Cornie keg fermenters

The forum for discussing all kinds of brewing paraphernalia.
Post Reply
Fastline
Hollow Legs
Posts: 423
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Eltham London

Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Fastline » Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:05 pm

Is anyone here using cornie kegs as fermentation vessels?

I bought more than I need for storing beer and am thinking that they would make a really good fv

User avatar
Wonkydonkey
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 847
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:37 am
Location: In the Stables

Re: Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Wonkydonkey » Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:09 am

Yes, I have got 3 filled with around 15lt with Apple juice, soon tobe cider (been in there about 2-3wks. It's the first time I have used them for fermenting in. So I will see how it turns out in a few wks, and then there's the cleaning. Which could be easy or it could be APITA
To Busy To Add,

User avatar
Wonkydonkey
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 847
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:37 am
Location: In the Stables

Re: Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Wonkydonkey » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:33 pm

I just emptied one keg, as it has dropped to 1.002, I could not use the dip tube to empty it, as I would have dragged almost all of the stuff in the bottom out into the next vessel. So I siphoned it out.

Cleaning was not to bad but the prv had all sorts of Apple gunge in it. Not sure if I will be doing it again, unless I'm short of space in a fv when there's a glut of apples.
To Busy To Add,

Fastline
Hollow Legs
Posts: 423
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Eltham London

Re: Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Fastline » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:59 pm

I have read some people bend the dip tube to lift it off the bottom and use Co2 to pump from one cornie to another, so literally no contact with the air during transfer, sounded pretty slick

User avatar
Wonkydonkey
Drunk as a Skunk
Posts: 847
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:37 am
Location: In the Stables

Re: Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Wonkydonkey » Thu Nov 05, 2015 7:18 pm

Yeh, maybe if I were to use then all the time, I'd shorten them , but my diptubes are already about 1/2 " shorter, but the amount of dead/live yeast was about an inch thick.

I guess it would work quite well but, I think I like to end up with a full keg of clear beer and a few botts from a 23/25 Lt brew. If I did smaller brews then it could be another reason to use a cornie

As I said before thou glut of apples, was the reason, for me to try a cornie.

Maybe some one else will pop by and give you there exsperiance of using one
To Busy To Add,

Mcbrewer
Steady Drinker
Posts: 54
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:17 pm
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Cornie keg fermenters

Post by Mcbrewer » Sat Nov 07, 2015 8:20 pm

Hi...I ferment in cornies.I have 2 dedicated cornies with about a 1 and a half inch cut of the dip tubes to sit above the yeast cake in the bottom.
I can fit 2 cornies in my fermenting fridge so I do 2 17 litre brews at a time so I usually end up with 15 litres of beer out of each one,as was mentioned above once you transfer it from your boiler into the cornie the beer never gets exposed to any air until if hits your glass.Once the beers finished fermenting and a couple of days cold crash I transfer it to another cornie for gassing up,all you do is put about 2 psi in it and attach a transfer tube made from some gas line and 2 cornie out disconnects and transfer it over the same for taking gravity samples.

It does make it a longer brew day now but I get 2 different beers at a time now for variety and I don't have to brew as often as well,2 weeks ago I made a all challenger bitter and a chocolate porter.To cut down on time I have also started doing no Sparge and that saves a good bit of time.

Post Reply