I’m flirting with trying closed transfer. I use Speidel 30Ls. I stumbled onto these ball lock in caps with 5psi adjustable PRVs.
How are you guys cleaning and sanitizing your spigot after fermentation for transfer? I don’t like the idea of running 5 gallons through a wild inoculation
How do you know when you have the keg properly filled? I’m looking at some color change tape for the side of the keg, but don’t know if it changes between room temp (keg) and 32-35° (incoming beer)
Could you measure the weight of the keg as you fill it? 5 gallons of water weighs about 42 pounds. 1.050 wort adds about 5 %. Doesn’t need to be super accurate, maybe a bathroom scale?
Edit: you’re not measuring wort, its beer. So, at a FG of 1.010, it only weighs about 1 % more than water.
Doesn’t he also make a dip tube fitting for the Speidel Jim? I use 15g with the red screw top. Like a Speidel before they were around. I’m trying to figure out how to do what you are doing. That top w the dip tube would be the ticket.
Because when doing a closed transfer, you will have the gas in going back to the top of the fermenter. So when that line fills with beer, the keg is full.
The only dip tubes I see are for the spigot which doesn’t make sense to me. I transfer from the spigot. If I was to use one of these dip tubes, I would pick up a ton of yeast.
Just thought of that. Usually the yeast settles right below the spigot for my 30L. I thought you guys were essentially talking about a racking cane built into the lid. Sorry to interrupt. Carry on.
Here you go.
If you use the Speidel spigots use the Chrome ones not the plastic ones. If you use the norcal ones, make sure you buy the plastic cap and the silicone wrap. I bought the ball valves independently for much cheaper and added adaptors for hoses. If you want to ferment with the spigot, just sanitize it like anything else and then cover the exit in sanitized foil.
Fill by gravity. Insert a gas quick disconnect once everything is connected and the beer going down will push the gas off the keg through the disconnect. I imagine that in addition to gravity, you will push from the top with CO2 in this case.
You can easily see the yeast/ trub level in the speidel. If it is below the level of the spigot, then transfer until you reach the level of the yeast. If it is above the level of the spigot, incline the Speidel backwards until it is below the level of the Speidel. Use something that won’t slide.
I would cut the keg gas-in tube so that the beer can reach the top of the keg.
If you have more beer than the keg can take, then beer will eventually come out of the disconnect; at tha point get the disconnect out and you are done.
Keep in mind that your keg is filled to the top, so get some beer out before you connect gas or make sure gas has pressure, otherwise beer will come into the gas line.
I have done 300 beers this way, so if it can happen, I have seen it
Here is my final solution. The one I’m getting, the racking cane will actually have a liquid ball lock tip though. Then a jumper from that to the liquid out post on the keg. It doesn’t include the orange threaded Speidle collar but I have about 6 extras at home.
I should have it in time to keg my double mash stout, and English IPA. So from here out I’m purging by pushing out sanitizer, and closed transferring. I use Brewtan B in my light colored beers. But that’s it! Don’t paint me a LODO guy! Lol
Regarding the yeast issue, I just use pressure to blow out the first bit of gunk on the bottom of my fermenting keg through a picnic tap. Once it’s mostly clear I jump it to my serving keg with a PRV/spunding valve on the gas-in. Some yeast/trub may still make it over to the serving keg, but that usually drops quick and is gone after the first pint or two.