You failed to include the best fermenter material: STAINLESS STEEL!!! And, NO, you don't have to spend hundreds or thousands on a stainless conical fermenter. For slightly more than the price of a glass carboy, you can buy a used 5 gallon Corny kegs. And, NO, you don't have to keg dispense your beer to ferment in Cornelius kegs.
Advantages of fermenting in Corny kegs:
-MUCH safer and easier to carry than glass carboy.
-MUCH, MUCH, MUCH easier to clean than a carboy.
-Transfers heat out of fermenter MUCH more efficiently.
-Can rack beer with virtually no exposure to air.
-Can draw samples with no exposure to air.
-Can hang dry hops/flavoring/additive bag from lid.
-No oxygen permeability associated with plastic.
-No light permeability associated with glass.
-Easy to filter beer when transferring to another keg.
-Easier to store empty...hang it on a hook anywhere.
-Less fragile than glass or plastic.
-Can also be used to dispense beer.
um, a 6.5 gallon carboy is only 15 bucks. A 6.5 gallon plastic bucket is only 10 bucks.
One issue with fermenting in a corny is the distance the yeast must travel to floc out. A shallow, wide vessel is preferable in this case to a tall, narrow vessel.
I can think of other problems, such as volume limits, etc.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but fermenting in a corny is not a panacea.
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-B'Dawg
Give a man a beer and he'll waste an hour. Teach him to brew and he'll waste a lifetime. - Nuco Gordo
I will show as much deference as possible while taking issue with the "Brewdog", whom I sincerely admire, have benefited from his wisdom, and I openly acknowledge he has forgotten more about brewing than I have learned. Nonetheless, I will respectfully disagree.
1. My beer falls crystal clear and bright in Cornys within 4 weeks, and I pitch a 1 liter (2 liter for bigger beers), 2 stage, yeast starter from a stir plate. Hence, the additional 6 inches of travel isn't a problem for the billions of yeast cells I pitch to flocculate. Additionally, some may argue that the prolonged contact between the yeast and wort, while traveling a greater distance, may be beneficial...especially for bigger beers.
2. Volume is not a serious issue in a Corny if you use foam control, which also has the advantage of significantly increasing head retention. Four inches of head space is sufficient to avoid blow outs under heavy fermentation.
Personally, I have no "volume limits" imposed by fermenting in Corny kegs. I have a 20 gallon stainless brew kettle , eight 5-gallon Corny kegs and three 3-gallon Corny kegs. I can split the wort between as many kegs as needed. (And, its nice to try different strains of yeast on the exact same wort fermented under the same conditions...as well as pitching different volumes of the same strain.)
I will concede that Cornys are marginally more expensive ($20-$25 each, used); however, all of the advantages gained are well worth a few bucks. My beer remains enclosed in stainless steel, without exposure to air, light or contaminants, from the day I brew till the day I pull the tap. Please don't tell me that a plastic bucket is better than all that because it is shorter!? If distance is such a great detriment to fermentation, then it would never take place in large commercial vessels. Likewise, why are homebrewers spending thousands of dollars on conicals fermenters that are 2 times taller than a Corny keg?
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Advantages of fermenting in Corny kegs:
-MUCH safer and easier to carry than glass carboy.
-MUCH, MUCH, MUCH easier to clean than a carboy.
-Transfers heat out of fermenter MUCH more efficiently.
-Can rack beer with virtually no exposure to air.
-Can draw samples with no exposure to air.
-Can hang dry hops/flavoring/additive bag from lid.
-No oxygen permeability associated with plastic.
-No light permeability associated with glass.
-Easy to filter beer when transferring to another keg.
-Easier to store empty...hang it on a hook anywhere.
-Less fragile than glass or plastic.
-Can also be used to dispense beer.
Originally posted by crxtasy But how would you continuously allow the release of CO2 during fermentation (ie: the job of the airlock)??
I use an airlock during primary fermentation. I replace the the pressure release valve with an airlock. Here's a few of methods.
METHOD #1
The easiest way is to use a lid with a valve like "B" in this picture. Simply unscrew the valve and the hole fits a #3 stopper. Just get a #3 stopper with a hole to fit an airlock. (They are available at morebeer.com. They also have good foam control, which I HIGHLY recommend when fermenting in Corny kegs).
METHOD #2
If you want to modify a lid, you could simply drill a hole that will accommodate any size stopper.
METHOD #3
As pictured here, you may be able to simply cut a short piece of clear tubing that will slip between the pressure valve column (after removing the valve) and the airlock. Depending on the outside diameter (OD) of the valve column, you may have to flare out that end of the tubing after heating it in hot water. A hose clamp over the tubing on column is also advisable...though not pictured above.
METHOD #4
If you have a lid with the right sized valve threads, you can simply wrap a sufficient amount of Teflon tape around the shaft of the airlock and screw it in in place of the valve. (Make sure you throughly sanitize the whole assembly before use...as you should with any of these methods.)
