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Transferring beer from your fermenter to a keg

racking beer from a fermenter to keg

With the help of a Fermenter to Keg beer racking transfer assembly beer can be easily racked (transferred) from a BREWHA fermenter into a keg. The hose assembly attaches from the racking port on the 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 fermenters to the 'Out' post on a keg, Sanke coupler with flow check removedtransferring beer directly to the bottom of the keg through the dip tube avoiding oxidation and unnecessary agitation. By setting the regulator on the CO2 tank to 1-2psi of pressure and connecting the gas tank to a top port on the fermenter beer can be pushed from the fermenter into the keg. For filling commercial Sanke kegs, to permit liquid and gas to flow in the opposite direction (when dispensing beer from kegs, CO2 is entering the keg and beer is leaving and there are check valves to prevent flow in the opposite direction) the flow check device inside the Sanke coupler will need to be removed (normally it is a ball in the liquid side, and a rubber stopper in the gas side; an example is shown in image to the right).  

For carbonating your beer, connect CO2 and carbonate to desired pressure. Carbon dissolves into water at different rates depending on the temperature so consult CO2 pressure temperature charts online (search for 'CO2 volumes' and go to images) to select the correct carbonation volume for your tastes and style of beer. For example, at fridge temperature beer is normally served at about 15psi, whereas at room temperature, your keg would be pressurized to 30psi.

Video: How to transfer beer from a fermentor to a keg
How to quickly transfer beer to a keg
Product: Fermenter to Keg Racking Transfer Hose
How to fill a Sanke keg directly from the fermenter

2 comments

  • Hi Ron,
    Yes, you have figured out what I meant by ‘advised pressure’. Each recipe will be different.
    Carbonation will likely be mostly complete in 3-5 days although it can be influenced by a few factors such as storage temperature (carbon dioxide dissolve more readily into a liquid at colder temperatures) and surface area (a Corny keg on its side will carbonate faster than when stored vertically).
    Perhaps others can contribute feedback on bottling from a keg. The Blichmann beer gun is supposed to work well but I have yet to try it myself.

    BREWHA Equipment Co Ltd.
  • Hi Nathan, What is “advised pressure” in Step 12 of the instruction for transferring beer from 3 in 1 to a keg?
    My on-going (albeit first) batch is a Belgian golden strong ale (BGSA), now about halfway through a 3 week fermentation (per homebrewtalk.com inventor’s recipe). Maybe I answered my own question here. I used a keg carbonation calculator on brewersfriend.com. 40F keg (refrigerator) temp, and using a Belgian ale middle of the road 2.2 volumes of CO2, it calculates 9 psig CO2 pressure. I this what you call the “advised pressure”.

    While I am at it, another newbie question: how long does carbonation take at these conditions?

    BTW, I already calculated tubing length for proper carbonation, when I was purchasing items, I bought from Beverage Factory, on your advice, and some stuff from More Beer. Much appreciated…Ron

    PS. I have been reading a lot about this style. And am already formulating a plan for how I will be able to do some more brewing and still keep this batch aging to “perfection”, haha. My inaugural batch will be far from perfection. It may involve having to do some bottling. Do you have any thoughts on equipment that I should consider for bottling?

    Ron Hancharik

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