Look into getting a spunding valve. You can dial it to the desired pressure and it will off gas anything higher than that. That will allow you to keep an even pressure throughout the fermentation.
Another good accessory to use is a floating dip tube. You'll always be pulling from the top and won't have to worry about pulling trub. When you pull trub, you'll know you've kicked the keg.
So, as many have suggested, an adjustable relief valve might be a good option, and... just ordered one! So this might have more life to it. I ordered a floating dip tube too :)
Both the things I would suggest. I think once you get those involved you will really enjoy these. There are other systems, maybe not for this specific setup, that you can get that will allow you to add things later.
I suggest doing a side by side comparison to a standard fermentation. That way you can really see,, well taste, if there is any difference. ... well, once you get a functioning safety release valve. ♥
Good choice. A spunding valve will save you the constant monitoring. The floating dip tube will prevent most sediment from coming up the tube. Great videos.
Okay. I have been kegging for over a decade, so I'd like to recommend the following. 1. Brew as you usually would for mead and ciders. 2. *Carbonate* in kegs via CO2. That is my recommendation. Do not do natural carbonation for wines and ciders in kegs. That off-flavor that she is tasting is real. Very, very real. It is not great because it is *avoidable* in the standard carboy fermentation method for wines. I think conflating how you can force carbonate *beer* during the fermentation process does not translate well at the homebrewer level. Many temp and yeast variables can lead to serious off-flavors for wines, meads, and ciders. *She's not wrong. *The off-flavor she's tasting is real because under-pressure fermentation for cider can lead to some extreme off-flavors and real funk in aromas. I do not mean this to be a controversial thing. I can only talk from experience that fermentation of wines/ciders under pressure would not be something I recommend. Carbonating *after* fermentation is highly advised in kegs, especially with sound and consistent sanitation methods. I am sure your VIP/Patreon will be quite lively for quite some time, given this experiment. I so enjoy this channel and all the things you try, and I appreciate that kegging is *not* something readily available versus access in your supermarket to honey, water, bread yeast, and a glass jug. Thank you so much for showing this. I think it is important to *stretch* a bit and show what are options and what an investment into equipment may give a homebrewer.
@@nicholasbrosseau3405 Yes. If one is keeping it simple, go through a complete fermentation, with the usual sanitation procedures. Follow any clarification processes (time or chemical) that you usually follow. Transfer to a keg and carbonate with CO2. Kegging changed my life. Consistent carbonation across beer styles and several wine styles. I hope this helps!
@@uqox Well said and same here! Add to that the fact that I love the fermentation process in and of itself...at least as much or likely more than actually drinking wines and meads. You don't get to experience that in a keg at all. But yeah, more importantly...what you said. And with that said, once the fermentation and clarification are over, having a keg when you want to carbonate something, as opposed to keeping your fingers crossed for several weeks, only to often get slight effervescence at best, has really been such a joy! 🍷👍
Question, can you bottle the carbonated result from keg to retain a carbonated drink from n individual bottles? Say I was making multiple batches offset, can I carbonate in keg, bottle, clean and repeat?
Some notes about pressure: 1) air is a compressible fluid, and water is uncompressable. A larger headspace will give your vessel more ability to "soak up" CO2 pressure before redlining your regulator, gauge, etc. 2) CO2 will dissolve into water over a pressure gradient. When you pop the pressure release your needle drops, but that lower pressure allows more CO2 to bubble up out of solution. That's why your needle kept climbing back up after venting. Just takes some time to get your pressure and solution back into equilibrium. (And more headspace will let you dump more CO2 per vent, so less vents are needed to get to balance) 3) it's so cool to see your experiments. I've been wanting to try something like this but haven't because i currently no longer have the room to brew. The closest i got before was getting a little ball keg that I'd put a finished gallon in and then dispense under pressure to have carbonated cider/mead, which was very tasty
And for a good spunding valve i have bought the Blowtie spunding valves. I like these because they use a diaphragm style inside. this will keep yeast from clogging in the valve and causing you to lose all pressure. That happened to me twice. No more after using these.
If you guys get into kegging, I would recommend a keg with actual terminals (gas in, liquid out). If you get a second one, you can do a closed transfer. (cut the dip tube to leave a gap for any trub, or use a floating dip tube). Connect Co2 to the fermentation vessel, then do a jumper between both liquid posts and release pressure as you fill your second keg. You can purge the second keg with Co2 before your transfer as well to get a completely oxygen free transfer, and get your brew off the yeast cake!
The first time I fermented under pressure I got the same kind of off smells, I then bought a spunding valve and let it sit around 10 psi, results were better. Keg's can take a bit of getting used to, also a little bit of PTFE tape can help with gas leaks. Defintely worth persuing!
Despite the less than stellar result this video has inspired personal research into local (Australia) pressure fermentation resources. As a brew channel, you both educate, inspire and encourage personal action. I encourage you to continue experimentation, particularly on-camera, to continue educating this community.
Making your concentrated apple wine recipe. 2 gallon apple juice reduced to 1 gallon. 1lb. Sugar spgr 1.110. 71b and most vigorous fermentation I've had. Thx for introduction to the hobby 😊
I love it when you "go where you've never been before"👍. That's what makes this channel so much fun. I'd say to use the kegger after racking from a conventional fermentation container. It looks like it would make adding carbonation easy ❤
i love seeing that DCC RPG book in the background! I really need to start this, ive watched yall for a while now and i just keep putting it off lol. It looks so fun, and this process seems very promising, even if the initial results didnt pan out so well.
I actually enjoyed this episode very much. I learned quite a bit. Sorry it cost you some gear. The honesty you brought to the conclusion made me feel like you were helping us avoid pitfalls and it raised my admiration of your work another notch. If I have a disappointing result while experimenting (taking risks), I’m going to feel less anxious about it.
Thank you guys for not fighting over the word cider, I hear it all the time and it gets under my skin quite a bit at this point because it’s not a difficult concept. It doesn’t need to be fought over people just need to understand different regions call things different names sometimes. There’s no “this is right this is wrong” it’s just a regional thing. In the US we call cloudy apple juice cider and fermented juice hard cider. Plain and simple. That’s just how it is there’s no need to argue 😂
I just got into fermenting and was looking up stuff and found your channel. It has helped me so much, about to bottle my first batch of raspberry mead.
I’ve done this before with a bigger keg and a spunding valve. Extra expense, I know, but I liked the idea of something specifically intended for pressure fermentation. Awesome seeing you guys play with new ideas!
