Fermenting in a Corny Keg - Pros & Cons of The Process

[@kevinpatterson6055]

I went to fermenting in corny kegs, and I’ll always keep this as part of my process. Yes you use a little more CO2, but the fermentation is much more effective, and the flavor of your beer is more stable and pure. Hard for me to complain about a little more cost when the beer turns out so much better. I find it easier for clean up too.

[@BrewDudes]

Excellent - anything to make better beer, right? Brew on! - John

[@jakobfrei1121]

Coming to this topic years late, I believe you can save CO2 if you move the connect the gas posts of the "sending" and the receiving kegs together a day or two before the transfer and move the spunding valve to the output of the receiving one. Then, on transfer, put the full keg onto a table or so, start pushing with CO2 and once it's going, connect the two gas lines again. This way I believe it should be possible to purge & pressurize the new keg with the CO2 from the ongoing fermentation and then only spend ever so little gas to get the liquid moving, but basically do gravity the rest of the work, basically siphoning under pressure.

[@geoffmanning]

I just started fermenting in a Corny. Going to transfer to the serving keg tonight. Aside from the benefits you mention, an additional benefit for me is that I can fit two Corny fermenters in my chest freezer/ferm chamber. But I can only fit one Better Bottle/Carboy/Bucket at a time.

[@BrewDudes]

Yeah, I hear you. I liked the slimmer profile as well for storing and tucking away in a corner. Thanks for the comment! -Mike

[@tman9338]

Have u tried with spunding valve? I hear it’s suppposed to shorten fermentation time?? Any thoughts on floating dip tube in Corney beer out line to pull from the top ??

[@BrewDudes]

Haven't tried a spunding value yet. We'd need to test out the floating dip tube method to see what we think. - John

[@ElKataplun]

Cool video Brew Dudes! I'm going to try this method out. I have an old corny keg I could convert into a fermentor and I recently got a keg king kegerator that can be used as a fermentation fridge too. I've always wanted to do a lager but I didn't have a way to ferment at lager temps, this method would allow me to do that in the kegerator with ease, cant wait to try this! Thanks for the great idea guys!

[@BrewDudes]

Brew on! - John

[@sncard777]

Wonder if you brewed a 3 gal batch and put in in a 5 gal Corny if you would still get that yeast blowoff?

[@BrewDudes]

With that much head space, you shouldn't have a problem. - John

[@BigC_33]

Great vid guys. Guessing that the corny fermentation would be more difficult in a dry hopped beer. Although I guess you could push from the primary keg to another dry hop keg with the dry hops already in it and purged with CO2. All things to think about.

[@thepwnr100]

I have some questions here. Why the need for a serving keg? Why can you not serve from the fermenting keg? Also, is it possible to self carbonate using a pressure relive valve thus reducing the need for external co2? Thanks for your videos. Cheers!

[@ajoyce]

I do this with some beers. If I know the beer will be consumed in a few weeks I just pop in one of those floating dip tubes and toss it in my keezer.

[@BrewDudes]

You can serve from the same keg but there is a considerable amount of trub in a keg post fermentation. Now that floating dip tubes are more commonly available is a renewed option to do it all in one vessel. But that said, getting the beer off all that fermentation trub helps with stability of the beer flavor. Depends how long a keg lasts for you I guess. Cheers! -Mike

[@SgtSpartyPaints]

Will be really interested to see over the course of the next few batches how much CO2 you feel you go through. I think this technique is really interesting but I only have 2 CO2 tank and its hooked up to my kegerator so for me it's easier to move racking canes than the CO2. One Question: Does using cornies have any effect on how you control temperature? I have a fermentation chamber and I typically tape my thermo probe to the outside of the bucket/carboy with some insulation over it for temp control, would the corny impact that?

[@BrewDudes]

I can't see any reason why temp regulation would be any different. The beer may react a little faster as stainless is a better heat conductor, and its thinner than glass or plastic I think in most cases.

[@customcoco]

My name is John and I'm watching this with my boy Mike 🤣🤣🤣 its a sing!!!

[@BrewDudes]

Woot Woot! Thanks for watching dudes. Cheers! -Mike

[@boatbuilder1]

WHO! Less BEER is a big deal! I shoot for 5 plus gallons in my fermenter so I can fill my Corny up to just under the gas dip tube. Thanks for the Video enjoyed the infor.

[@BrewDudes]

Right on! - John

[@cain1s]

Good stuff as always! I will be very interested to see if you like the closed system better after trying it a couple more times.I have wondered about fermenting this way. Please be sure to keep us updated about it!!!

[@BrewDudes]

Cheers!

