Kegmenter. Are they good to use?

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Hey kegmenter users. (Plus Lyrebird Cycles and MHB if you're around)

If I used a kegmenter for fermenting, would it be advantageous to pressurise the headspace with O2?

Would the O2 dissolve into solution and be more available to the yeast?

Being pressurised O2, would I effectively be delivering quite a large dose of O2 with zero wastage?


Zorco.
 
Still have plenty of 30ltr kegs available in Melbourne if people are interest.

$75 per unit.
 
[quote name="pcqypcqy" post="1415525" timestamp="1478644065

40 litres of syrupy porter going to be not enough headspace in this? Is a krausen explosion going to stuff up the spunding valve?[/quote]

If in doubt, make up a beer line with a gas and a liquid disconect. Run the gas out of the kegmentor and hook up to the liquid post of a cornie keg.

Then connect your spunding valve to the cornie. This will give you the extra "headspace"
 
Any benefit just buying the cheaper 50l keg from kegking and coupler for fermenting? Seems cheaper
 
Benefit, no not really, does it work,yes. Is it essentially the same thing. Yes.

Couple of downsides - the standard commercial keg is harder to clean.

Doing the old one keg higher than the other closed transfer doesn't really work unless you flip the commercial Keg upside down and feed the gas up the dip tube and draw beer out of the gas disconnect.

I tend to do a 5:1 of sodium perc and sodium metasilicate. A good cup of powder, fill the keg half way with 70c water screw the spear back in. Sit for 30mins, flip upside down. Rinse with water (cold), rinse with water and citric acid. Rinse with water again. Starsan and use. Might seem over the top but it works well.
 
Quick question to the pressure fermenters

How long before the gauge starts to read KK type Kolcsh @ 20c

Turned the valve shut then just backed off a bit

Its been about 30 hours since pitch can smell the ferment but no pressure yet ???
 
rude said:
Quick question to the pressure fermenters

How long before the gauge starts to read KK type Kolcsh @ 20c

Turned the valve shut then just backed off a bit

Its been about 30 hours since pitch can smell the ferment but no pressure yet ???
Leave it fully shut til some pressure builds up.
 
Just make sure the needle hasn't aready swung around to the bump stop and looks like zero.
I made a big IPA mess doing this and my gauge always reads 2psi now.
 
malt junkie said:
Krausen shouldn't be an issue at 10psi or higher.
That's false. I thought the same thing so didn't connect a keg with a spunding valve on my latest beer, a dopplebock pitched onto a yeast cake. One day in there was krausen coming out the spunding valve. I cleaned it up and the valve is fine but the lesson was learned. That was also at 15psi.

I think best practise to have a vessel (keg or filter housing) and connect the spunding valve to that
 
Zorco said:
Hey kegmenter users. (Plus Lyrebird Cycles and MHB if you're around)

If I used a kegmenter for fermenting, would it be advantageous to pressurise the headspace with O2?

Would the O2 dissolve into solution and be more available to the yeast?

Being pressurised O2, would I effectively be delivering quite a large dose of O2 with zero wastage?


Zorco.
Where would the wastage be if you bubbled it in through the dip tube? There are a plethora of people that do it that way.

I just do it with my o2 wand and the benzomatic bottle. As long as you're oxygenating well and accurately, I wouldn't sweat the details.
 
neal32 said:
Where would the wastage be if you bubbled it in through the dip tube? There are a plethora of people that do it that way.

I just do it with my o2 wand and the benzomatic bottle. As long as you're oxygenating well and accurately, I wouldn't sweat the details.
Im definately no expert but o2 ing through a diffusion stone is supposed to be the best 0.5 or 2 micron

Someone on the threads here was o2 ing into the headspace then shaking but it was suggested that shaking would actualy shake it out of solution

A dip tube wouldnt be as efficient I would think ????
 
mckenry said:
Leave it fully shut til some pressure builds up.
Ok have shut it off but you would think I would have pressure by now 48 hours

Only put in 23 L @ 20c

Needle hasnt gone all the way around

Wish I had pressure tested first

20c Kolcsh not under pressure will be a bit fruity :unsure:
 
Sounds strange. You should be fermenting by 48 hours. It's now a few days later. Did it go?
 
First spin with the new wheels. 40 litres of porter. Blow off into a corny adopted as per advice. Pitched last night, was holding 5 psi this morning.

Luckily I orderded a threaded pin lock disconnect as well as a ball lock, came in handy for this. I was going to use the pin lock one to measure gas pressures to try and quantify force carbing times/pressures that were discussed in this thread here: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/92668-how-long-to-force-carb-the-calculator/

kegmenter.jpg
 
Sorry, I haven't read this whole thread, but was there an outcome on how to do dry hop additions in a kegmenter? Do you have to release the pressure to open, add the hops, then reapply pressure?
 
mstrelan said:
Sorry, I haven't read this whole thread, but was there an outcome on how to do dry hop additions in a kegmenter? Do you have to release the pressure to open, add the hops, then reapply pressure?
Haven't tried it yet, but I would have thought that this would be the way to do it. The CO2 will mostly stay in solution for the time it takes to throw in dry hops. As you say, re apply gas pressure out of a CO2 cylinder immediately if you were really worried about it, or if it was still fermenting let it re-pressurise.
 
If it was still fermenting just allow it to re-pressurise if not chuck a couple of tablespoons of dextrose or sugar in and set your spunding valve the CO2 has a higher density and then the new CO2 that is created will blow off the oxygen.

In other news I'm not so happy with my current lager effort. I know its fermenting but doesn't seem to be knocking any point of the OG, i think the original pressure might have been too high.

Backing off the pressure now and letting the temp free rise a couple of degrees. Using s-189 and have been happy with it at higher temps before so not too stressed about that side of things.
 
I haven't tried dry hopping in mine as I'm doing a helles in it. But I did open it up at finish to add in some finnings. I released pressure , open it up, most of the co2 would stay in it, poured finnings in, closed straight up. Pressurised and purged it with my bottle back to 18 psi. Rocked it a little after purge to distribute the finnings.

Then cc it from 12 degrees down to 0.

5 days in took a sample with the pluto gun, tastes awesome, not enough carb but close to 80%, still slightly hazy! but this weekend! ill pressure transfer to my to purged and sealed cornies. Then lager in my keezer for a few weeks to clear up completely .

But the pot I had yesterday was simply awesome. I'm sold. Can't wait to get another lager in next week.

Dry hopping, just throw in with a bag, seals up same principle I would say.
 
mckenry said:
Sounds strange. You should be fermenting by 48 hours. It's now a few days later. Did it go
I must have a leak

Under the pump here should have pressure tested before I tried

The ferment is definately happening as I can smell it & 7 days tomorrow

Problem is fermented @ 20c not under pressure fruity esters anyone

oh well next time live & learn
 
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