So, sorry to keep bothering you with comments. But I wanted to share my one experience with doing this. I did a Christmas cider based on one from the Brushow last year for Christmas last year in a 5 gallon keg. I used a spunding valve. That solves the babysitting problem, constantly releases enough to keep whatever pressure you want. It wasn’t my favorite drink, but pleasant. I used a floating dip tube to avoid the lees. I thought it was worth it but I haven’t redone it because my floating dip tube had issues. I kept it on draft through the holidays and it was a nice drink through that time I really want to do one like yours with some changes for flavor because my wife doesn’t like plain hard cider. I have a 1 gallon keg to try, and I’ll try to let you all know how it works with my spunding valve attached. You guys are my favorite because of your community engagement. Keep it up!
So I have a friend that usually ferments under pressure. He mostly makes beer. He ferments in a clear fermzilla with a spunding valve that just releases anything above a certain pressure so he's not forced to keep an eye on it to make sure the pressure doesn't just keep going up. After fermenting he racks it over to a proper keg and dispenses from there. Personally I haven't used my kegs for fermenting in. I did get a few adapters I use to force carbonate in 2l plastic bottles for my smaller stuff like mead and they're great. Maybe something to look into.
spunding valve and floating or snipped diptube. i've tried this with a 1.6 gallon ball lock corny keg. you have the ability to bleed off pressure open the wider top and add in fruit or anything you want. You can then have a second one with a liquid to liquid ball locks to transfer off the trub to a serving keg.
very interesting video. probably going to create a lot of polarity hahaha. but a few pointers. 1) I've seen it already mentioned but look for an (adjustable) automatic pressure release valve. no more babysitting the bomb. 2) if the pressure is right the yeast shouldn't be stressed and no sulfur gasses should be produced. 3) if you want a controle, why don't you do a side by side comparesing with the normal method. Make 1 big batch and split it in half. One is presurised the other a regular fermentation (perhaps with back presurizing). Their will always be uncontrolable variables but it should even out most of them. looking forward to future experementation with this thing (sorry Derica)
Not sure if you can find them, but a regulated relief valve (check valve of sorts that opens when a certain amount of pressure is obtained), as well as a rupture disk of sorts (essentially a solid plate that blows outward or sucks inward depending on pressure differential, to avoid the vessel exploding or imploding) would be very wise. Also, with oxygen being essential to fermentation, the mix of oxygen and alcohol vapor could "potentially" result in an incendiary explosion. I don't know how likely that would be to occur, or if it ever would, but I do know it's possible. Thanks for all the videos and experiments, really enjoyable to watch.
Always use a spunding valve. Also keep the pressure off for the first 2 days and then let it build. Also an ale yeast should be kept below 12PSI. You lease retry with the feedback that has been given by others. It does work!
You guys are such a lovely couple, and I enjoy your content as a fellow home brewer from Turkey. I've seen many of your Cider themed videos but I think I never saw you guys reducing some of the applejuice by simply simmering for some time. I do this regularly to add more flavor. You could give it a chance. Just saying. Anyways great content as always. Lots of love from Turkey!
I believe that particular type of regulator is for Pressurizing and maintaining pressure by using an outside pressure source IE. the CO2 cartridge. You should be able to get one that will give you the set and forget idea that you were after. They just vent off the CO2 when it exceeds the pressure you have it set to. I think Kegland may have the info you need on that and I would use a floating pick up tube if you can find one that would work. They hang a waited pick up tube end from a float so that you pick up the product near the surface of your product. All the way until you hit the sediment. However, I am not sure if there is a floating pick up tube setup that will work with the narrow opening. That being said, I agree with you when it comes to cider I like to ferment, rack to the cage and force carbonate. That gives you a chance to make sure its what you want before you carbonate. Love your channel by the way.
I have a beer fermentation going under pressure. I'm using a 1.6 gallon keg and ended up buying a spunding valve for this and am currently fermenting at 13 psi to prevent yeast esters, as I'm trying to get a crisp lager.
One thing about fermenting under pressure that you kinda discussed during the intro. For cider specifically: if you sulfite your juice before fermentation, you will trap the free SO4 in the final product, which can smell like stinky eggs. Some of this will exit through your spunding valve during fermentation, but that is a case where you really should not be pressure fermenting as you need to degas.
I think the only thing that concerns me about this is what if there's a sulfur dioxide fault? I find that apple wine/mead/cider easily throws that fault. And maybe with the nutrient you gave it, it'll be avoided, but if it does happen, how would you plan to off gas?
In regards to the initial high pressure, replace the regulator assembly with a blow off tube. When the fermentation starts to subside, put the regulator back on.
Yeast cells tend to float up when the pressure releases because some co2 is bound to them and takes them with it when it rises in bubbles , so much of your lees will mix in again . To keep the lees down you should ad additional co2 right from the beginning of the taping to keep the pressure in the keg even. That might help a little with the clarity
Hi I'm new to the channel I was just wondering y'all keep talking about the the funk and the smell and aftertaste the process have y'all tried the same recipe in your traditional Brewing Manor and how did it turn out if so
Great show again guys! I'd like to see you guys give these things another try... Maybe do your first fermentation the normal way, then syphon it into the big pitcher, degas the brew, backsweeten it and add priming sugar. Then get it into the cannister and just use it to carbonate the brew. The fact you can actually see if your brew is carbonated is super cool!
I make cider in a 50litre keg under pressure using a spunging valve. Left it for a month and i still had the egg smell and it wasnt clearing up. Ended up putting a bubbler on and leaving it another 2 weeks. It cleared up and the egg smell went away. Ended up tasting really good. Next time i think i will use the keg under atmospheric pressure and leave it till it clears.
I don't remember where I saw it, but I saw a setup where a syringe was connected to the gas in-port of a ball lock quick disconnect valve to inject fluids into a keg under pressure. It was to add a fining agent, but it should work for any liquid. They also lowered the pressure; I believe it was around 5 psi. You should be able to inject a simple syrup, a tannin solution, or a tincture.
How about brewing the cider as you normally would do and then put it into the keg. After thatuse the CO2 cartridges to pressurize the keg and force the CO2 into the cider?
If you do try this again with Kveik Voss yeast, you'll get more fruity notes from the yeast even under pressure. And yes it will indeed finish in a couple days if you ferment it warm, but it'll work just fine in the 60s-70s.
Like you mentioned, I've seen this method being used in beer to do the equivalent of "lagering" at room temperature (instead of colder temps) and in a shorter amount of time (days vs weeks). I bought the equipment for 5 gallon batches a while ago, but never used it because I switched to doing meads/ciders and 1 gallon batches.
If you have the eqipment you should try doing a mead this way or a cider. Could be very interesting. I have wanted to try doing a mead using a lager yeast but I don't have temperature control eqipment. This would be a way to try that I guess.
