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Author Topic: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging  (Read 2235 times)

Offline Adam

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bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« on: March 01, 2018, 02:03:50 pm »
i want to share a method with you all that I have been using since before I hurt my back but has since become a necesity.  The benefit of this is that you are transfering under pressure and are purging your kegs of ambient air. 

I just finished keggin my two beers today that I brewed with the same batch and split into separate fermentors and pitched different yeast.  That post https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=31273.0

So basically i cant take claim of this idea as we used it at the brewery I worked for to transfer to and from barrels.  We called it the bullpup. 


A close up of the stopper.  I used a #7 solid stopper and drilled hole in it to fit a SS racking cane and an old SS filling tube from a maheen.   

I fill my kegs up with sani and then push the sani with CO2 out through the bullpup into a bucket and allow it to sit for a few minutes and then drop the cane into the carboy and push the beer out with CO2.  I use only 5 - 6 psig to prevent the carboy from exploding in case some trub clogs the hose. 

Every thing is conveniently located on the floor and I do not have to lift items up onto counters 

I am trying to adapt this idea to work with a bottling bucket in for when I decide to do some bottle conditioned beers. 
Fermentation at Elevation

Offline banjo-guy

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2018, 02:41:29 pm »
That’s a great  idea Adam. We are thinking along the same lines. I just posted the same concept for purging bottles. Check out the Pimp My System sub forum.
 I use a #2 stopper with a inflation needle attached to the gas line to push the Starsan out of the bottle leaving c02. Its very easy to build and do and I think effectively purges oxygen from the bottle.

Offline Adam

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2018, 04:50:52 pm »
That’s a great  idea Adam. We are thinking along the same lines. I just posted the same concept for purging bottles. Check out the Pimp My System sub forum.
 I use a #2 stopper with a inflation needle attached to the gas line to push the Starsan out of the bottle leaving c02. Its very easy to build and do and I think effectively purges oxygen from the bottle.

Your post is what made me want to share this design.
Fermentation at Elevation

Offline Wilbur

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2018, 05:33:00 pm »
Looks like there's something going on with the image hosting. Any chance there's a link or alternate pics?

Offline BrewBama

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bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #4 on: March 06, 2018, 04:33:51 am »
i want to share a method with you all that I have been using since before I hurt my back but has since become a necesity.  The benefit of this is that you are transfering under pressure and are purging your kegs of ambient air. 

I just finished keggin my two beers today that I brewed with the same batch and split into separate fermentors and pitched different yeast.  That post https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=31273.0

So basically i cant take claim of this idea as we used it at the brewery I worked for to transfer to and from barrels.  We called it the bullpup. 


A close up of the stopper.  I used a #7 solid stopper and drilled hole in it to fit a SS racking cane and an old SS filling tube from a maheen.   

I fill my kegs up with sani and then push the sani with CO2 out through the bullpup into a bucket and allow it to sit for a few minutes and then drop the cane into the carboy and push the beer out with CO2.  I use only 5 - 6 psig to prevent the carboy from exploding in case some trub clogs the hose. 

Every thing is conveniently located on the floor and I do not have to lift items up onto counters 

I am trying to adapt this idea to work with a bottling bucket in for when I decide to do some bottle conditioned beers.

Wilbur: I fixed it in the quote above. I hope this helps.

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Offline ultravista

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2018, 07:49:36 am »
I use a 6.5 gallon glass Big Mouth Bubbler .. no port options.

I'll need to move the beer some other way.

What about adding O2 to the beer prior to pitching yeast? I've been doing this too since day 1. Perhaps during fermentation, yeast are not completely consuming the O2 I intentionally added.

I do notice the pre-O2 beer appears to be lighter in color where the post-ferment is darker.

Are people oxygenating their NEIPAs with pure O2? Should I eliminate this too?
« Last Edit: May 02, 2018, 07:54:59 am by ultravista »

Offline Adam

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2018, 12:50:03 pm »
ultravista,
O2 is something you want to avoid adding to beer at anytime except right before you add the yeast (or slightky afterwards). 

For making a NEIPA you typically use large amounts of adjuncts like flaked wheat and oats.  These, along with the hops, can oxidize and cause a stale flavor in the beer.  The oxidation of flaked wheat and oats can also cause the beer to become darker.  The yeast you are adding does not need more O2 because it does not need to grow the same way your primary pitch of yeast does. 

To conclude, do not add O2 to your finished NEIPA or really any beer.   
Fermentation at Elevation

Offline ultravista

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Re: bad back and low O2 pick up transfer and kegging
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2018, 06:49:25 pm »
Adam, thanks for the reply.

I listened to a LOW DO podcast today and it made a lot of sense. The brewers even noticed that hot side aeration affected the color of the mash.

I am modifying my brew day to reduce O2 pickup. For example, dry hopping during active fermentation, with zero hops (hope it works) in the keg.