How to Rack from a Carboy Using CO2

[@mrjc12]

Wowzers!!! Didn’t know about this......thanks. I brewed 4 years ago and trying to get started again. Your vids are helping before I jump back in.

[@crazyboy1441]

I've been watching your videos for a few months and I just want to say thank you. I appreciate all of the knowledge you have shared. Thanks!

[@afaella3]

I appreciate this greatly! I exclusively use Pin Lock Kegs & Carb Caps are only made with Ball Lock ends - those small screw barbs were the missing piece I didn't know I needed!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lorijewels9391]

did you get your pinlock set up to work - I also use pin lock kegs and am trying to figure out the same.. cheers

[@afaella3]

@@lorijewels9391 I'm out of the country at the moment (US Army rotationally deployed) so I'll let you know the second I'm home and give it all s shot!

[@brianlabahn3753]

I like to keep the carboy on a table and the keg on the floor so gravity can help a bit once it starts. Like you mentioned I keep the PSI at 1 or 2 and I use a hose clamp to keep a good seal.

[@thomaspyper8091]

Thank you Larry. I've just done this for the first time tonight. It actually works! For anyone asking Larry, I use a two-hole #10 stopper (from LHBS) on a big fermonster lid, racking cane through the small hole, gas in through the bigger one. It did take a bit of pushing down on the stopper to get the gas seal and start the siphon process though. Also, it's as slow as anything you like. Slower than a slow sloth drinking sloe gin. Bonus: don't need to raise up and disturb my fermenter after it's cold crash.

[@robr3872]

This is my kind of video! Informative, educational, to the point, and not so long I loose interest. I'm definitely taking advantage of this system! Thanks Larry!

[@Vlafleur08]

I just ordered a the fittings to make the transfer system from chicompany, hopefully they get here soon! I'm in Canada and i've got 2 batches ready to be kegged soon and really want to try this out! Thanks for making the video!

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

I have seen this done in another channel somewhere.. Lol Good video, just make sure you don't pressurize more than a 2 - 3 PSI or the carboy could go boom!! Cheers Larry! 👍🍻

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

Lol you put your touch to it with the fittings! I like it!

[@kent7927]

I do it like this but, I go straight in the top open cap ball lock, add my dissolved corn sugar, cap shake in all directions, pressurize with CO2 and run my bottling cain from their and bottle. I like to bottle so you can take how much you want with you to a friends house or put in a small cooler with ice. The amount of air is minimal as long as the hose goes to the bottom of your beverage container. I use the same carboy caps as you and don't clamp so if the pressure is to high the cap just comes off.

[@BeerByTheNumbers]

Just another reason for me to get a keg system one of these days. Cheers!

[@CoreyGiordana]

Going to try this tomorrow. Thanks so much!

[@extendedp1]

Cool video, haven’t even made my first brew yet, but this was very interesting.

[@scott729]

Hi Larry. Started home brewing back in the early 1990's as a student at Purdue. Gave it up when life started happening, but now that most of it has happened, I have decided to take it up again. As you have mentioned, back in "the day" it was all books and learn by failing or prosper by not failing. From one engineer to another thank you for the wealth of information you have provided. It has helped me get my feet set again and I am anxious to fire up. I am starting slow though, you know.. the eat an elephant one bite at a time thing.... I will certainly be keeping my eye out for new videos from you. Oh, and by the way, I love to cook as well so we have a lot in common. Thanks again Larry. Cheers, as they say. (Its Bud for me for a few more weeks anyway... can't wait for that first pull off my new corny kegs loaded with a New Castle Brown clone)...... Sorry for the extra long post.

[@scott729]

Great school (Illinois).... took Jeff George from us errr, well you know... perhaps we let him move on, lol. I was lucky at the time because I lived pretty close and was able to commute for a couple years while I lived at home. Are you on Facebook and other social media too? Just curious if there are other ways to communicate and learn from/ with you.

[@scott729]

I will hook up with you on FB. I will also commit to some support on Patreon. Very busy at work this week, but very soon it will happen. I appreciate people who are willing to help others. My wife is a matriarch locally with Children's Medical Network and people like you help make the world go around...It takes both. Knowledge is power as they say, but I like to add a tiny kink to that thought... applied knowledge is powerful, ......Many thanks Larry. ( I am really not weird Larry, just giddy that I found your channel).

