have to say both these beers are quite smashable, and I'm really pleased with the IPA certainly is up there with many of my favourite commercial samples.

It would seem with decent healthy yeast pitch and reasonable ambient temps, producing a good quality beer with pressure as the controlled variable is doable. Quite obviously the more variables we can control the more likely we can achieve the same quality, brew to brew.

 

[Dan Pratt]

^ 38c or did you mean 28c for ambient temp?

 

[malt junkie]

^ 38c or did you mean 28c for ambient temp?

28 pft .... thats with in the realm of realistic, 38c was outside temp, the kegmenter was in my shed on the concrete floor, the shed was ventilated but wouldn't suprise if it were a degree or 2 hotter inside the shed. My back is shot so no lifting full fermenters, my 1v I'd pump to the FV in the fridge, but both these were Biab and gravity filled, so were stuck where they sat when filled.

 

[mxd]

hey guys
my first ferment with the fermentasauras, i dry hopped yesterday (add hops in new bottle purge with c02, remove trub bottle and place hop bottle on)

From the video kee did i was expecing the hops o move to the top. The trub bottle if full of hop trub.

How do others do dry hopping ?

fyi
80 g of hops in bottle
started cc as i swapped bottle
been 24 hours now

cheers
Matt

 

[Dan Pratt]

80g would be pushing the limit with the 500ml bottle, did they rise to the top?,

photo?

I pressure transfer to a seperate corny keg with a shortened dip tube for dry hop. The corny is filled with hops then C02 and beer pushed into the vessell for dry hop phase.

 

[mxd]

Here’s the photo

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Here’s the photo

looks like the hops aren't making great contact with the beer. If any. Combination the yeast cake looks like its blocking the way and the hop pellets when hydrated swelled up compressing inside the bottle?

 

[mxd]

maybe i should left it at temp for a day or 2 before cc

ill see hoe it goes

 

[Digga]

Would have to agree with Dan. The yeast up above looks to be well settled and the hops appear to be stuck inside the bottle. Probably only a couple of ways to try and get them into the beer.

1- Take the bottle off and put half into a snap lock bag and purge with co2, the squeeze some of the co2 out. When you put the bottle back on it should force beer into the bottle and hops to mix somewhat with the beer. Will have to remove the bottle and do the other half in the same manner.

2- Remove bottle and bleed pressure from the fermentersaurus and add the hops into the top. Not ideal as it will be exposed to oxygen for a short period of time but is exactly the same way that non pressure ferments are dry hopped with good outcomes.

Could try giving the bottle a squeeze to force them into the beer?

I don't own one of these units so am unsure on the force required to compress the bottle and if it even possible. Just giving some food for thought.

Hope it's still yummy beer nonetheless.

 

[mtb]

Try purging pressure quickly. You'd be surprised how much that agitates the sediment. Might just be enough to loosen that plug that's formed

 

[Tony121]

Like this

 

[mtb]

Like this

Yeah, like that.

Purge quick and watch 'em dance. This is also a great method of ensuring maximum dry hop effectiveness.

 

[Dan Pratt]

After seeing the photo, like mentioned. Pull the pressure valve and all that green goodness will move into the beer.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Hopefully! Or its going to be fun getting the block of hops out of the bottle. I do like the idea though.

 

[Denobrew]

I got caught like this with the first dry hop on the fermentersaurus. Lifted it out of the holder and shook the vessel. Not great success. Now I de-pressure and open the lid, drop hops in. Before ferment is finished with the hope any introduction of o2 will get scavenged. I also put the spunding valve on a keg outside the fermenting fridge. Run a line from the fermentersaurus gas post to the beer out post of corny keg, spunding valve on gas post of corny. Purges keg and also provides pressure to the vessel after dry hop with pressure from corny keg, save using co2 bottle.

 

[mtb]

I got caught like this with the first dry hop on the fermentersaurus. Lifted it out of the holder and shook the vessel. Not great success. Now I de-pressure and open the lid, drop hops in. Before ferment is finished with the hope any introduction of o2 will get scavenged. I also put the spunding valve on a keg outside the fermenting fridge. Run a line from the fermentersaurus gas post to the beer out post of corny keg, spunding valve on gas post of corny. Purges keg and also provides pressure to the vessel after dry hop with pressure from corny keg, save using co2 bottle.

I like the idea of using a separate keg for this. I have nothing to back it up, but I assume the C02 produced by a fermenting beer also carries the hop aroma of that beer. Might as well save some for kegging.

 

[Maheel]

I am about to use one of my 23L MR kegs as a PFV instead of my 50L

I was thinking of trimming the dip tube up 50mm to get off the yeast for when i transfer to a corny

would i be able to slip a bit of silicon hose on the end in the future to get back to "normal" length if i want to ? These were bought just for PFV duty anyway but thought this could solve the problem in the future.

 

[wynnum1]

I like the idea of using a separate keg for this. I have nothing to back it up, but I assume the C02 produced by a fermenting beer also carries the hop aroma of that beer. Might as well save some for kegging.

If you connected a 50 L keg full of water and forced out with the C02 from the ferment then that would leave a keg full of co2 and then if the pressure was allowed to increase that would put more co2 in the 50 l keg if that keg was now connected to pressurized water that would compress the co2 as the keg filled with water to a useful pressure they show with the fermentasaurus using hose pressure to test if pressure safe.

 

[malt junkie]

I am about to use one of my 23L MR kegs as a PFV instead of my 50L

I was thinking of trimming the dip tube up 50mm to get off the yeast for when i transfer to a corny

would i be able to slip a bit of silicon hose on the end in the future to get back to "normal" length if i want to ? These were bought just for PFV duty anyway but thought this could solve the problem in the future.

I wouldn't cut the dip tube, Mardoo uses and swears by these. and at that price definitely worth a try.
ED: just ordered some maself