If you have the spunding valve to auto dump the extra pressure, I can see this working really well for a sweet cider after 4 days of fermentation. Cold crash the whole keg to slow/stop the fermentation after 4 days and have an already carbonated drink that is sweet and around 3.5 to 4%
Cilantro tasted like soap to me but I learned how to use it so it adds an earthy quality to my food but doesn't stand out, and I'm not sure if it's something you can desensitise to over time or if my chemistry is changing as I get older, but seems like tolerance level changed. Thanks for the user review on the keg!
From what I’ve read - and that isn’t much - there is a gene that some folks have that causes them to experience a soapy aroma and flavor from one of the compounds in cilantro. For others the same compound has a light citrusy floral taste and aroma. I’m personally in the later camp and so is my better half. My ex as well as a good friend of ours are in the former camp. Suffice to say that now when I make homemade salsa I use a TON of cilantro. 😂
Could you siphon your pasteurized fermented cider or mead into the keg, sweeten to taste and caronate under pressure, then lower to serving pressure? I think these have a future on your channel to avoid the bottle bunker risk, low repeatability without non fermentable sugars. I truly appreciate this video. I've watched your channel for almost a year, fermented over 8 gal of ciders. This is where my head went, deep into research and then next morning UA-cam said you already did it! I'm looking forward to follow up videos
Very cool experiment. Looked through the comments and seeing interesting ideas. Can’t wait to see what you put together with this in the future. As far as the camera goes, TBH I doubt I would have noticed the change if you hadn’t pointed it out, but I think the quality is slightly better with the old camera. There is definitely a noticeable difference to me in the color rendering, and I think the clarity is also better on the old one.
Color between cameras can be different as editing is too. As for clarity... I tested. Very minute difference only visible at 200% and up and that is before YT compression. There's effectively no difference.
@@CitySteadingBrews yeah, I mean it was probably my imagination. This was at a glance at the tv from the other side of the living room. My point was it’s not really noticeable at all.
I love experiments! I see that you're getting getting some helpful accessory tips in the comments, I'm interested to see how they help the process. Doing an extract stout or letting a cider keg sit for a few months could yield something you'd both like, perhaps.
I have always regarded pressure fermentation in the category of "Sure you can, why would you want to?" I threw all my kegs away 10 years ago, more hassle than they are worth. If you are having problems with yeast viability, you can always keep a culture, it is not difficult. I have become a QA23 fan of late, maybe I just got a really good lot. I like 750 Belgians for bottling, You cannot blow them up. A bit expensive, but worth it.
Is it possible that the bulk of the lees was stuck in suspension because it was pressurized? I'd be interested to see how much falls out of the first pour vs closer to the last pour. I do agree this probably isn't the best method for brewing cider.
Hi, I think that the fact that you pour hers without the gas turned on may cause the difference in smells and flavor. Great job teaching people to do new and interesting stuff. ❤
When you guys force carb in that keg, do you leave the valve for the co2 tank open wile it sits in the fridge or so you put it to pressure and shut the valve off and open as needed durring the
wondering couldn't you technically use this as a secondary just adding some sugar to it to insure carbonation? that way you can get all the benefits of primarying with fruits or other things that wouldn't be good in a keg?
Started watching your videos and enjoying so far, you should try making kvass drink, its very popular eastern europe fermented drink from rye bread, i recently made mead with kvass, cant wait to try later on how it turned out
something I learned recently is that chai tea spices are the same spices as mulling spices. when adding some tannins you substitute the black tea with chai (which is black tea as its base) to get mulled cider
So, what would happen if you ferment it regularly… and then transport it into the keg with some sugar to let it build up some pressure so that it uses less of the nitrogen bombs?
You already got the spunding valve tip - but you would need another serving lid to apply it. What might work with your setup is to get another Pressure Release Valve, that releases pressure at lower psi. It looks like you have a grey prv- it releases at 100 psi. A red one for example should release at 35 psi.
I use a floating dip tube so that you’re pouring from the top of the keg. Also you could replace the PRV with a 15 psi one. I went from clear fermenters to a stainless one 3 months ago and found it tough to start with because I couldn’t see what was going on, but I just had to let go of that.
Reminds me of a time when I was young and the local grocery store did not rotate the local made cider(non alcohol) and some teens figured out the ones in back had a chance of being alcoholic. And later my brother when he was about 17 just added some yeast to cider(just screwing the cap back on hand tight) to make it faster.
If you're gonna try this all in one step, which I don't like for ciders, use a floating tube so you don't pick up the sediment on every pour. And use a pressure release valve so you can maintain a certain pressure.
Also all of the beer pressure fermentations they use a spunding valve, which allows you to set the pressure any excess is let out, also I think they let the most vigorous part of fermentation go with a blow off or an airlock, then they seal it for building pressure
You have got to get a pressure relief valve, they now have them set at different pressures 12, 20, or whatever is available, that will keep it from going way too high in the container(PRV)
Taste is very subjective, and personal. I hate onions. The word "hate" is nowhere near strong enough to convey my feelings. If I had access to a genie, my first wish would be to make onions go away forever, and my second would be to ensure nobody could wish them back. But most people love them. Your average person walking around on the street literally equates onions with the word "flavor" such that food without onions have "no flavor" to them. Everyone is different, and that's ok. So long as you don't feel the need to force others to like something they hate: it's all good. I'm glad she was able to express herself assertively, and without reservation. It shows how healthy the relationship is with regard to personal choices. It was so wholesome how hurt he felt when he thought she was suggesting he wasn't being receptive to her opinion. He couldn't even bear the thought that maybe he inadvertently came across as unsupportive. Relationship goals.
"Is this true?" "Yes it's true." "This brew has no body." (cue scuffle) Seriously, though, I'm sorry things didn't pan out like you two were hoping. Learning sometimes requires things to go wrong, as you already know. I have no doubt you'll make an amazing brew on the next attempt.
I have really been thinking about getting into pressurized fermentation. Thanks for the info great video. I have seen a device a guy had that would release when it hit a certain pressure, that might be something to look into. Thanks again!
i've been thinking of getting one of those canisters for years, i want to make homemade pop, i don't think i'd ferment in it, but it's an interesting idea.
hey guys, you mentioned in this video that your fermentation temperatures are generally pretty high. do you have a rough idea of what they usually are? and I was wondering if you guys usually use any form of climate control/air conditioning/fermentation temp controller? i have been delving more into the realm of beer and all I see online is alotta people talking abt how important temp control is, especially for people living in Australia like I am.
