Pressure Ferment - Closed Transfer to Keg

[chesl73]

Hi

My first pressure ferment is complete on my fermzilla and the pressure is at ~ 15 psi.
I'm looking to do a closed transfer to a keg tomorrow and just wanted some validation as to the best method for this, particularly how to avoid foaming.
I was thinking I'd reduce the pressure in the fermzilla to say 3 - 4 psi.
I'd push some gas into the keg and purge off any residual oxygen and then leave the relief valve open.
Hook up the beer line to beer line and then I'm assuming given the pressure differential the beer will then flow out of the fermzill into the keg.
I just worry about the CO2 coming out of solution and getting excess foaming. What do you think?
What have others done?

(Edit: Or do I need to have the keg under pressure balanced with the fermzilla and have a spunding valve on the keg and then slowly/slightly reduce the presssure on the keg)?

 

[BrewsWayne]

I use your second method. I fill the keg with a StarSan solution and pressurize the keg. I transfer the StarSan into another keg. I then pressurize the fist keg to 15 PSI. I connect a liquid to liquid hose between the Fermzilla and keg. I put a spunding valve on the gas fitting on the keg and CO@ on the Fermzilla. I then start to reduce the pressure in the keg so liquid will flow.

There should be no foaming and little to no O2 pick up using this method.

 

[Kea]

I do a slightly different method, which works well but you’re too far down the road to use it for this batch. During fermentation I hook up my serving keg to my fermenting keg (you could use your fermzilla) with a gas to gas line, with a spunding valve on the beer out post of the serving keg set at 15psi.
This will mean the CO2 produced by my fermentation will naturally purge the serving keg, and once fermentation is done my serving keg will be happily sitting at 15psi.
In order to transfer my beer I just lower the pressure in my serving keg to 12psi, attach a beer-beer line and it transfers very nicely without foaming. The beer line, serving keg and quick disconnects should ideally be cold to reduce foaming.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

As the above. One extra thing I always do when transferring is to set the pressure of the CO2 bottle to be higher than the finishing pressure of the beer to transfer (5 - 10 psi higher). Eg if it finished at 15 psi then I'd set the CO2 bottle at ~ 25 psi. Set the spunding valve on the receiving keg at ~ 17 - 20 psi. This guarantees no CO2 will come out of solution. If you try to transfer at less pressure than what you finished at then you will get foaming.
Key is that when the pressure of the carbonated beer is reduced then CO2 will come out of solution. That's why you get a head on beer when its released into your glass etc.

 

[Jimbo]

1. I hook gas up to the beer post on the keg and give it a few squirts of co2.
2. I set my gas to 15psi, hook it up to the ferment through to the keg and start transfer.
3. Pull the ring on the keg to release what feels like 1/4 of the perssure.

Rinse and repeat 3.

Enjoy beer.
Keep it simple.

 

[JasonS]

Personally, I just use the Ross keg transfer method.
1: Purge the receiving keg (by pushing out starsan solution with CO2) so the pressure is about 15-20 psi.
2: Put the fermzilla/pressure fermenter (with residual pressure at between 10-15 psi) on a table above the receiving keg.
3: Connect up the gas to gas posts on the fermenter and receiving keg to equalise the pressure.
4: Connect Liquid to liquid post of fermenter and keg
5: momentarily release the prv of the keg to start the flow.
6: Wander off to drink coffee/beer (depending on the time of day), occasionally checking the frost line on the receiving keg to see how full it is.

What's left after the keg is full goes into some PET bottles with carbonation caps and for a final hydrometer sample