40 pint kits and 20L Cornie's

[opentoideas]

I have just recieved my first pair of Cornie's (and lovely shiny things they are )

after I finished drooling I filled one up to see what the capacity really is as there is always a bit of headroom in these things and found i can "just" get 22L in it. - ok, i can get the lid on without spilling at that, but it is a close thing!

now that works out at 38.7 pints - 38 easily with no risk of spillage so what do you guys do?

do you:
1. make up a 40 pint kit, fill the Cornie and a couple of bottles
2. make the kit and by the time you fill the Cornie chuck the ballance with the sediment
3. make up the kit a touch stronger with only 38-39 pints total?
4. any other options?

I am trying to decide between 1 and 3 as although option 1 is the most sensible 3 seems like less hassle and i dont have any bottles.

though I am hesitant to "waste" potentialy 2 pints at the same time it would make life simpler but i also see the benefit to having a couple of bottles to let you see how the brew is getting on but then i just start drinking when the last brew runs out (its always so much nicer at the bottom of the barrel ) oh the decisions!

so what do you folks do??

[delboy]

I would say fill the cornie and bottle the remainder, bottles are handy for taking with you as a carryout, can be chilled in the fridge and can be given away as samplers to the great unwashed

Be careful when filling your cornie that you don't fill above the level of the gas in post otherwise the CO2 blows through the beer causing a lot of foaming that will go up into the prv etc and take an age to settle meaning you 'll be pouring a few pints of foam until it drops back below the gas in post, also its very easy to get back flow from the gas in post into your regulater (not something you want to do to often).

Enjoy the cornies, they sure make life a lot easier, oh and did i mention they are shiney

[StrangeBrew]

Whether you brew to the full amount and bottle what won't go in the keg or shorten the brew length to fit is a personal choice but remember that brewing at 19ltr instead of 23ltr will most definitley make your beer stronger.

On my Cornies it says 'Max liquid capacity 5 US Gallons' which is approx 19ltr. I'm currently brewing Smugglers Premium Ale at 20ltr instead of 23ltr. I'll bottle a couple of pints and the rest goes in the Corni.

Only fill your shiney keg to below the 'gas in' tube.

[opentoideas]

Hmmm.... stronger beer thats not going to be a real problem

as to the gas post..

I can see the issue of it feeding back to the gas line but a check valve should make this a non issue as to it frothing the beer as it draws from the bottom of the keg this should not effect the beer - or have i missed something?

I agree that you should avoid it though.

I have just had a quick check (cant help it - new shiny toys ) and they are marked at 19L. But on a test fill they took 20L with ease 21L was still below the gas line and 22L full to the brim.

I might just use the ballance to fill a 2L coke bottle - should take the preasure if i keep an eye on them.

Give my beer to the unwashed! hell no! i begrudge them drinking it at the best of times but if they cant be bothered to come round and be sociable.......

[delboy]

Be careful when filling your cornie that you don't fill above the level of the gas in post otherwise the CO2 blows through the beer causing a lot of foaming that will go up into the prv etc and take an age to settle meaning you 'll be pouring a few pints of foam until it drops back below the gas in post

Yeah to be honest OTI, thats not really much of an issue, its the whole back flow into the regulater that is the one to worry about.

[fivetide]

Using a little bottler tap device thingy (H&G sell 'em) you can fill six primed pint bottles from a 23L fermentation and then still fill a corni to the very limit.

[opentoideas]

I used the sterilising of my FB for the latest brew as an excuse to play

from a full brew it leaves about 2.5L (filling to just under the gas in)

that should give me a nice 2L and sediment. now looking forward to the ongoing production