We are at about 75f year round in the house. Temp is important and instead of changing our environment to suit yeast we choose yeasts to suit our environment 👍
If you have a second mini keg. You can back sweater and and extracts. Fill the second keg with the little CO2 and make your transfer, never exposed the air.
As a kid, I had one of these plastic cider jugs that we got, drank one glass of and then left sit in the back of the fridge for about 2 months. When I grabbed it out of the fridge, the plastic jug had inflated and it was fizzy and the entire thing was a delightful and perfectly sweet alcoholic(i later learned after having a giggle fit) cider. Only a slight buzz off it, but the entire flavor stuck with me to today - Makes me wonder how hard it would be to kickstart a natural ferment like that without it going awry.
It can be done, just have to make sure the juice isn't pasteurized. We had a bottle of cranberry juice ferment once: ua-cam.com/video/xeRx7BgVwqM/v-deo.htmlsi=J7OzxDibuv02CwHZ
Always pour your blooming yeast back into your juice. Then poor the whole thing into your container. It mixes nicely, and no chance of killed yeast. The best part of this setup is you can now lager your cider under pressure. Use Saflager s-23 and chuck it in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. You will not get any of that Sulphur smell and be able to control the pressure much better.
I've noticed I enjoy drinking my ciders more right after ferm stops, backsweeten with Belgium candied sugar, and maple syrup. (At about a 4 to 1 ratio - roughly) let it go for another day and drink it. (I brew 1 gal brews, so I'll drink a bit right after backsweeten, then let it go for a day and drink the rest over the next day or 2. (I keep it under airlock, don't even bottle. I have some Quart, and half gallon Mason Jars with airlock lids, so I can portion it out as I see fit. so I'll just pour from there when I'm ready to drink, as I'm not worried about o2 if I'm drinking immediately.i do rack with siphon to these vessels)) Not only do I enjoy the funkiness of fresh cider, I also enjoy the light carb from the full ferm. Idk. It's just what I've noticed I enjoy. Now that I'm thinking about it, it gives me what I want/like. I don't have to pasturize, stabilize, or bottle. If I don't get around to drinking it, it'll bubble away and get a bit more alcohol. Then I'll sweetn it again when I'm ready to drink it. Now, if I'm brewing something, I'm not planning on drinking, and I want to bottle it. My approach is way different. (Proper pasturizing, backsweetening, bottling when I know it's safe to do, and when the brew is where I want it. ( or think it'll be when I do want to drink it. If that makes any sense) Sorry for the novel. Thank you for all that you teach us. Yall are the best.
Also like to point out, I use apple juice/cider and a variety of apples. I don't get sulfury funk, just a light farmhouse funk. I use ferm-o and p.e on primary.
I was born in the USA (go ahead D, sing girl!), became an Australian over 35 years ago, married an Englishman and lived in Singapore for 7 years. So don't get me started on the English language ... I tell folks that in addition to French, German and Spanish I also speak 4 English dialects.
How much headspace was left (it's hard to tell where the cavity ends from the outside)? It feels to me like the pressure nightmare may be due to insufficient headspace.
Have you seen A pressure barrel we have them in the uk. It's a big plastic barrel with a tap at the bottom, and the lid has a pressure release valve. It's a cheap safe Natural carbonation System. I think that would work better for what you just try doing.
@CitySteadingBrews Yeah, I prefer metal, too. But the tap is near the bottom, so that least doesn't get disturbed, and there's no need for a co2 cartridge for serving . Also, if you try this again, you should try using a shorter tube so it doesn’t reach the bottom So it won't disturb the lease.
@CitySteadingBrews The new ones you can add co2 in. It can be used at a Fermenter, but usually use a different lid with an airlock on. A keg is better. But a pressure barrel is a very cheap way to make big batches. It's what people used before Mini keg were available.
Look into getting a spunding valve. You can dial it to the desired pressure and it will off gas anything higher than that. That will allow you to keep an even pressure throughout the fermentation.
Good tip.
Another good accessory to use is a floating dip tube. You'll always be pulling from the top and won't have to worry about pulling trub. When you pull trub, you'll know you've kicked the keg.
good to know! Thanks!
I did this when I made a pvc fermenter
*makes notes of things to add to my wish list*
So, as many have suggested, an adjustable relief valve might be a good option, and... just ordered one! So this might have more life to it. I ordered a floating dip tube too :)
Spunding valve is essential
Both the things I would suggest. I think once you get those involved you will really enjoy these. There are other systems, maybe not for this specific setup, that you can get that will allow you to add things later.
I suggest doing a side by side comparison to a standard fermentation. That way you can really see,, well taste, if there is any difference.
... well, once you get a functioning safety release valve. ♥
Another gadget!
I would be surprised if that didn’t take care of the H2S off-flavour.
Good choice. A spunding valve will save you the constant monitoring. The floating dip tube will prevent most sediment from coming up the tube. Great videos.
Okay. I have been kegging for over a decade, so I'd like to recommend the following. 1. Brew as you usually would for mead and ciders. 2. *Carbonate* in kegs via CO2. That is my recommendation. Do not do natural carbonation for wines and ciders in kegs. That off-flavor that she is tasting is real. Very, very real. It is not great because it is *avoidable* in the standard carboy fermentation method for wines. I think conflating how you can force carbonate *beer* during the fermentation process does not translate well at the homebrewer level. Many temp and yeast variables can lead to serious off-flavors for wines, meads, and ciders. *She's not wrong. *The off-flavor she's tasting is real because under-pressure fermentation for cider can lead to some extreme off-flavors and real funk in aromas. I do not mean this to be a controversial thing. I can only talk from experience that fermentation of wines/ciders under pressure would not be something I recommend. Carbonating *after* fermentation is highly advised in kegs, especially with sound and consistent sanitation methods. I am sure your VIP/Patreon will be quite lively for quite some time, given this experiment. I so enjoy this channel and all the things you try, and I appreciate that kegging is *not* something readily available versus access in your supermarket to honey, water, bread yeast, and a glass jug. Thank you so much for showing this. I think it is important to *stretch* a bit and show what are options and what an investment into equipment may give a homebrewer.
So if I was 1/2 reading, you would recommend fermenting in one vessel,
Then keg, then pressure?
@@nicholasbrosseau3405 Yes. If one is keeping it simple, go through a complete fermentation, with the usual sanitation procedures. Follow any clarification processes (time or chemical) that you usually follow. Transfer to a keg and carbonate with CO2. Kegging changed my life. Consistent carbonation across beer styles and several wine styles. I hope this helps!
@@uqox it does, thank you. I made a wine out of lemon juice, jelly, and raspberries that would be awesome fizzy.