[@jasonclick]

excellent ideas. i've been filling my keg with starsan and pushing out with co2 for year now. im seriously thinking about using the ideas for fermenting in the kegs. I think Drew Beechum does with the same thing with 10 gallon cornys.

[@BrewDudes]

He does use 10 gallon kegs. I'd like to go that route if the process continues to make me feel good. But man those are hard to find and are expensive. That said, it might be better to get a pressurizable conical and have more control over yeast dumping and such.

[@smgri]

they have 10 gallon cornys ?

[@smgri]

Cool vid ...ok so the key to not pumping the trub into your second keg is to cut off the dip tube...is that correct? Is there a length which is ideal ? It seems like it is so narrow it would not take much to jam it up ...and if you did...what would you do ?

[@BrewDudes]

I had no issues with clogging. I suppose if I did get a clog I'd have to go to normal racking. OR I could have just increased the pressure I was using to push. As long as the blockage wasn't hop debris or something yeast/trub should easily enough get moving again. As for the trimming of the dip tube I trimmed it so it was a couple inches off the bottom. I got some yeasty trub at first, but most of it stayed behind despite the fact that the tube was still somewhat below the trub line. They are now gadgets available that use a floating line that stays at the surface, but the opening stays below the surface of the beer. One could experiment with those and just stop the transfer once you say sludge coming over. Hope that helps... I'll have to try some more of this in 2018. -Mike

[@austinyounger2219]

Great video, im about to convert to keg fermentation. Two questions: 1) is two inches off the dip tube enough to get above the trub/yeast cake for 95% of beers? Can you take a picture of this? 2) where dis you get the beer draught drip collector for your upright fridge? Thanks! - Austin Pensacola, FL

[@BrewDudes]

1. You have to be prepared to loose a little beer, but I was little closer to 3-4 inches of trimming. It depends on if the tube goes straight to the bottom. Or if it bends towards the middle. Just trim a couple inches and look in there. If it doesn't look right take a little more. It also depends on how much trub you get. Its not universal that a trub/cake is a certain depth all the time. So you have to take that into account. 2. I got the drip tray from MoreBeer over 15 years ago.

[@tompesenecker4691]

@@BrewDudes would a floating tube work better

[@jacktyrrell2050]

Great idea John and Mike I might just try that

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks. - John

[@nathanhassey4724]

Do you guys plan on trying more corny keg fermentation any time soon?

[@BrewDudes]

Not soon but we can pick this topic up in the future. - John

[@TheGingaKiwi]

I'm completely paranoid about o2 in my beers now (thanks guys). I'm about to brew a RIS, any tips for reducing o2 in the bottle for long term storage. Cheers gentlemen.

[@nunnlife]

Great technique! Going to save me from buying more carboys since I already have 4 kegs on hand. Have you used this method to harvest yeast? Also would there be problems with just serving the beer from the same keg you ferment from? Cheers!

[@BrewDudes]

To harvest yeast I I think you'd have to do that with the traditional racking equipment. Maybe add some sterile water to the yeast cake. Swirl. Then siphon it out. I thought about pouring it, but I'd be afraid of the stuff dripping across the top of the keg and the top of my kegs are pretty grungy. Also the rubber like handles and top are impossible to sanitize effectively if you were to pour. I suppose you could pull out the short dip tube and put in a longer one but thats more work than using an auto-siphon. I wouldn't serve out of the same keg because I'd be afraid of the yeast in the cake not react well to the pressure/carbonation process. Stressing them out they might release more esters or what not into the beer. Its a alot more yeast than whats in bottle conditioned beer. I'd also think it would lead to lots of foaming. But I don't know maybe give it a try and let us know. BREW ON! -Mike

[@diverbob33]

Hey Dudes...thanks for all the great ideas! The next time I pass out, I hope I wake up in one of your garages. Have you tired fermenting under pressure in the keg yet? Sounds like something worth exploring. There's a couple of other videos on this topic out there, but Brew Dudes explain things best!

[@BrewDudes]

We haven't tried fermenting under pressure but we can add it to the list! - John

[@johngraham8052]

Supposed to stress the yeast more and lead to ester production. It's a problem in commercial breweries as a consequence of the large fermentation vessels. This is a consequence of the weight of the liquid, never mind any significant head pressure so I cannot see fermentation under pressure having positive results. The yeast would be generating co2 anyway so the relief valve would need to be set pretty low to not blow a vessel or create very fobby beer.

