darkalex wrote:Well my main reason for going with a conical was the ability to drop trub and collect yeast for reuse, without the pick up of oxygen that you have with buckets or carboys. The 2-stage temp controller and ability to conduct a closed transfer clinched it for the More Beer conical.
Those are all good reasons.
darkalex wrote:AJ, in terms of the flavor in the finished beer both initially (say a month out) and looking more longitudinally, how would a closed transfer from fermenter to keg compare with gravity feeding and simply purging keg and transfer tubing with CO2?
I think it would depend on how well you purged the kegs. If you do it by pushing water out that's better than just pressurizing with CO2 and bleeding as discussed in an earlier post. As to how beers packaged in the two different ways would compare - really can't say. I've been doing counter pressure transferring for so long I can't remember what the beers I made before I started doing it tasted like except that they weren't as good as the one's I'm making now but there have been lots of other improvements in my methods beyond CP transfer since then. I'm sure you know what the effects of staling are (cardboard, aldehyde, winey, diacetyl, souring...) and theoretically the better you exclude oxygen the longer you can go with less of those spoilers.
darkalex wrote:I did not bother with a closed transfer with my first batch, a sweet stout which tasted pretty awesome. It's in my chest freezer now around 37F. I believe that it should be fairly stable. Do you agree?
Can't agree or disagree because I can't be there to taste the beer. And even if I could you should be the one to answer that question. Certainly stout, with its strong flavors, should be able to mask staling better than a delicate lager so you have an advantage there.