[@paskrell]

Got my first keg today. Have a bucket snd a FermZilla all rounder. This will help me in the process! Thx!!!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Glad I could help!

[@omurray4231]

You’re a wizard Larry.

[@omurray4231]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry the wonderful wizard of booze lol

[@InvisibleCitizen]

I’ve been racking out of my glass carboys with my SS Racking Cane for 12 yeas now! I originally purchased it to ferment upside down I a carboy. Cheers

[@tman9338]

Can u send me a pic of your setup? I have extra carboys and like your idea

[@abel7709]

Great utilization of a keg system with a carboy setup! Cheers!

[@danielschultheiss5335]

Great video Larry! I've absorbed a wealth of knowledge from you. Thanks for sharing..

[@jasonzaderaka1886]

Pure genius. Works great! Thanks for sharing!

[@Curts_C10]

Wow! I just bought a keg. I want to try this method! Thanks for great vids!

[@3rwparks3]

Great tip... I do have an oxygen issue from time to time. Thanks for the help.

[@elfillari]

Actually in Racking the pressures involved are so low, that I rack my fermentor with just tubes and tapes around the straight holes around the plastic fermentor and lid on it! But the principle is the same, to avoid beer oxydation! Cheers everybody!

[@mparrish03]

Great info. Thank you!

[@mrtydg]

How long will that Co2 tank last you? Or, how many transfers can you do till it's time to refill?

[@TheFlyingotto]

Never felt the need to do this if you purge air out of the keg with some C02 through the beer outflow before racking it from the carboy. Any air getting into the carboy touches the topmost beer and that usually doesn’t get transferred into the keg anyway near the end.

[@SomeTechGuy666]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY The whole "blanket of CO2" is a myth. Gasses mix irrespective of other gasses. Brownian motion.

[@Munnjo1]

Hi Larry - really appreciate all of your videos. I'm just getting into homebrewing and have recently purchased some kegs. I'd like to try this method to limit oxygen exposure of my IPAs. I'm wondering if there is any way to filter out all of the hop material from dry hopping so that it doesn't end up in the keg (and finished beer?). Currently I transfer the beer from the primary fermenter to a pail and filter through a nylon bag. Any suggestions here? Thanks again!

[@Munnjo1]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY thanks very much for the reply - and for all of your great videos

[@tomstepp6945]

Larry I realize this is an older video and you may have addressed my question in another, Do they make carboy caps for large mouth carboys with the the 2 ports that would allow closed transfer. I am gathering equipment and would prefer the large moth carboys if closed transfer is possible. Thanks. Your channel and the Brusho have become my favorite home brewing resource. Please keep the videos coming.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I’m not aware of carboy caps for nonstandard carboys.

[@unsaltedlife5998]

Every time I watch the introduction to your videos it makes me want to put something on the grill and grab a cold beer. Also very clever way of transferring the beer to a keg. Question is it easy to find that type of kegs and where did you find yours?

[@shovelhead2369]

I just did that haha

[@WreckedBrewery]

That's a neat trick Larry. Thanks for sharing! Cheers!

[@MarkStoverPiX]

I’ll definitely be doing this. Thx.

[@lorijewels9391]

Thanks! I'm looking to do similar was just looking to figure out what fittings I needed I have pin lock kegs not ball lock so I can what just depress gas line slightly to release pressure???? I have kegs washed and ready filled with co2. For wine making I want to set up for vacuum transfer with enolmatic so that orange carboy cap comes into play again.. ty

[@rayk1011]

Love this. Is there a way to do it with a Speidel 30l fermenting bucket?

[@MrUIHawkeye]

Thank you for the helpful information - always appreciate your videos. First, I'm a winemaker and would like to use this method of transferring wine from glass carboy after a year aging into a 5 gallon keg, under argon, to keep wine easily dispensable but under constant protection from argon. Quick question, have you or anyone you know done a "mythbusters" test approach, or do you know, how much pressure would you have to increase the regulator to, to create a situation where the carboy would fracture or explode? Are we talking sensitivities of going from 2psi to 3psi, or would you have to get upwards of >5psi where there could be dangers? Is pressurizing a glass carboy at 2psi really going to be dangerous in any capacity?