@@uqox Well said and same here! Add to that the fact that I love the fermentation process in and of itself...at least as much or likely more than actually drinking wines and meads. You don't get to experience that in a keg at all.
But yeah, more importantly...what you said.
And with that said, once the fermentation and clarification are over, having a keg when you want to carbonate something, as opposed to keeping your fingers crossed for several weeks, only to often get slight effervescence at best, has really been such a joy! 🍷👍
Question, can you bottle the carbonated result from keg to retain a carbonated drink from n individual bottles? Say I was making multiple batches offset, can I carbonate in keg, bottle, clean and repeat?
Some notes about pressure:
1) air is a compressible fluid, and water is uncompressable. A larger headspace will give your vessel more ability to "soak up" CO2 pressure before redlining your regulator, gauge, etc.
2) CO2 will dissolve into water over a pressure gradient. When you pop the pressure release your needle drops, but that lower pressure allows more CO2 to bubble up out of solution. That's why your needle kept climbing back up after venting. Just takes some time to get your pressure and solution back into equilibrium. (And more headspace will let you dump more CO2 per vent, so less vents are needed to get to balance)
3) it's so cool to see your experiments. I've been wanting to try something like this but haven't because i currently no longer have the room to brew. The closest i got before was getting a little ball keg that I'd put a finished gallon in and then dispense under pressure to have carbonated cider/mead, which was very tasty
@CitySteadingBrews, Great job on this video. I have used this same method to make a 10 day lager. 2 days at low temp(
And for a good spunding valve i have bought the Blowtie spunding valves. I like these because they use a diaphragm style inside. this will keep yeast from clogging in the valve and causing you to lose all pressure. That happened to me twice. No more after using these.
If you guys get into kegging, I would recommend a keg with actual terminals (gas in, liquid out). If you get a second one, you can do a closed transfer. (cut the dip tube to leave a gap for any trub, or use a floating dip tube). Connect Co2 to the fermentation vessel, then do a jumper between both liquid posts and release pressure as you fill your second keg. You can purge the second keg with Co2 before your transfer as well to get a completely oxygen free transfer, and get your brew off the yeast cake!
The first time I fermented under pressure I got the same kind of off smells, I then bought a spunding valve and let it sit around 10 psi, results were better. Keg's can take a bit of getting used to, also a little bit of PTFE tape can help with gas leaks. Defintely worth persuing!
Despite the less than stellar result this video has inspired personal research into local (Australia) pressure fermentation resources. As a brew channel, you both educate, inspire and encourage personal action. I encourage you to continue experimentation, particularly on-camera, to continue educating this community.
Thank you :)
Making your concentrated apple wine recipe. 2 gallon apple juice reduced to 1 gallon. 1lb. Sugar spgr 1.110. 71b and most vigorous fermentation I've had. Thx for introduction to the hobby 😊
Yep, love that method!
I love it when you "go where you've never been before"👍. That's what makes this channel so much fun.
I'd say to use the kegger after racking from a conventional fermentation container. It looks like it would make adding carbonation easy ❤
I was "this close" to buying a couple mini kegs you saved me some money ! Thanks
I would still use them. Just not necessarily this way.
i love seeing that DCC RPG book in the background!
I really need to start this, ive watched yall for a while now and i just keep putting it off lol. It looks so fun, and this process seems very promising, even if the initial results didnt pan out so well.
I actually enjoyed this episode very much. I learned quite a bit. Sorry it cost you some gear. The honesty you brought to the conclusion made me feel like you were helping us avoid pitfalls and it raised my admiration of your work another notch. If I have a disappointing result while experimenting (taking risks), I’m going to feel less anxious about it.
Thanks. For us it's always sharing our experiences. I think I said once, even if the batch is a 2, there's something to learn.
Thank you guys for not fighting over the word cider, I hear it all the time and it gets under my skin quite a bit at this point because it’s not a difficult concept. It doesn’t need to be fought over people just need to understand different regions call things different names sometimes. There’s no “this is right this is wrong” it’s just a regional thing. In the US we call cloudy apple juice cider and fermented juice hard cider. Plain and simple. That’s just how it is there’s no need to argue 😂
Yup!
I just got into fermenting and was looking up stuff and found your channel. It has helped me so much, about to bottle my first batch of raspberry mead.
Welcome aboard!
I’ve done this before with a bigger keg and a spunding valve. Extra expense, I know, but I liked the idea of something specifically intended for pressure fermentation. Awesome seeing you guys play with new ideas!
With the valve this should be fine.
Yeah I figured you wouldn’t post a video of exploding a keg for everyone to try at home.
So, sorry to keep bothering you with comments. But I wanted to share my one experience with doing this. I did a Christmas cider based on one from the Brushow last year for Christmas last year in a 5 gallon keg. I used a spunding valve. That solves the babysitting problem, constantly releases enough to keep whatever pressure you want.
It wasn’t my favorite drink, but pleasant. I used a floating dip tube to avoid the lees. I thought it was worth it but I haven’t redone it because my floating dip tube had issues.
I kept it on draft through the holidays and it was a nice drink through that time
I really want to do one like yours with some changes for flavor because my wife doesn’t like plain hard cider. I have a 1 gallon keg to try, and I’ll try to let you all know how it works with my spunding valve attached.
You guys are my favorite because of your community engagement. Keep it up!
You’re welcome on proofing the yeast…
In my job we had pop-off valves that had different settings.
A fifteen pound pop-off would work.
So I have a friend that usually ferments under pressure. He mostly makes beer. He ferments in a clear fermzilla with a spunding valve that just releases anything above a certain pressure so he's not forced to keep an eye on it to make sure the pressure doesn't just keep going up. After fermenting he racks it over to a proper keg and dispenses from there.
Personally I haven't used my kegs for fermenting in. I did get a few adapters I use to force carbonate in 2l plastic bottles for my smaller stuff like mead and they're great. Maybe something to look into.
spunding valve and floating or snipped diptube. i've tried this with a 1.6 gallon ball lock corny keg. you have the ability to bleed off pressure open the wider top and add in fruit or anything you want. You can then have a second one with a liquid to liquid ball locks to transfer off the trub to a serving keg.
Yup, already ordered both, lol.
@@CitySteadingBrewscan you show us this transfer?
