crackajack
New Member
I would love to know how many of these things are in the tip.
They are replacing them in Germany if they have stress fractures, Shikitar had a couple, both with stress fractures, I don't know if he had any joy replacing them. Come to think of it he hasn't been on here for a while. If they pressure tested them as they should be doing there wouldn't be all this fuss. I see the Yanks are grumbling now and posting pic's.I have one of the original Fermzillas that does have stress cracks in the neck. Should I contact the NZ supplier for this or arrange someone to hydrotest it?
A California home brewer here, with my first batch going in my second FermZilla (27L). I brew mostly NEIPAs and like to add my dry hops just as active fermentation begins to slow. Up to that point, I use a blowoff hose, but after adding the dry hops (purged with CO2, through the collection jar), I swap out the blowoff hose for a gas connector, then add a bit of pressure (2 psi), mainly to protect against oxygen exposure. After the dry hops have been in the beer for 3-4 days, I like to remove whatever trub and hop residue I can. To do this, I remove the gas line, slowly release pressure through the PRV, then close the butterfly valve and remove and empty the jar. Sometimes I do this a second time. After that, I cold crash for a couple of days before transferring to a keg.
Today, four days after dry hopping my current batch, a week after brewing, the beer seemed pretty settled, with the collection jar full of hop residue and trub, along with more of the same in the fermenter just above the valve. When I opened the PRV to release the pressure before removing the jar, the beer started bubbling and foaming. I stopped and waited an hour or so for things to settle again. When I tried again later, again the beer started bubbling and foaming as I released pressure. I'm only on my fifth or sixth batch using the FermZilla, but I don't recall getting this agitation and foaming in the past when I released what I thought was only a minimal amount of pressure. I used more dry hops this time around, but only by about an ounce (10 this time; 9 in my last batch)
Any advice? Is the beer absorbing CO2 and getting a bit carbonated when I have it under only about 2 psi (and still at 68-70 degrees F? Should I not be applying any pressure (if I am not already fermenting under pressure). What's causing this foaming as I release pressure? Thanks for any help you can offer.
Thanks, WEF and duncbrewer. I appreciate the suggestions. Are both of you thinking that the foaming/bubbling I was experiencing was due to the pressure being higher than the 2 psi my regulator indicated, extra pressure from CO2 still being generated by continued fermentation?
I do have a Blow Tie, and I do understand that adding that would ensure an accurate reading of pressure in the tank. I'll try that with my next batch.
Duncbrewer, are you saying you don't release pressure from the tank before closing the valve and removing the collection jar? I thought that would leave the collection jar still pressurized, making it very difficult to unscrew and spraying trub/hop residue everywhere.
Eventually yesterday, I was able to release the pressure from the tank, very slowly, without the foaming I had earlier. I emptied the collection jar, cleaned and sanitized it, then reattached it, purged with CO2, then reopened the valve. Duncbrewer, I like your suggestion of filling the empty, sanitized jar with beer/foam from the fermenter before reattaching. Will try that next time.
Following a cold crash, I plan on doing a closed transfer to a keg for the first time, using the method Gash posted on the YouTube Home-brew Network. A question: If the beer has been under a little pressure during the cold crash, will it have started to carbonate by then, and if so, am I going to run into foaming issues in the closed transfer? Any suggestions to make that process go smoothly? Thanks again.
That's right I don't release the pressure.Duncbrewer, are you saying you don't release pressure from the tank before closing the valve and removing the collection jar?
Thanks, WEF! I really appreciate the tips and clear advice and instructions.
A question about that. I've read some All Rounder reviews that mention some difficulties with the floating dip tube getting to the last gallon or less of beer unless you tip the All Rounder a bit. Have you had any such difficulties?
Thanks again for all of your help!
You can use a much shorter tube and get a good pour. Get a length of tube shorter than required. Connect Pluto and disconnect. Place the tube in boiling water for a few seconds. Do not submerge the Pluto or disconnect. Remove from water and quickly stretch the tube and run cold water over the tube to set it. This wil constrict the tube providing more resistance and result in a good pour. Works great.I couldn't find an answer to this, but does anyone have a recommendation for the length of beer tube to use when serving from an all-rounder and using a pluto gun? I was thinking the standard 1.5-2m but was not sure if I could get away with less.
You can use a much shorter tube and get a good pour. Get a length of tube shorter than required. Connect Pluto and disconnect. Place the tube in boiling water for a few seconds. Do not submerge the Pluto or disconnect. Remove from water and quickly stretch the tube and run cold water over the tube to set it. This wil constrict the tube providing more resistance and result in a good pour. Works great.
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