[@MrUIHawkeye]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Great, thank you for the quick reply!

[@Reptile36snakeman]

Awesome content you have answered so many of my questions just by your videos. Just a quick question how do you pull a final gravity reading with this system? Just leave some in the carboy and pull at the end? Sorry totally new to brewing. Waiting on everything to do my first brew.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

I use a sanitized wine thief to pull a sample before racking to the keg.

[@Reptile36snakeman]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Your the best! Now I know what that is in my kit I got, the thief. Keep up the great work. Can’t wait to get going brewing.

[@kent7927]

I forgot to say thanks,Thank you! I enjoy all your videos.

[@aaronphillips2649]

Any recommendations for those of us who use wide mouth plastic carboys? I specifically use Fermonster brand.

[@shaunodell7327]

I might of missed it but do you just burp the keg as it fills to release pressure or do you loosen the pop off valve?

[@mustang774]

Great ideas in this video. Very informative. Thanks very much.....Take care, Bluefin.

[@trevorthomas678]

Thank you for the video. I just tried siphoning from a carboy into the liquid dip tube without using CO2 and just using the siphon and racking cane. It worked, I think foil wrapping the top and then siphoning into the carboy might work as well and doesn't risk the pressurizing of glass. Do you see any pitfalls?

[@trevorthomas678]

But the keg is closed, so its not getting oxygen in there. I would say the only difference would be the oxygen in the headspace of the carboy, which I guess is displaced when using co2 to transfer, but is that significant, all the beer under the top layer would get no exposure, right? Unless there is oxygen in the line because its being siphoned.@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY

[@kellycushing7008]

It is possible to do a combination of both pulling with siphon and pushing with gas. Create some potential energy by elevating the carboy as high as your table and length of tubing allows. Push the beer to the keg with CO2. Use less than 2 PSI. This takes longer but uses less gas.

[@oldschoolman1444]

I like to put co2 in the keg first then let it sit for a few minutes for it to settle. co2 is heavier than air so their should be a layer of co2 in the carboy also. So if the air comes slowly into the fermenter it should maintain that layer of co2 I find using silicone tubing on the racking cane helps because it's flexibility and can be hot washed with pbw

[@BrothaSubjek]

I always refer to the innovations you provide. I have made many of the devices you made a video for. Is this method possible with a FerMonster Carboy?

[@jasonlahti7211]

Genius, Larry!

[@davefraser6215]

So are you using a 1/4" MFL gas disconnect in order to make the switch to the carboy cap/fitting compatible?

[@antamanouch]

Just wondering if that transfer ate up all of the co2 in that bottle? It looked a little small compared to the volume of air needed to fill the carboy...

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

No more than any other type of closed transfer (eg keg to keg or fermenter to keg).

[@alfonsoramirez6911]

Wish you had posted this video last week I just kegged my beer this morning oh well next time tnx for sharing 🍻 Cheers!!

[@andrewwalczewski343]

Another great tutorial! Thanks

[@jaytromblee6255]

Hey Larry, great video. I'm new to the brewing world so this may sound like a dumb series of questions but I was wondering how long do you keep it in the keg before drinking at at what temperature.

[@rickcarranza6118]

Hey Larry. Thanks for all your videos. They've really helped me set up my keezer and this close transfer set up is fantastic! Just one question: have you experienced any blockage where the black quick-disconnect connects to the beverage port on the keg? I'm particularly interested to see if hazy beers that have some sediment will cause ablockage on the beverage port on the keg. Appreciate all the work you put in! Cheers!

[@rickcarranza6118]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Thanks Larry. Appreciate your help! Keep brewing and providing all home Brewers much needed guidance!

[@off_pudding443]

Hey Larry, I'm a new brewer and only have bucket fermenters. Is it viable to use dry ice in a glass to purge the bucket before transferring? I was planning on using the glass just in case the dry ice wasn't exactly pure.