[@jacktyrrell2050]

Hi dudes I'm going to try an experiment on cold crashing my beer from my fermenter using a corni keg 10 psi I think it should work I'd like to know what you think cheers guys

[@BrewDudes]

Go for it Jack! - John

[@jacktyrrell2050]

@@BrewDudes hi just to let you know it didn't make a blind bit of difference the best way in my opinion is to just use one way valves for your blow off cold crashing that is much simpler and it works a treat Ps no point in complicating things keep it simple but thanks for all your tips and tricks happy brewing guys talk soon cheers

[@BrewDudes]

@@jacktyrrell2050 Thanks Jack - Brew ON!

[@hylkema101]

I'm super pumped about those Smash beers that will be about the malt!

[@BrewDudes]

We are too. We're starting to brew up some beers for analysis.

[@jimbam7775]

excellent vid as usual

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks Jim - brew on.

[@basingstokedave4292]

Cheers boys

[@BrewDudes]

Back at you Dave!

[@barleysandwiches8646]

How do you remove the yeast that settles out so it doesn't go in the serving keg?

[@BrewDudes]

The yeast are allowed to settle post ferment as the would in any fermentor. I had trimmed the longer dip tube prior to fermentation. I cut 2.5 inches off the dip tube so I wouldn't be drawing from the absolute bottom of the keg. That seemed to do a great job leaving much of the yeast behind. Cheers. -Mike

[@stevebos4566]

If you gently bend the long dip tube same thing is accomplished, allowing you to possibly return this to a serving keg.

[@MSKChess]

guys did it make any difference to the taste of your beer? If so what?

[@BrewDudes]

Well I didn't do this with a side by side. But experience makes me think no. Now that we are 6months out from when this was brewed I have some new perspectives. I can't be certain but the quality of the beer seemed to last longer than I normally experience. So maybe there was something to the closed system and process that kept some of the subtle age related oxidation notes that can enhance a stout. Perhaps next time a delicate wheat style would be a better comparator for that issue. Thanks for the question. -Mike

[@MSKChess]

I totally agree with you Michael on the whole hot side aeration thing. I have looked at and read all the literature that has been published on the net and in forums and remain unconvinced that HSA is a problem for homebrewers, cold side is a different matter. Thanks for the video, was really awesome - regards Robbie :D

[@paulfennell01]

Isn't there a lot of starsan left in the recipient keg?

[@BrewDudes]

Not really. My dip tube is pretty close to the base. There's only a few ounces in there and that is pretty small once diluted against the total volume of beer going in. Cheers! -Mike

[@chuckbrockmann734]

Mike! Wasn't cleaning the underside of the keg top a bitch the clean?

[@BrewDudes]

Not at all. Put one gallon of hot PBW in the keg sealed up and turned it up side down. Done! -Mike

[@kingneptune8120]

can you share the recipe for the Mike Warren Cream Ale?

[@BrewDudes]

My simplest recipe for it is all pilsner and a pound of flaked corn. I do an ounce each of Liberty hops at 60, 20, 5 minutes. I usually ferment with US05 or WLP001. I target 1.048 OG. My water leans towards a higher chloride than sulfate ration, but I haven't really played with water much yet in the Cream Ale.

[@AndrewDance]

I'm confused. You go to extraordinary lengths to avoid oxidizing the beer by using CO2, and then you say you use an O2 bottle to oxygenate the beer and you leave some O2 in the head space???

[@BrewDudes]

Post fermentation is when I focused on really limiting O2 exposure. Prior to fermentation I am a believer in oxygenating the wort for good fermentation. I wasn't attempting to get on the low dissolved oxygen brewing trend with this method. -Mike

[@evanbarker5611]

Doing this. Thanks!

[@BrewDudes]

Great - let us know how it turns out! - John

[@john-smith.]

Gets to the keg ferment @4:50

[@BrewDudes]

Cool

[@jacktyrrell2050]

This is to prevent suck back we don't want starsan in your beer

[@BrewDudes]

Right on - thanks, Jack! - John

[@gregcruickshank]

Dark beer. And it's not even Aug. that's some sort of sacrilege.

[@BrewDudes]

I know - we're brewing all the rules. #cucumberstout

[@TheGingaKiwi]

I'm completely paranoid about o2 in my beers now (thanks guys). I'm about to brew a RIS, any tips for reducing o2 in the bottle for long term storage. Cheers gentlemen.

[@BrewDudes]

Are you bottling from a keg or bottle conditioning. From a keg your only option is to use a tool that allows you to purge each bottle with CO2 first. Something like blichmann's beer gun. If you are bottle conditioning the referment will normally absorb much of the oxygen. Just don't splash the wort around too much when doing your transfers. Lastly, a big stout like a RIS generally benefits from some oxidation in the long run so don't worry about going overboard trying to limit O2.(that's not to say you should be trying to get some O2 in there.)