METHOD #5
If you have a common Cornelius style airlock, like the one pictured on this lid , follow these direction:
1- unscrew valve,
2- cut a piece of 1/2 OD Pex tubing (available @ Lowes) about 3 to 4 inches long,
3- flare one end of the tubing by submerging it and the tip of a steel punch that is slightly wider than the shaft of the airlock in boiling water for a minute. Then drive the punch into the warm end of the tube. As soon as you pull the punch out of the tube, push the airlock into the flared end. The tube will shrink to fit around the airlock as it cools.
4- screw the other end of the tube into the threaded valve opening in the lid. The coarse metal threads will cut the soft Pex tubing just like a thread die. I hold the tube with a slip joint pliers, apply downward pressure while turning to the right until the tube seats in the bottom of the threads. To make sure you have a good seal, hold a finger over the hole on the bottom of the lid and blow into the top of the airlock.
Tips for Method #5: 1) Go slow when you get close to the bottom of the threads so you don't over-tighten and strip of the threads on the plastic tubing. 2) If your threads do get worn, some teflon thread tape will seal it back up. 3) Use a three piece airlock so it can be cleaned. 4) make sure you leave the bale on the lid on the correct side of the tube before you screw it in.
METHOD #6
Some folks will simply connect a blow off tube to a quick connect on the gas in post and drop the open end of the tubing into a jug of sanitizer. Although this is not my preferred method, it is quick and easy and will ease fears of a blow out. The most cautious method is to use a blow off tube like this along with METHOD #5. The additional height of the Pex tubing will allow the blow off tube to drain more material before your airlock gets scuzzy.
Using foam control, however, has eliminated blow outs for me...and I ferment BIG beers with BIG yeast starters. I just leave about 4 inches of head space between the wort and top of the keg wall. (I should specify that I am not incurring blow outs while fermenting ales at 68-70 degrees F.) Foam control also had the added benefit of giving your beer a great deal more head retention. Much of what is used up by a big thick krausen during primary fermentation is the same material that gives you a nice thick long lasting head on your beer.
Originally posted by Powhatan When racking - how do you deal with the sediment? Push with CO2 and use a shortened 'out' dip-tube?
I like the idea tho! I'd pay a little more for the convenience of not having to deal with glass.
With ALL transfers from keg to keg, I use low pressure; about 2 psi. It takes a while, but you don't stir up sediment.
For my primary kegs, I cut off about 2 inches of dip tube. This may be a bit more than most folks need; however, I usually make big beers and use large yeast starters. So, I produce more trub/lees than a normal brew. I also appreciate how clear most of my beers fall, so I don't mind leaving a pint behind to insure clarity.
For secondary kegs, I cut off about one inch of down tube.
Originally posted by crxtasy But how would you continuously allow the release of CO2 during fermentation (ie: the job of the airlock)??
I forgot to mention secondary fermentation. You can simply give the pressure release valve a pull three or four times a day. Or, you can put an adjustable pressure relief valve on the in connect, as seen here. http://morebeer.com/view_product/16771/
You just set this unit at a low PSI setting and it continuously releases the pressure for you.
Originally posted by seafra 2. Volume is not a serious issue in a Corny if you use foam control, which also has the advantage of significantly increasing head retention. Four inches of head space is sufficient to avoid blow outs under heavy fermentation.
So what are you using for foam control? I can blast krasuen out of a 6.5 gallon carboy with a 5.25 gallon mid-original gravity batch....most recent is my 1.064 OG ale currently in primary, but I can do it with an ale in the 1.050 range. This is also with the use of a blowoff tube.
BTW, I know they are expensive and hard to come by, but have you considered a 10 gallon corny?
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Secondary: Ditto
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I put 12 drops in a Corny keg and have not had a blow out with worts up to 1.075. Again, I must specify that my ambient temp is around 69 F.
I also closely watch the temperature of the keg during primary fermentation with a liquid crystal thermometer on the side of the keg. http://morebeer.com/view_product/18684/
If the temp gets over 72, I set up a little fan blowing on the keg. The stainless steel will draw the heat out of the keg quickly with a little air circulating around it.
Still, taking precautions for a blow out is not a bad idea. I used to put a blow off tube on during primary. However, after numerous batches that didn't blow out, I quit using the blow out tube. Just to keep my wife from kicking my arse, I do sit the primary kegs in a cheap little plastic bucket from the Dollar Store.
it occurs to me that you could just split your five gallon batch into two cornies and not have to add "foam control", but then I guess you'd need two yeast oitches. Or even, split a ten gallon batch into 3 cornies, that's probably enough headspace for most primaries...
I mean if you felt funny about throwing chemicals in your beer.
I was using a Sabco "yeast brink" (converted half bbl keg with two cornie posts and a cornie lid) as a fermenter, that is until some lowlife bastard who thought it was a regular keg he could sell for scrap for 15 bucks STOLE it off my back porch where i left it soaking in PBW after one late night brewing session....now I'm back to glass carboys
Originally posted by Boerne Brew So what are you using for foam control? I can blast krasuen out of a 6.5 gallon carboy with a 5.25 gallon mid-original gravity batch....most recent is my 1.064 OG ale currently in primary, but I can do it with an ale in the 1.050 range. This is also with the use of a blowoff tube.
BTW, I know they are expensive and hard to come by, but have you considered a 10 gallon corny?
Heh, I just spent three hours today (with frequent interruptions) cleaning and sanitizing 15 gallon cornies.
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