[@HyacintheQc]

Hello Larry, first thing thank's for the videos! I was asking myself instead of the cane inside the carboy, can we put on a sillion tube attached with a bobber at the end to do "a fermentasaurus like"? Would it work??

[@OctoBooo]

Great content as always!

[@markkassoff8316]

Hello Larry. Thanks so much for your dedication to all this. One question I have on the extension that comes off the racking cane. It appears that you are transitioning from a 3/8” hose off racking cane to a 1/4” line which is necessary to connect a black liquid connector to the keg. Or do you have a black liquid connector that has a 3/8” barb? Thanks

[@markkassoff8316]

Sorry to keep bugging you. I just don’t see how you can connect a 3/8 ID line to a 1/4 barb on the liquid connector (keg)

[@supyrow]

great info here Larry! Thanks buddy!

[@supyrow]

:) thats great to hear, should last for years.. :)

[@bigdog3400]

I see you have some airline disconnects, I had built set up similar to yours but I’m tired of putting line on and off the barbed fittings. What airline disconnect did you use?

[@jefflangley6205]

Hey Larry. Good video. Question. You didn’t demonstrate inserting the racking cane into the cap. The cane looked like it had a wider end than the cane itself. Maybe a removable filter? Please explain if you will. Also, I exclusively use the quick connect screw fittings everywhere possible so as you describe. The flexibility to switch things around is great. I buy all my fittings from morebeer.com.

[@stevenlacour5935]

I just tried to do a trial run of this just using a starsan solution in my carboy and nearly gave myself a heart attack when the carboy cap blew off. And this was done at 2 psi. Any thoughts? I’m now hesitant to hold the cap on if the pressure is that great and worry about a glass carboy bomb

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

maybe a tighter fitting cap (or carboy), or rubber bands to help hold the existing one on. Maybe the pressure gauge is incorrect.

[@deathgolbez]

Question: How do you keep the trub from being transferring into the keg using this method?

[@83freppe]

Great videos, just subscribed.

[@Evan-mh7it]

Looks like your neipa? Looks nice, great vid

[@joeyourso]

Larry, I’ve been watching your videos and was wondering what kind of kegerator you have or if you built your own? Also, could you give me some advice on where I can find some good cheap used kegs! Thank you. Keep making the videos! I just started brewing about 3 months ago. Doing extracts right now until I get more confident.

[@jordiperaltaportoles1931]

Hi Larry, I' ve just discovered your channel. It's great. When you change the fermentation carboy cap for the transfering carboy cap I think some air comes in to the fermentor. Am I wrong? Is this a big issue? Thank you

[@samwhitfield1946]

Great video thank you! Will this work with plastic type carboys?

[@depfeffel6455]

This is an awesome idea. By the way, 2psi is very, very low pressure, I would imagine a sturdy plastic carboy would survive fine. Some plastic ones are super thin and fragile. I'm about to switch from kits / bottling to all grain and corny kegs in a diy kegerator. Thanks Larry for many a useful KZbin video.

[@poisonpotato1]

Is there any way to bulk carbonate with yeast rather than kegging or bottling?

[@shawnsmith7539]

Q: is this method possible while you filter the beer before it goes in a Keg?

[@jdmlong]

Nice. I assume that's the NEIPA. It looks good.

[@jdmlong]

Let us know if you need any help.

[@skawalker35]

Wouldn't there still be oxygen in the racking cane and tubing to the inlet?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Probably (unless the pressure of CO2 added to the keg to purge it displaces air out of the tubing when connected) but would be minimal given the small volume and that air is only 20% oxygen.

[@pf11mila]

I tried doing this tonight but had issues with the liquid flow. When I turned on the CO2, , it filled up the tubing but didn’t seem to be going through the disconnect into the keg and would just stay there. Tried disconnecting and reconnecting several times with no luck. However, when I took off the disconnect, and turned the CO2 back on, and just put the end of the tube into the bottom of the keg, it worked perfectly. Any idea why the liquid wouldn’t go through the disconnect and into the dip tube?

