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Fermenting under pressure


PhilboBaggins

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I have bought a Keg King Junior and am fermenting an IPA under pressure. There were no instructions with it so i looked on the web and think i have figured it out but am unsure of the best way  to take a FG sample. I think i will have to hook up a picnic tap and take a sample that way. Does anyone know another way? It seems to me this could be a bit wasteful if i have to discard the beer in the hose to make sure i get a clean sample even though the sample will come from the top by way of the floating tube. The pressure is currently 12PSI, will i have to reduce this to take the sample to ensure i don't get all foam?

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9 minutes ago, Southern Man said:

I have bought a Keg King Junior and am fermenting an IPA under pressure. There were no instructions with it so i looked on the web and think i have figured it out but am unsure of the best way  to take a FG sample. I think i will have to hook up a picnic tap and take a sample that way. Does anyone know another way? It seems to me this could be a bit wasteful if i have to discard the beer in the hose to make sure i get a clean sample even though the sample will come from the top by way of the floating tube. The pressure is currently 12PSI, will i have to reduce this to take the sample to ensure i don't get all foam?

All good just use a party tap.  You will have virtually no waste. Any foam will settle into liquid. I assume you have a floating dip tube and the intake is below the surface.  

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31 minutes ago, Southern Man said:

Thanks Marty. The floating dip tube was supplied with a large extra key ring added to make sure the intake stays below the surface. 

You will find that it work better if you weigh it done. So when you set up for the next brew put some sort of weight on it.  Anything food grade will work.  

Edited by MartyG1525230263
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On 2/27/2021 at 1:22 AM, MartyG1525230263 said:

All good just use a party tap.  You will have virtually no waste. Any foam will settle into liquid. I assume you have a floating dip tube and the intake is below the surface.  

Don't forget to "de carb" the beer because as it's partially carbonated it may have influence on the gravity reading. You can use a coffee filter to flatten the beer.

 

Here's what I do, after seeing the "krauzen" has dropped I close the spunded valve to carbonate the beer and then when pressure stops increasing for more than 2 days is because fermentation is probably done (actually it will drop a few points in the end of fermentation) so that's when I take the reading. 

 

 

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Just poking my newbie nose in and saying this has been a great thread for a bloke just getting back in to homebrew (now with kegs and a snubnose !) after about 25 years. Bloody hell things have changed. A mate of mine said I should post this here as he doubts anyone else is pressure fermenting in a XXXX can 😉 

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  • 3 months later...

Here is one of the benefits of fermenting under pressure: This brew was 7 days grain to glass.  Yesterday morning it  two days stable SG so ready to cold crash. Started cold crash at 9am yesterday then at 4pm it was at 3c.  The brew was naturally carbonated from the pressure fermentation and cold. So I had 4 of these yesterday arvo straight from the FV.   Great little drop a Pacific Pale Ale using Aussie, US and NZ hops.  Nice change for me as I usually do not brew this type of beer but must say it is very good.  Will leave it crashing for a few more days to clarify some more then keg it.  

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Edited by MartyG1525230263
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  • 1 month later...

I've got myself a gen3 fermentasaurus to start pressure ferments. I got it a while back but life and reading up on the ins & outs has paused the use of it. Akso making sure I have the extra parts needed for pressure ferment and transfers as well as spares, just in case.

But now I have all the kits and bits I need so about to put in the first brew.

How necessary is CC for a brew under pressure? With the trub dropping into the collection jar, and doing a 20L brew, wouldn't the beer be ptretty clear anyway or is that no different to normal FV's?

I figure if it's the 2nd option I will serve to a keg for CC as the FS G3 is way too tall for my ferment fridge and I don't want to sacrifice keg space in the keg fridge. Having said that I better make sure there's enough height for a keg in the FV fridge. 😄

Also, I normally use Nott for my yeast - in a pressure ferment are the temp limits for a yeast still the same? i.e. Nott is supposed to be good for 10° - 22° so will it suffer if I ferment at 25°? I'm hoping not because I have seen posts about doing lagers above 20° and lager yeasts would normally not be very good at those temps so I'm thinking the pressure changes the yeast results?

 

Edited by Journeyman
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12 hours ago, Journeyman said:

Also, I normally use Nott for my yeast - in a pressure ferment are the temp limits for a yeast still the same? i.e. Nott is supposed to be good for 10° - 22° so will it suffer if I ferment at 25°? I'm hoping not because I have seen posts about doing lagers above 20° and lager yeasts would normally not be very good at those temps so I'm thinking the pressure changes the yeast results?

I am lead to believe that pressure simulates the same kind of suppression that temperature does.  I have done lagers in Brisbane summer with no temperature control, just pressure to keep the yeasties in line. These lagers turned out fine with no off flavours at all. I was using dubbya and let the pressure build naturally.

