Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:25 am
by fulkrum78
I've seen people in various places mention they ferment in a corny keg. I'm a bit intrigued by the idea since the benefits (racking out with co2, no light, sealed) seem pretty obvious.
A few questions though... I'm assuming you've trimmed your dip tube down? How do you handle blow-off? Is cleanup a bitch? how much wort can you get in there, and what is your yield like (ie losses)?
Any other thoughts on the subject are welcome as well...
Thanks!
Re: Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:53 am
by EagleDude
I have only fermented in a Sankey keg and that works really well. With a corny, I would be a bit concerned with the height to width ratio and resulting hydrostatic pressure on the yeast ... if you don't get any good answers here, this would be a good Brew Strong Q&A question.
Re: Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 9:50 am
by Henning1966
I ferment in cornys but I am fermenting in 10 gallon ones so its a diffrent animal.
Re: Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:23 pm
by fulkrum78
Henning1966 wrote:I ferment in cornys but I am fermenting in 10 gallon ones so its a diffrent animal.
Nifty! Where do you find those mythical beasties?
Re: Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:53 pm
by bikefoolery
I tried fermenting in 5 gallon cornies for 3 batches. I found 2-3 points lower attenuation than when I used a 6.5 glass carboy side by side in a fermentation chamber. Like finishing gravities of 1.015 in the keg and 1.012 in the carboy. Recipes were a pale ale and two belgian singles. I shake for aeration so that make have been a factor.
I used foam control drops in both. I found that 5 gallons would fit in a corny. There's a little head space. I had overflow going to a flask.
Please don't let me discourage you, but run your own trials if possible.
The fool
Re: Ferment in a corny?
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2011 5:50 pm
by fulkrum78
I wanted to hear the pros and cons, and you guys are giving em to me - nothing to apologize for!
bikefoolery wrote:I tried fermenting in 5 gallon cornies for 3 batches. I found 2-3 points lower attenuation than when I used a 6.5 glass carboy side by side in a fermentation chamber. Like finishing gravities of 1.015 in the keg and 1.012 in the carboy. Recipes were a pale ale and two belgian singles. I shake for aeration so that make have been a factor.
I used foam control drops in both. I found that 5 gallons would fit in a corny. There's a little head space. I had overflow going to a flask.
Please don't let me discourage you, but run your own trials if possible.
The fool