Convert your Corny Keg Into a Fermenter

How to convert your keg for pressure and non-pressure fermentation.

Flotit 2.0

Clear beer system

Floating dip tube (Includes gas post)

6 gallon keg

Spunding valve in the video

BlowTie

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Stuff I use all the time

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[richardbennington]

I see a lot of people for pressure fermenting now attaching the PRV to the gas post on a second keg, and using a jumper from the primary gas to the second keg liquid post. This serves to fill the second keg with CO2 (which is pricy now AND bad for the environment) so that you can transfer the beer without introducing O2 at all. Usually, a floating dip tube is used in the first keg.

BTW, THANK YOU FOR CREATING GREAT VIDEOS! Seems far too many are hand held jerky unedited, uninformed time wasters. I appreciate how well done your videos are!

[dschneid]

I love fermenting in my cornies using a floating dip tube. I use a blow-off tube for ales and a spunding valve set to 10psi for my lagers. I ferment 2.75 gallon batches in 3 gallon kegs and I find Fermcap to be absolutely necessary. I've never had an issue with the limited headspace. When fermentation is finished, I perform a closed-loop pressure transfer to a clean and sanitized serving keg, using pressure from the serving keg to push the beer out of the fermentation keg. My beers have been consistently better since I started fermenting in my cornies!

[JH-msny]

Great video! I've been fermenting in corny kegs for about a year now and they've become my favorite fermenters by far. Most of my batches are 4 gallons or less so I've never been worried about headspace, but the tip with the 1/2" silicone tubing on the PRV is a great idea for those trying to fit a bit more in their keg.

For my pressurized lager fermentations, I use a spunding valve set to around 15psi and have had great results with that. For non-pressurized fermentations, I have a couple gas disconnects connected to short pieces of bent SS tubing and S-airlocks, so I can pop those on and off my keg as needed.

If I ferment in my corny kegs, 99% of the time I'm serving directly from them as well with floating dip tubes. If I'm taking the beer to an event, I'll jump from that keg to a clean, purged serving keg. I put a 3/8" SS hex nut on the end of the tubing right near the ball float to make sure the tubing end stays submerged, and when serving from a keg that I've dry-hopped, I put the small filter on the end of the dip tubing. It's great to have less vessels to clean, and reduced oxidization. My NEIPA's have gone weeks with no noticeable oxidization or color changes, and haven't noticed any detrimental effects of having the beer sit on the yeast and hop trub in the serving keg.

[kickstar]

Thanks Brian for all the great info, I don't cut my corny keg dip tube, I just use a BeerBrite filter system when racking to another corny keg, in my experience 41/2 gallons is about right for trouble free fermenting, though I find with cider I can manage 5 gallons...Thanks again Brian.

[GavM]

I’ve been fermenting the full 5 gallons with no probs. Blow off tube set up like the vid will take care of any blow off. It’s usually minimal. A recent 13% Kveik barley wine blew off only around 100ml. I also don’t tamper with the dip tube. I don’t feel the need to. After a few days in the Keezer, the first pour pulls up the yeast cake then the beer is fine after that so no need to transfer to another ‘serving’ corny. I’ve also had great success harvesting yeast by using a sterile picnic/party tap and literally pouring the yeast cake into a sterile jar. Corny fermentation is brilliant. I do all my Weizens this way and any other beers that aren’t dry hopped. I have dry hopped though with success using a hop filter in the corny. Hang it in there with a bit of sterile dental floss for a few days. Make sure you have a steady flow of co2 going into the liquid post when adding removing hops though to minimise oxygen entering the corny.

[itterman]

Nice, I use 30L sanke keg with spear removed for 5g batches and 2" triclamp to ball long on top. Works great for PSI fermentations!

[TheShacksDevon]

Thanks for doing this video, great to see sound advice covering all brewing possibilities. I’m a small batch BIAB brewer (using electric) and use a 10ltr pressure barrel converted to take a Corni Ball Lock Valve to add a spunding valve to control the pressure. It works really well.

[willschmit]

I have been fermenting in corney kegs since the mid-90s. I used to use pin lock for fermenting, and ball lock for serving, so I always knew which one had the short tube. I brew lagers in my kitchen, in Albuquerque with no temperature control all year round (85F in the summer) by using a spunding valve. I transfer to a serving keg, then pour out the yeast in the fermenter (leaving a few tablespoons) and pour new wort on top of it. I brew 2.5 gallon batches every Saturday, and I never buy yeast. I used the same "Cry Havoc" yeast for 20 batches, now I use 34/70...

