TaraB Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hi everyone. Am relatively new to this. I have made a few home brews with a mate, and then decided to get my own set up with kegs. Bought a Coopers kit, the fermenter lid does not have an air lock or hole to put an air lock. Everything I have read has said this is not normal and that I should drill a hole in the lid and buy a little seal and airlock. But as this is how I bought it it seems strange to me that I would need to drill a hole in the top. Any advice would be fantastic. Also without the airlock, how is the best way to tell if everything is doing what it is supposed to be doing? Cheers Tara [happy] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hi Tara - The new DIY coopers kit doesn't have an airlock and under no circumstances should one be added [rightful] Airlocks are a waste of effort at the best of times but as you have a DIY fermentor I'll save that rant for another post [biggrin] Condensation on the lid, foam (krausen) on the top of your beer and a dropping gravity are all indications of fermentations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Coopers made the new kit without an airlock, in part, to try to limit questions on this forum about airlocks [biggrin] It was made like that on purpose, and carefully tested. If you drill a hole in it and put an airlock in you may make the designer of the fermenter (a moderator on this forum) and a bloke called Muddy cry. The new fermenter is see through - so you can see fermentation happening! Check the FAQ's on this site and particularly the dvd that came with the kit Good luck with your brew! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaraB Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks Muddy, That\u2019s what I thought. Pretty excited to get this on in the keg. Do you have an opinion on force carbonation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I'm only a lowly bottler with dreams of kegging Tara. Someone else will be able to shed advice or opinions on that subject. I know some people around these parts like to naturally carbonate their kegs but I'm not sure what the benfits or negatives are for natural carbing Vs. force carbing (Very interested to know though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I don't keg either but from my understanding natural carbonation allows you to store the keg for a long time and conditions similar to how it would a bottle where as forced carbonation is fo if you want to drink it in a few days time and it wont last very long. I also have the feeling that when you force carb it, it doesnt allow the beer to condition. I am not 100% sure but just some stuff I picked up on another forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/force-carb-vs-natural-carb-92312/ Some more info on the matter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaraB Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks Matty, Think I\u2019ll have a play around with both, last one I force carbed, didn\u2019t really know what I was doing thought, and halfway through the keg it was just all head, flat, and only came good on the last glass before it was all gone. Ha ha. Will let you know how I go. [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Welcome to the Brewers Guild, Tara! The foaming issue may be due to not enough head pressure on the beer and not enough beer line. What pressure did you run it at and what is the ID and length of your beer line Brewing FAQ on Kegging You'll also find some FAQs regarding the DIY Beer Kit on this page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Please keep us posted Tara, as I am hoping to go into the world of Kegs as soon as I can convince the lady of the house to let me have one. This maybe difficult as she wont even let me get the new DIY fermeneter yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaraB Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 I had it between 80-90 kpa, not too sure on the lines though, they came with my kegs, and standard food grade if that helps? 1.6mm I think. Length is probably 1.5m. Someone said it could be that my tap isn\u2019t tight enough, but it won\u2019t get any tighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaraB Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 Good luck Matty, I managed to get my missus to buy me the keg set up, DIY fermenter and a bar. [wink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty A Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I spose I can't whinge, everytime she runs down to IGA she picks me up cans and sugar. Yesterday I got a phone call asking how I could make that stout that I like (Coopers Best Extra Stout). I thought she was giving the recipe to a friend of hers and when I got home she had picked up the cans and sugar. But yes I don't think she is up for a bar or some taps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Your system may not be balanced. Sufficient head pressure is required to keep the gas in solution. 80-90 kPa should be okay if using 100% CO2. Also, 4degC is the optium temp for beer to hold CO2 gas. Of course, too much head pressure makes the beer pour too violently, resulting in a glass full of foam. [pinched] So if you bump up the head pressure you need to increase the resistance in the beer line. If you don't have a restrictor in your beer line, you need about 3m of line with an ID of 5mm (2m of ID 4mm) - the beer line acts as the restrictor. [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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