Maybe at some point.
very interesting video. probably going to create a lot of polarity hahaha.
but a few pointers. 1) I've seen it already mentioned but look for an (adjustable) automatic pressure release valve. no more babysitting the bomb. 2) if the pressure is right the yeast shouldn't be stressed and no sulfur gasses should be produced. 3) if you want a controle, why don't you do a side by side comparesing with the normal method. Make 1 big batch and split it in half. One is presurised the other a regular fermentation (perhaps with back presurizing). Their will always be uncontrolable variables but it should even out most of them.
looking forward to future experementation with this thing (sorry Derica)
Yup. We ordered some more gear based on suggestions :)
Awesome vid. A spunding valve is the way to go as suggested in comments. L&R from South Africa
Not sure if you can find them, but a regulated relief valve (check valve of sorts that opens when a certain amount of pressure is obtained), as well as a rupture disk of sorts (essentially a solid plate that blows outward or sucks inward depending on pressure differential, to avoid the vessel exploding or imploding) would be very wise. Also, with oxygen being essential to fermentation, the mix of oxygen and alcohol vapor could "potentially" result in an incendiary explosion. I don't know how likely that would be to occur, or if it ever would, but I do know it's possible.
Thanks for all the videos and experiments, really enjoyable to watch.
I'm interested to try this after primary. Thanks for the awesome experiment! 😊
Thq for both of u being so informative. Now me and my friend have wrecked our first brew
Awww sorry to hear that.
Racked sry fast typing
Always use a spunding valve. Also keep the pressure off for the first 2 days and then let it build. Also an ale yeast should be kept below 12PSI. You lease retry with the feedback that has been given by others. It does work!
You guys are such a lovely couple, and I enjoy your content as a fellow home brewer from Turkey. I've seen many of your Cider themed videos but I think I never saw you guys reducing some of the applejuice by simply simmering for some time. I do this regularly to add more flavor. You could give it a chance. Just saying. Anyways great content as always. Lots of love from Turkey!
We did.... for a wine. ua-cam.com/video/W8e9GtqvsB4/v-deo.htmlsi=Vwj87W-WMX4c3cWU
@@CitySteadingBrewsI'll check it out. Thanks for sharing.
Incredibly informative, great job.
Thanks!
I believe that particular type of regulator is for Pressurizing and maintaining pressure by using an outside pressure source IE. the CO2 cartridge. You should be able to get one that will give you the set and forget idea that you were after. They just vent off the CO2 when it exceeds the pressure you have it set to. I think Kegland may have the info you need on that and I would use a floating pick up tube if you can find one that would work. They hang a waited pick up tube end from a float so that you pick up the product near the surface of your product. All the way until you hit the sediment. However, I am not sure if there is a floating pick up tube setup that will work with the narrow opening. That being said, I agree with you when it comes to cider I like to ferment, rack to the cage and force carbonate. That gives you a chance to make sure its what you want before you carbonate. Love your channel by the way.
I have a beer fermentation going under pressure. I'm using a 1.6 gallon keg and ended up buying a spunding valve for this and am currently fermenting at 13 psi to prevent yeast esters, as I'm trying to get a crisp lager.
One thing about fermenting under pressure that you kinda discussed during the intro. For cider specifically: if you sulfite your juice before fermentation, you will trap the free SO4 in the final product, which can smell like stinky eggs. Some of this will exit through your spunding valve during fermentation, but that is a case where you really should not be pressure fermenting as you need to degas.
Good point.
I think the only thing that concerns me about this is what if there's a sulfur dioxide fault? I find that apple wine/mead/cider easily throws that fault. And maybe with the nutrient you gave it, it'll be avoided, but if it does happen, how would you plan to off gas?
That's a deficiency of this method.
Hi guys this was an awesome video/experiment. I need to try it. Off to Amazon to hunt down some new gadgets lol
Everything is linked in the description :)
In regards to the initial high pressure, replace the regulator assembly with a blow off tube. When the fermentation starts to subside, put the regulator back on.
Nah... still defeats the purpose. Better to do as many said and get an adjustable pressure release valve.
Yeast cells tend to float up when the pressure releases because some co2 is bound to them and takes them with it when it rises in bubbles , so much of your lees will mix in again . To keep the lees down you should ad additional co2 right from the beginning of the taping to keep the pressure in the keg even. That might help a little with the clarity
If you wanted a sweet cider could you add honey to your cider at the beginning?
It would just ferment.
Hi I'm new to the channel I was just wondering y'all keep talking about the the funk and the smell and aftertaste the process have y'all tried the same recipe in your traditional Brewing Manor and how did it turn out if so
We have made many ciders...
This was great I enjoyed this video immensely!
Great show again guys! I'd like to see you guys give these things another try... Maybe do your first fermentation the normal way, then syphon it into the big pitcher, degas the brew, backsweeten it and add priming sugar. Then get it into the cannister and just use it to carbonate the brew. The fact you can actually see if your brew is carbonated is super cool!
I make cider in a 50litre keg under pressure using a spunging valve. Left it for a month and i still had the egg smell and it wasnt clearing up. Ended up putting a bubbler on and leaving it another 2 weeks. It cleared up and the egg smell went away. Ended up tasting really good. Next time i think i will use the keg under atmospheric pressure and leave it till it clears.
I got one question: When are you going to do this again with the upgraded or new blow off valve? Thanksgiving or Christmas timing? 😉
No idea. This just came out yesterday!
I've learned more in the last three days from watching your channel then I have in the last five years; thank you so very much!
You are very welcome!
Love this, learn from our mistake approach. Sorry the brew wasn’t very good. .
I didn't mind it.
This is a great video. The failure videos are a great way to save time and money.
I'm not convinced it's a fail.... just needs more research :)
@@CitySteadingBrews fair enough ... but it kept me from running out and buying a keg. 8^)
I don't remember where I saw it, but I saw a setup where a syringe was connected to the gas in-port of a ball lock quick disconnect valve to inject fluids into a keg under pressure. It was to add a fining agent, but it should work for any liquid. They also lowered the pressure; I believe it was around 5 psi. You should be able to inject a simple syrup, a tannin solution, or a tincture.
Interesting, and something else I have absolutely no experience of! Looking forward to another attempt with the additional gear you’ve ordered mate 👍
How about brewing the cider as you normally would do and then put it into the keg. After thatuse the CO2 cartridges to pressurize the keg and force the CO2 into the cider?
Can do that certainly.
If you do try this again with Kveik Voss yeast, you'll get more fruity notes from the yeast even under pressure. And yes it will indeed finish in a couple days if you ferment it warm, but it'll work just fine in the 60s-70s.
Unrelated comment, but does anyone ever confuse you with Adam savage from Mythbusters? Lol
Love the content btw
Sometimes, lol.
Like you mentioned, I've seen this method being used in beer to do the equivalent of "lagering" at room temperature (instead of colder temps) and in a shorter amount of time (days vs weeks).
I bought the equipment for 5 gallon batches a while ago, but never used it because I switched to doing meads/ciders and 1 gallon batches.
