Do you know how much yeast/trub is in the keg approximately?
I usually run about a quart of yeast/trub slurry off before I start transferring to my serving keg. There is usually more (the stickiest most solid portion) that stays at the bottom of the fermentation keg as well.
Looking for thoughts on this. Saw some on MoreBeer for $18 but wondering if there is an issue with them being in during fermentation [emoji848]
I have not had any problems with the floating dip tube approach - I have it in the fermenter all the way through to racking. I use a kegmenter, so fermenter shape may make a difference - mine is shaped like a commercial keg, but is somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 gallons, IIRC. The model of dip tube is Clear Draught - but I would think any would work pretty well. The stainless ball float gets coated with krausen, but the pickup is below that, so it remains relatively clean through the racking.
I caution you on using the floating dip tube from MoreBeer. I was not impressed. YMMV
What happened with it? The TurboKeg one, yeah? My favorite part about it was the price lol but depending on potential issues I’m not opposed to looking around.
Thanks, @ynotbrusum !
I think the one I have is The Bouy. It seems to get hung up on the side.
I have seen folks at HBT add stainless washers to help weight it down but I have not done that so can’t vouch for it.
Sounds like this one? That’s what I was looking at anyway.
I bought the Torpedo Keg Bouy from Morebeer. The first time I used it was terrible with foam and venting CO2, but after that its been great. The tube is coiled up in the package and took some time to relax. I’d buy it again and probably will.
Did you add any weight to it? I am thinking of giving it another shot but my first several experiences were not good ones.
No modifications, just hung it up to straighten the tubing. I don’t use it for fermentation, though, just dry hopping.
So, slacker lazy me just kegged my first batch from a keg the other day. One thing I noticed is that after I got an the liquid out, the yeast on the bottom was super pretty. No beer on top, just straight yeast. I dumped it because I didn’t preplan but I was thinking I should have done something with it because it looked so magical.
I’m not trying to save up a ton of yeast, it was Munich Lager yeast, but thinking about how I can hold onto it again for another use if I’m not just going to pitch directly on top of it. The classic boil a mason jar and pour in some slurry?
Horrible photo but I snapped one to show my buddy. You can also see my Tilt down there [emoji28]
I’m not trying to save up a ton of yeast, it was Munich Lager yeast, but thinking about how I can hold onto it again for another use if I’m not just going to pitch directly on top of it. The classic boil a mason jar and pour in some slurry?
Well you could just leave it in the cornie…
Nah, throwing more beer in there. For yeast I plan to reuse quickly, I’ll plan the brewday to match nearby.
“Slacker Lazy Me” lol Here’s one for ya. I started fermenting in kegs a few years ago. At that point, I began not only fermenting in the kegs, I carbonate and serve from the same keg. This has several benefits for me. The beer is never exposed to oxygen after fermentation begins. No transfers, no extra cleaning, sanitizing. I use a spunding valve and can naturally carbonate the beer near the end of fermenation. So for most beers, I have finished carbonated, cold and drinkable beer after a day or two in the fridge. I brew smaller batches these days, it’s mostly just me drinking it and shoot for about 4 gals into the fermenter. I use floating dip tubes on all my kegs so the beer is pulled off the top where it is clear faster than the beer at the bottom. It’s been great and has really streamlined my process and saves a lot of extra steps and time and has helped make some of my best beer ever.
I bought the Torpedo Keg Buoy to transfer fermented beer. I think I need to get something to weight it down as stated. It would flow for a bit then CO2 would fill the line and bubble. I wiggled the keg a bit, it would get going again, then back. Maybe the tubing was still too twisted up as I just picked them up… but hmm…
The Keg Buoy’s are working well but it’s a pain when I’m transferring to my serving keg and the tube constantly gets above the beer level and pushes CO2 through… What would you suggest as a weight or way to keep it below the float… These are still fairly new… only maybe 1 batch of beer on both but still annoying and not sure if they will get any better. Tried to get them as straight as possible before inserting.
Not that you can see the float in this photo…
I’ve seen some folks use stainless washers as a weight. I have one that I removed because of this issue. I may need to get some washers myself.