[brianeasley]

Really good video! I would say an easy way to do a larger batch is hook 2 kegs up together. I am doing a pressure fermentation right now, gas in to liquid out and a spunding valve on the second keg. Works great!

[jameshess]

I fermented in Corny kegs for several years until I upgraded to Spike Flex+, but I kinda miss it. For a blowoff, I took a gas post with me to Lowes and found vinyl tube that fit snug on the post. I would remove the poppet and push that vinyl hose on to make a blow off. Even with 4.5 gallon batches, krausen would rarely push through. When it was time to transfer to a serving keg I would put the poppet back in the post.

I also had no problems harvesting yeast. Although I went through several trials and error on my process, I eventually landed this: 1) push starsan out a hose from the future serving keg. 2) with a small amount of pressure, push the first slug of yeast into a sanitized jar, using the same hose until clear beer flows. Amazingly, it was usually only a few ml before the clear beer. It seems the yeast cake would hold it’s shape at the bottom 3) disconnect the QD from the fermenter keg to stop the flow, attach another black QD to the hose to make a jumper 4) transfer the beer to a serving keg. 5) when finished transferring, depressurize the fermenter, pour in 500ml or so of preboiled and cooled water on to the yeast cake to soften and dilute it, swirl it. 6) close the fermenter keg back up, pressurize and push to the jar. I did all of this without cutting the dip tube. I had a cut diptube handy if there was ever a clog but it rarely happened.

[danpierce]

I bought the Kegland 7.6 gal or 29L Kegmenter (low profile and 4” opening for easy cleanings) which works great with the Blowtie Spunding valve. also has a built in relief valve. Can use as a Fermenter or Keg by design...it’s sweet!

[hypnolobster]

My main fermenter is an old 10g corny keg. I've got a modified lid that I welded a 3/4" sanitary fitting in that I use a thermowell with, and I also have a floating diptube in there for transfer. It's the perfect fermenter.

[gstelt]

Is it okay to leave the floating dip tube in during pressure fermentation on the “out” post? Then when I transfer to my serving keg or take a gravity sample I won’t have to open the keg or worry about sucking out the yeast. Currently making my first lager under pressure fermentation in a corny keg with a sounding valve.

[vincelafore]

Hey Brian in regards to harvesting yeast from the keg. I have done it several times by just dumping some distilled water in the keg ( i dont have a trimmed dip tube so vertually just sludge and no liquid) swirl it around, put a funnel over the opening and dump it into a sanitized jar, my wife helps me do this part. Make a starter as usual. So far I haven't had any problems using this method. The kegs I have done this with sat in my keezer empty for 2-3 months. Just a thought to ponder if you need that particular yeast and don't have any. That's what made me try it. And it worked

[killswitchh]

Good suggestion on the 6 gal keg. Looks like it will even fit in my fermentation kegerator. Just had a massive blowout through my 5 gal through the spunding valve.

[HOMEBREWLIFE]

i gotta get on the that floating dip tube train!

[jacobleblanc]

Thanks for all your video. I love watching your videos. It is verry instructive. I am new to pressurised fermentation and i would definitly try it with a corny keg insted of a sanke keg.

[TheBruSho]

This video is awesome! I have been wanting to do this and you answered a lot of my quesitons, great job!

[crow]

Enjoyed the video, I do have a question. At the beginning of fermentation you added a blow off tube or an air lock. Then later you added a spunding valve. I guess I got lost here. Do you take off the air lock, replace the pressure release valve, and then add the spunding valve? Or, if you plan on fermenting under pressure, do you just add the spunding valve from the beginning? I ordered 4 corny kegs, I will only be despensing beer in 3 of them, I was thinking of one of two things; using the extra keg as a pressure fermenter or using it to cold crash. Kegging and using kegs as other pieces of equipment is all new to me. Any help is appreciated.

[randutch]

I've recently got into homebrewing and have now done three 1gal batches. Looking to step up and the major thing I've been trying to figure out is how to temp control my fermentation (I'm in FL). That lead me to possibly looking at pressure fermenting instead. That lead me here to a video posted only a couple days ago!! Crazy how the internet works!! It just knows haha.

Think this is the route I'm going to go. Looks to be one of the cheapest and easiest to test out. It'll be a great learning experience and let me see if I want to invest in something more substantial. Appreciate the great info and look forward to more videos on this. Cheers!