If you have the eqipment you should try doing a mead this way or a cider. Could be very interesting.
I have wanted to try doing a mead using a lager yeast but I don't have temperature control eqipment. This would be a way to try that I guess.
If you have the spunding valve to auto dump the extra pressure, I can see this working really well for a sweet cider after 4 days of fermentation. Cold crash the whole keg to slow/stop the fermentation after 4 days and have an already carbonated drink that is sweet and around 3.5 to 4%
Cold crashing isn't a safe way to stop fermentation. However being there are pressure releases, it could work short term for this.
This is so exciting. Cats and dogs living together in a cider
Cilantro tasted like soap to me but I learned how to use it so it adds an earthy quality to my food but doesn't stand out, and I'm not sure if it's something you can desensitise to over time or if my chemistry is changing as I get older, but seems like tolerance level changed. Thanks for the user review on the keg!
It's possible I guess!
From what I’ve read - and that isn’t much - there is a gene that some folks have that causes them to experience a soapy aroma and flavor from one of the compounds in cilantro. For others the same compound has a light citrusy floral taste and aroma. I’m personally in the later camp and so is my better half. My ex as well as a good friend of ours are in the former camp. Suffice to say that now when I make homemade salsa I use a TON of cilantro. 😂
Sounds like for cider you may want to do primary fermentation like normal then use the keg solely for natural carbonation. Instead of in the bottles.
Maybe.
this is a great video, the unscripted nature makes it even more fun 😀
Could you siphon your pasteurized fermented cider or mead into the keg, sweeten to taste and caronate under pressure, then lower to serving pressure? I think these have a future on your channel to avoid the bottle bunker risk, low repeatability without non fermentable sugars.
I truly appreciate this video. I've watched your channel for almost a year, fermented over 8 gal of ciders. This is where my head went, deep into research and then next morning UA-cam said you already did it! I'm looking forward to follow up videos
You should be able to yes.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you! I just watched your product review as well. ua-cam.com/video/3vb-0UrwVkI/v-deo.htmlsi=Vi54qQdsJlotQFj0
Very cool experiment. Looked through the comments and seeing interesting ideas. Can’t wait to see what you put together with this in the future.
As far as the camera goes, TBH I doubt I would have noticed the change if you hadn’t pointed it out, but I think the quality is slightly better with the old camera. There is definitely a noticeable difference to me in the color rendering, and I think the clarity is also better on the old one.
Color between cameras can be different as editing is too. As for clarity... I tested. Very minute difference only visible at 200% and up and that is before YT compression. There's effectively no difference.
@@CitySteadingBrews yeah, I mean it was probably my imagination. This was at a glance at the tv from the other side of the living room. My point was it’s not really noticeable at all.
I love experiments! I see that you're getting getting some helpful accessory tips in the comments, I'm interested to see how they help the process. Doing an extract stout or letting a cider keg sit for a few months could yield something you'd both like, perhaps.
I have always regarded pressure fermentation in the category of "Sure you can, why would you want to?" I threw all my kegs away 10 years ago, more hassle than they are worth. If you are having problems with yeast viability, you can always keep a culture, it is not difficult. I have become a QA23 fan of late, maybe I just got a really good lot. I like 750 Belgians for bottling, You cannot blow them up. A bit expensive, but worth it.
I just retired this week, now I get to do what I really love. Get used to me.
Nice keg cleaning method!
Is it possible that the bulk of the lees was stuck in suspension because it was pressurized? I'd be interested to see how much falls out of the first pour vs closer to the last pour. I do agree this probably isn't the best method for brewing cider.
It could be. But I've read that it still settles out.
Between this and watching the grocery store cider video the other day, I'm going to have to make a batch soon.
Hi, I think that the fact that you pour hers without the gas turned on may cause the difference in smells and flavor.
Great job teaching people to do new and interesting stuff. ❤
Do you by chance know if the keg can use nitrogen as well?
I don't see why not.
When you guys force carb in that keg, do you leave the valve for the co2 tank open wile it sits in the fridge or so you put it to pressure and shut the valve off and open as needed durring the
I have tried both. Either seems to work. I do think keeping it under pressure is better though as the co2 stays in suspension.
@@CitySteadingBrews ok awesome thank you very much
I was thinking maybe try a totally fermented and then carbonite ???
wondering couldn't you technically use this as a secondary just adding some sugar to it to insure carbonation? that way you can get all the benefits of primarying with fruits or other things that wouldn't be good in a keg?
Started watching your videos and enjoying so far, you should try making kvass drink, its very popular eastern europe fermented drink from rye bread, i recently made mead with kvass, cant wait to try later on how it turned out
something I learned recently is that chai tea spices are the same spices as mulling spices. when adding some tannins you substitute the black tea with chai (which is black tea as its base) to get mulled cider
Yup! Just wanted a simple start for this.
So, what would happen if you ferment it regularly… and then transport it into the keg with some sugar to let it build up some pressure so that it uses less of the nitrogen bombs?
Nitrogen bombs?
You already got the spunding valve tip - but you would need another serving lid to apply it. What might work with your setup is to get another Pressure Release Valve, that releases pressure at lower psi. It looks like you have a grey prv- it releases at 100 psi. A red one for example should release at 35 psi.
I use a floating dip tube so that you’re pouring from the top of the keg. Also you could replace the PRV with a 15 psi one. I went from clear fermenters to a stainless one 3 months ago and found it tough to start with because I couldn’t see what was going on, but I just had to let go of that.
Yup ordered one already :)
Reminds me of a time when I was young and the local grocery store did not rotate the local made cider(non alcohol) and some teens figured out the ones in back had a chance of being alcoholic. And later my brother when he was about 17 just added some yeast to cider(just screwing the cap back on hand tight) to make it faster.
If you're gonna try this all in one step, which I don't like for ciders, use a floating tube so you don't pick up the sediment on every pour. And use a pressure release valve so you can maintain a certain pressure.
Yup, added this in a pinned comment.
Also all of the beer pressure fermentations they use a spunding valve, which allows you to set the pressure any excess is let out, also I think they let the most vigorous part of fermentation go with a blow off or an airlock, then they seal it for building pressure
Good tips. Thank you.
Love seeing you guys play around with kegs more :P Even though I usually keg my beers I haven't gone into fermenting under pressure yet.
A floating dip tube will help with that northern brewer and others have them
Already ordered :)
Love the reaction @ 25:36. Like others have said, with a spunding valve, I'd see it being worth the investment. Working better for a psudo-lager.
I made a pinned comment about that... already ordered!