[@pf11mila]

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry Tried opening and closing the check value multiple times with no luck. As soon as I unscrewed the disconnected, the beer shot through the tube due to all the built up pressure. For some reason the disconnect just isn’t lettering any liquid through

[@alstar1874]

I've been terrified to introduce CO2 into my glass carboy because I can't really do 1.5 PSI with the way dials (and gauges) on those regulators are. But then I just saw... Your gauge actually showed around 4.5 PSI. Am I reading it wrong? It was a little more than 2.5 notches away from 10 PSI and each notch is 2 PSI.

[@clevelandmortician3887]

Turn off the regulator and then barely crack it until beer starts flowing

[@shawnflynn6973]

I just did this and in the last 6 inches of the carboy slowed down a lot. There was a lot of co2 leaking out around the silicon cap at the top of the carboy. I had to hold my hands on it to maintain pressure. Is this normal?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

It depends on the fit between your carboy and your carboy cap. Different brands/styles of carboys and carboy caps are not the same dimensionally and may or may not have a tight fit depending on the combination used. I have some carboy caps that are loose on some carboys and others that are nearly impossible to add/remove due to the tight fit. I have a video on oxidized beer due to a poor fitting cap as an example. You can use a rubber band to help seal it better, or use your hands like you did. Or, buy some other brands of carboy caps to try them out.

[@shawnflynn6973]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Ok then. Thank you very much for the reply. I will mess with it and continue my learning journey.

[@robmetzger9955]

Pretty cool!

[@Audio_Simon]

Alternative, could you just suck a vacuum on the keg and siphon over to it? (Plus vacuum will start the siphon)

[@Audio_Simon]

@@BEERNBBQBYLARRY Hey Larry! I mean suck a vacuum with a vacuum pump. Minimal atmosphear in the keg and no gas needed. Wouldn't get much of a vacuum with my mouth! I happen to have a lab vacuum pump, but you can get small 12v diaphragm pumps for a few dollars. Might be a cheap reusable (safer if glass carboy) alternative to gas pressure transfer?

[@davidflood8573]

Thanks!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Thank you!

[@Brockdorf]

Why not just ferment in the keg? (no, I have never made my own beer)

[@matejsimala5272]

where to buy this carboy cap thing in Europe?

[@johnweldon787]

Best videos!

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Glad you like them!

[@samedbekmezci1890]

Carboy use to pressure fermentation ?

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

No. They are not pressure rated.

[@rifraf4633]

Larry...Really enjoy your Vid's...My question is, once you transfer the beer, as in this video, how do you carbonate??? Do you primary carbonate (Add your choice type of sugar to the fermented beer) or force carbonate with CO2?? Maybe worth a future video if not already done…Jeff

[@ecmik85]

Don’t mean to be ass here, but you don’t “empty all oxygen” by purging your keg once. One purge is equal to reduce the oxygen by 50%. You have to repeat the purge to minimize it another 50% (=50%-25%-12.5%-6.25% etc). And when you start pushing beer into the keg, the air in the racking cane and tubing ends up in the keg as well. So, it’s really not oxygen free so to speak. But sure better than nothing!

[@ctcollinthib]

This is genius.

[@pschannel6685]

I find I have to zip tie my carboy cap on otherwise it will leak CO2.

[@АлександрВерман-ж6с]

Доброго времени суток! Помогите собрать систему Rims. Живу в России нет средств, очень хочется!

[@southwestsearch]

Thank you for sharing this but I've only just started brewing my own beer. It's a simple process but, by God!, It's complicated at the same time! Do this and don't do that! Help! LoLs!

[@keelo-byte]

1/8", feet, gallons, PSI? the 21st century is calling and it's time to metricise.

[@cbowman75]

Murica!

[@CC-xh3eo]

In the US they beleive the metric system to be evil witchcraft!

[@Seapears]

Imperial is the common system for most English speakers in terms of day to day measures. But in any case, as you said "the 21 century is calling" use Google and convert the units yourself.

[@tikitorturedmf]

That’s how we roll in America. If it’s too hard to understand, read a book or use your googlizer.

[@tomg6284]

oh my, what or more importantly why did you put that music at the end, just awful.