Pressurized fermentation.

[dent]

A good source of pressure gauges, in the right range, is pool filters. You can buy them new at many places, or just keep an eye out during council clean ups.

Yeah not bad http://www.ebay.com.au/itm//140451021261

 

[mb-squared]

Has anyone tried the spunding valve from kegking yet? page 38 here: http://kegking.com.au/Downloads/Catalogue%20-%20Retail%20Price%20List.pdf only $30 and it comes with a gauge too. seems pretty reasonable, but I fear it will fall apart the first time it's used. anyone have any experience with them?

cheers,

 

[gordo_t]

Has anyone tried the spunding valve from kegking yet? page 38 here: http://kegking.com.au/Downloads/Catalogue%20-%20Retail%20Price%20List.pdf only $30 and it comes with a gauge too. seems pretty reasonable, but I fear it will fall apart the first time it's used. anyone have any experience with them?

cheers,

It looks identical to the one i'm currently using. Works fine, though only gripe is that the gauge and valve are only for 15psi/100Kpa, think CB where selling one with a 30psi gauge which would be more useful when building up pressure at the end to carbonate.

 

[mb-squared]

Thanks for that GTG. Good to hear yours hasn't fallen apart on you.

Can I ask why you'd want more than 15psi? My calculator tells me that if I want 2.2 volumes of CO2 at 4C, I need 8.6psi. This is pretty normal for me as I brew mostly ales. For lagers, I like 2.7 volumes of CO2 (at the same 4C temp), which equates to 14psi, so the upper end of the valve's ability I guess. But when do you need more than 15psi?

Thanks for info. I'm not opposed to spending more for the CB one if it makes sense to go that route.

Cheers,

matto

 

[dent]

While 15 psi at those cold temperatures would be adequate, when you're fermenting, it is much warmer, and rather less CO2 stays in solution. When it gets to be time for chilling the fermenter, no more CO2 is being generated. So when you chill it, the dissolved CO2 stays the same (not quite enough) and the pressure goes down due to the change of temperature.

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

Dent I've had quite a few 6% saisons and I just can't seem to formulate how to ask the question I would like answered, but here we go anyway hope it makes sense

I was thinking set at a pressure and forget until ferment is done then transfer and hold in a bright tank to age before transferring under pressure again to serving vessel,

So after that the question actually is what sort of pressures are you using and roughly at what temps per style to get them close to serving pressure are you going with, or are you still adding carbonation after the ferment

 

[mb-squared]

ah, right, of course. geeze I'm really dumb sometimes. thanks for setting me straight!

 

[dent]

Well, with 15 psi at 14 degrees or so you still end up with about 2 volumes of CO2, which isn't terrible. For an ale that ends up at about 1.8 volumes at 18 degrees.

If I'm in a hurry I'll force in bit more high pressure CO2 post ferment, but if, after transfer, you put the keg at your serving pressure for a week or so it will get up to your desired carbonation on its own reliably enough. So it isn't a big deal, you're most of the way there already.

 

[Florian]

Also keep in mind apparently you're only meant to use a gauge up to about 2/3 of it's highest pressure or else they might get damaged. This was at least repeated numerous times on here a couple of years ago. True or not I stick with it, my spunding valve goes up to 400 kPa.

 

[mb-squared]

my spunding valve goes up to 400 kPa.

that sounds good. is this one you've made yourself? or is it an off-the-shelf job? if so, care to share where you got it?

I currently use 50L SS kegs as my fermenters, but just with an airlock. I'd like to move to a set up where I can finish the fermentation under pressure and where I can do closed transfers into my secondary (also a 50L keg).

cheers,

 

[rehabs_for_quitters]

I am currently converting some 50L kegs into conicals to pressure ferment, and was going to make a couple extra to use as bright tanks so this info is all good, cheers for the advice

 

[Florian]

that sounds good. is this one you've made yourself? or is it an off-the-shelf job? if so, care to share where you got it?

I bought mine from craftbrewer a few years ago, I think it was one of the first ones. When I received it it came only with a 100 kPa gauge which is obviously pretty useless, so I sourced the 400 kPa gauge myself and got reimbursed from Ross for it.

EDIT: the gauge was around $20ish from memory, so there is always the option to replace the one you have.

 

[find_another_slave]

This popped onto my radar the other day - mentioned earlier in this thread, but more as a "stay tuned". Apologies if repeated elsewhere.

http://www.blichmannengineering.com/products/cornical

 

[malt junkie]

US$500 to ferment a single batch(before shipping) sorry Blichmann ain't getting my money.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Fair bit of non material cost in producing a pressure vessel and having it approved in various countries. To get AS1210/AS3788 approval which I assume it may need to be sold here will require engineering and design time so that will up the cost and hinder mind sets if we look at the cost to build purely from a materials perspective. To get Aus approvals for such a relatively small market is also an obstacle for the creators I'm sure.

I guess thats the concsious decision SS Brewtech made to hit a price point. If you want true pressure ferments I think you need to prepare to fork out in the step change cost bracket. I hope I'm wrong but have already mentally prepared myself you never be able to pressure ferment in a SS conical.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Also just watched the video. Ine thing I've noticed with my chronical is that the SS walls provide a much more "clingy" surface for the yeast to hang on to and the walls are covered in yeast all the way from ber surface to the trub cone at the bottom (my plastic FVs never did this).

So for this being tipped over and changed to a keg I'm guessing that there would be a minimal amount of yeast stirred back into solution once turned back over that would need to settle, which may be an annoying little bug with the setup that annoys those who've paid top dollar kowing theres yeast stuck all over your keg walls that will get stirred in each time you move the keg potetially more so than when you just have a bit at the base of the keg ...