You have got to get a pressure relief valve, they now have them set at different pressures 12, 20, or whatever is available, that will keep it from going way too high in the container(PRV)
Taste is very subjective, and personal. I hate onions. The word "hate" is nowhere near strong enough to convey my feelings. If I had access to a genie, my first wish would be to make onions go away forever, and my second would be to ensure nobody could wish them back. But most people love them. Your average person walking around on the street literally equates onions with the word "flavor" such that food without onions have "no flavor" to them.
Everyone is different, and that's ok. So long as you don't feel the need to force others to like something they hate: it's all good. I'm glad she was able to express herself assertively, and without reservation. It shows how healthy the relationship is with regard to personal choices. It was so wholesome how hurt he felt when he thought she was suggesting he wasn't being receptive to her opinion. He couldn't even bear the thought that maybe he inadvertently came across as unsupportive. Relationship goals.
I use a ferment Taurus same concept. Definitely use valve.. it’ll keep bleeding off the gases
Schroeder’s Cider would be a great name for it!
"Is this true?"
"Yes it's true."
"This brew has no body."
(cue scuffle)
Seriously, though, I'm sorry things didn't pan out like you two were hoping. Learning sometimes requires things to go wrong, as you already know. I have no doubt you'll make an amazing brew on the next attempt.
I have really been thinking about getting into pressurized fermentation. Thanks for the info great video. I have seen a device a guy had that would release when it hit a certain pressure, that might be something to look into. Thanks again!
The keg has a pressure release, it's just a lot higher than necessary for this purpose.
i've been thinking of getting one of those canisters for years, i want to make homemade pop, i don't think i'd ferment in it, but it's an interesting idea.
hey guys, you mentioned in this video that your fermentation temperatures are generally pretty high. do you have a rough idea of what they usually are? and I was wondering if you guys usually use any form of climate control/air conditioning/fermentation temp controller? i have been delving more into the realm of beer and all I see online is alotta people talking abt how important temp control is, especially for people living in Australia like I am.
We are at about 75f year round in the house. Temp is important and instead of changing our environment to suit yeast we choose yeasts to suit our environment 👍
TRBOS! Now, with extra reverb
If you have a second mini keg. You can back sweater and and extracts. Fill the second keg with the little CO2 and make your transfer, never exposed the air.
Loving the channel thank you 😊
Glad you enjoy it!
As a kid, I had one of these plastic cider jugs that we got, drank one glass of and then left sit in the back of the fridge for about 2 months. When I grabbed it out of the fridge, the plastic jug had inflated and it was fizzy and the entire thing was a delightful and perfectly sweet alcoholic(i later learned after having a giggle fit) cider. Only a slight buzz off it, but the entire flavor stuck with me to today - Makes me wonder how hard it would be to kickstart a natural ferment like that without it going awry.
It can be done, just have to make sure the juice isn't pasteurized. We had a bottle of cranberry juice ferment once: ua-cam.com/video/xeRx7BgVwqM/v-deo.htmlsi=J7OzxDibuv02CwHZ
Always pour your blooming yeast back into your juice. Then poor the whole thing into your container. It mixes nicely, and no chance of killed yeast.
The best part of this setup is you can now lager your cider under pressure. Use Saflager s-23 and chuck it in the fridge for 4-6 weeks. You will not get any of that Sulphur smell and be able to control the pressure much better.
Y’all crack me up!
I've noticed I enjoy drinking my ciders more right after ferm stops, backsweeten with Belgium candied sugar, and maple syrup. (At about a 4 to 1 ratio - roughly) let it go for another day and drink it. (I brew 1 gal brews, so I'll drink a bit right after backsweeten, then let it go for a day and drink the rest over the next day or 2.
(I keep it under airlock, don't even bottle. I have some Quart, and half gallon Mason Jars with airlock lids, so I can portion it out as I see fit. so I'll just pour from there when I'm ready to drink, as I'm not worried about o2 if I'm drinking immediately.i do rack with siphon to these vessels))
Not only do I enjoy the funkiness of fresh cider, I also enjoy the light carb from the full ferm. Idk. It's just what I've noticed I enjoy.
Now that I'm thinking about it, it gives me what I want/like. I don't have to pasturize, stabilize, or bottle. If I don't get around to drinking it, it'll bubble away and get a bit more alcohol. Then I'll sweetn it again when I'm ready to drink it.
Now, if I'm brewing something, I'm not planning on drinking, and I want to bottle it. My approach is way different. (Proper pasturizing, backsweetening, bottling when I know it's safe to do, and when the brew is where I want it. ( or think it'll be when I do want to drink it. If that makes any sense)
Sorry for the novel.
Thank you for all that you teach us. Yall are the best.
Also like to point out, I use apple juice/cider and a variety of apples. I don't get sulfury funk, just a light farmhouse funk. I use ferm-o and p.e on primary.
I was born in the USA (go ahead D, sing girl!), became an Australian over 35 years ago, married an Englishman and lived in Singapore for 7 years. So don't get me started on the English language ... I tell folks that in addition to French, German and Spanish I also speak 4 English dialects.
Lol
Can you get a pressure-release Vale set to a lower psi ?
That's what others are suggesting, a spunding valve
I assume the pressure regulator valve itself was closed/off at the beginning of fermentation?
Yes.
How much headspace was left (it's hard to tell where the cavity ends from the outside)? It feels to me like the pressure nightmare may be due to insufficient headspace.
It builds pressure constantly... the relief valve on those kegs is much higher than needed for this purpose.
Have you seen A pressure barrel we have them in the uk. It's a big plastic barrel with a tap at the bottom, and the lid has a pressure release valve. It's a cheap safe Natural carbonation System. I think that would work better for what you just try doing.
Plastic? Nah. I prefer metal.
@CitySteadingBrews Yeah, I prefer metal, too. But the tap is near the bottom, so that least doesn't get disturbed, and there's no need for a co2 cartridge for serving . Also, if you try this again, you should try using a shorter tube so it doesn’t reach the bottom So it won't disturb the lease.
I would prefer a way to put co2 in if needed as well and I don't think that is a good thing to ferment in. I could be wrong though.
@CitySteadingBrews The new ones you can add co2 in. It can be used at a Fermenter, but usually use a different lid with an airlock on. A keg is better. But a pressure barrel is a very cheap way to make big batches. It's what people used before Mini keg were available.
Wondering if you could replace the dispenser and gauge, with a weighted 10# pressure cooker float.
It's been suggested to get a spunding valve. Similar idea.
Now that you have the spunding valve and floating dip tube, I hope you guys give this method another try. (with cider and beer)
You need a spunding valve instead of a regulator.
Purchased already :). Even said it in the pinned comment.