When fermenting ales throughout summer I did a combination of applying pressure initially and also letting pressure build naturally. I was using the coopers commercial yeast. When letting build naturally I was getting the esters you would expect from the CCA yeast when fermented around 20-21'C, banana galore. In saying this though the temps were around 30'C so that's getting up there.  After this I started applying pressure straight up and this reduced the ester flavour back to more desirable levels.

I reckon you nottingham yeast will be fine at 25'C and under pressure, rip in mate.

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10 hours ago, Lettucegrove said:

I reckon you nottingham yeast will be fine at 25'C and under pressure, rip in mate

Thanks for that.  I have 2 to keg today and will be brewing tomorrow - maybe this arvo if I can get bum into gear. I'll get them in the FV fridge then put the Gen 3 together properly and check it for leaks then do a brew in ti, likely Tuesday.

Better drain a keg before all these are ready - aah, the tasks put upon one... 😄 

Edited by Journeyman
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On 7/24/2021 at 9:16 AM, Journeyman said:

I've got myself a gen3 fermentasaurus to start pressure ferments. I got it a while back but life and reading up on the ins & outs has paused the use of it. Akso making sure I have the extra parts needed for pressure ferment and transfers as well as spares, just in case.

But now I have all the kits and bits I need so about to put in the first brew.

How necessary is CC for a brew under pressure? With the trub dropping into the collection jar, and doing a 20L brew, wouldn't the beer be ptretty clear anyway or is that no different to normal FV's?

I figure if it's the 2nd option I will serve to a keg for CC as the FS G3 is way too tall for my ferment fridge and I don't want to sacrifice keg space in the keg fridge. Having said that I better make sure there's enough height for a keg in the FV fridge. 😄

Also, I normally use Nott for my yeast - in a pressure ferment are the temp limits for a yeast still the same? i.e. Nott is supposed to be good for 10° - 22° so will it suffer if I ferment at 25°? I'm hoping not because I have seen posts about doing lagers above 20° and lager yeasts would normally not be very good at those temps so I'm thinking the pressure changes the yeast results?

 

@Journeyman I personally do not find that pressure fermenting has any effect on flocculation, and I still cold crash after a pressure ferment.

You will be fine using Nottingham at 25°, in fact you could probably go higher without any undesired effects. I can ferment a lager at that temperature using W34/70 and it brews fine.

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With lock-down finishing here tomorrow I am going to pick up my 58 L SS kegementer and some more bags of grains and looking forward to setting it up on the WE.

So from here on I should be able to do double batch brew days and pump out two kegs at a time.  Going to do a regular lager under pressure with Dubbya so I can sus out what temps and pressures to go with in the longer term of brewing lagers and work out a profile that works very well.  It will be another learning curve for me for a little while.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What is the popular practice regarding diacetyl rest when pressure fermenting a lager?

I have been doing a Mitch's Aussie Lager. 20°C at 15psi.  OG was 1.040.  At 1.014 yesterday.  Therefore, upped the temperature to 22°C yesterday.  Decided to go up to 24°C today.

Is a diacetly rest even necessary given the brew is already at normal diacetyl rest temperatures, much like is the case with als?

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12 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Is a diacetly rest even necessary given the brew is already at normal diacetyl rest temperatures, much like is the case with als?

No D rest is needed but that regime would remove it if it was present anyway.  

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  • 4 weeks later...
51 minutes ago, disgruntled said:

The options for FVs are the two Keg-shop clones I assume???

I have tried plastic models, they do work but being plastic they can be a pain in the behind to get a good seal and being a pressure vessel they have a limited life (they have an expiry date printed on them). SS kegmenters are good and are very durable, they have a 4" tri-clover opening that seal really well and a SS lid with posts and PRV just like a keg. Of course they are considerably more expensive than the plastic but should have a very long life.

Edited by kmar92
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On 7/24/2021 at 10:45 PM, kmar92 said:

You will be fine using Nottingham at 25°, in fact you could probably go higher without any undesired effects. I can ferment a lager at that temperature using W34/70 and it brews fine.

Hi @kmar92. Just curious, have you actually pressure fermented Nottingham at 25C and it was clean, or are you assuming that because of your experience pressure fermenting W34/70 at 25C?

Cheers,

Christina.

 

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12 hours ago, kmar92 said:

I have tried plastic models, they do work but being plastic they can be a pain in the behind to get a good seal and being a pressure vessel they have a limited life (they have an expiry date printed on them). SS kegmenters are good and are very durable, they have a 4" tri-clover opening that seal really well and a SS lid with posts and PRV just like a keg. Of course they are considerably more expensive than the plastic but should have a very long life.

No idea why this was picked up and hidden by the algorithm...

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