Making your own gas?

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Bribie G

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In another thread I mentioned that my keg of cider was continuing to ferment at very low kegerator temperatures and I'm thinking to put in some more back sweetening as it was becoming too dry to my taste.

I've also found that, sometimes, a poor attenuating yeast such as Wyeast 1768 will, when slurry is saved in a PET, continue to ferment at fridge temperatures and I get bottle bombs (or at any rate serious gushers).

So it's no surprise that over the Easter long weekend I have been serving beer and cider with a good flow rate from the three taps on the kegmate, with the gas bottle turned off.

AFAIK a kilo of sugar will theoretically ferment out to produce 500L of CO2, so a mere 100g would produce enough to serve a couple of kegs at least. Now that's interesting. My gas-in lines are all interconnected so I guess excess gas from a keg where fermentation is still happening will equalise itself throughout the headspace of the three kegs.

I might save some cider yeast cake - this particular yeast seems to ferment real cold - and just do a half-keg of sugar solution with nutrient and see if I can run the system without the bottle at all. I guess the thing would be to get it up and running at 20 degrees then when there's a decent yeast growth and fermentation happening, put into the kegerator to cool to the 6° I normally run it at.


Edit: Also I'd wondered why the beer and cider are pouring well, but no pressure registering on the keg side of the regulator. Then I realised - Non Return Valve. aha.
 
I make my own gas everyday, but thats on another forum
 
Just to contribute, I have heard of some brewers using the yeast slurry mixed with a cup of sugar in an old keg with a air-compressor regulator to carb and dispense beer.
 
just need to wait for bum to post in here for the screenshot thread..
 
Aquarium owners I know have done that for years with sugar and bakers yeast.

I have used the remaining gas in one empty keg to dispense beer from another
 
NewtownClown said:
Aquarium owners I know have done that for years with sugar and bakers yeast.

I have used the remaining gas in one empty keg to dispense beer from another
my slurry goes to a mate with fish tanks
 
This is a similar idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bem-SHjOrio
 
My only concern would be the dodgy green beer aromas from your gas generating ferment getting dissolved in your good beer.
 
dent said:
My only concern would be the dodgy green beer aromas from your gas generating ferment getting dissolved in your good beer.
Imagine if you got an infection in the CO2 plant :blink:



Not being too negative, but it's a bit of stuffing around since it costs us just over $1 a keg to carb and dispense from decent sized (2.6kg etc) CO2 bottles

I can understand with a fish tank that it saves not needing a bottle/reg etc.
 
Well I'm onto my sixth day of self made gas, just poured a jug of cider.

Maybe, in view of the current fashion, I should have named the thread "Bribie produces some gas" :lol:
 
So the beer is carbed, just using ferment o2 for pouring pressure? Nevertheless the beer/cider would absorb the o2, as posted above wouldnt it be a bit green towards the end?
 
What is this o2 you speak of, and why would the beverage change colour?
 
I am with dent, there are positive effects of some compounds venting off when you brew.

I only know a tiny amount about commercial CO2 reclamation, but I know it is not a straight forward equation. And if you have ever had a H2S issue with beer, you will definitely not want it in your next batch.

Here is a quick article which outlines some things, basically H2S and DMS being issues.
http://www.automationworld.com/beer-brewing-and-carbon-dioxide-recycling

When I read your thread I initially thought you could bubble it through something like an acid with a sintered stone, but I am no chemist. I know enough about CO2 and caustic to know it is not an option :) The other thought I had was to try using activated carbon, but I have no idea whether it would have any effect.

Wikipedia tells us that iron oxide reacts with H2S, so maybe use a rusty sintered iron stone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide#Removal_from_fuel_gases
 
Bump:

Apart from the technicalities of filtering CO2 from a dedicated gas-producing keg to power the system, I have to report that I haven't turned on the gas since Good Friday and still getting good pours, but the cider is dry dry dry -
I'll be putting on the new keg tomorrow as this one is about to blow.

:)
 
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