Fermenting in 5 gallon corny kegs??????

[Savage Brewer]

I know this has been covered before but I wan't to know the options I have. I ferment in a 6.5 gallon carboy. My fermenting fridge took a crap on me recently. My only option was to use a chest freezer. The last batch was fermented in this freezer. I just about destroyed my back lifting that full carboy out to rack to a keg. I figure if I ferment in kegs I can reduce the load to lift out of the freezer. I have seen many posts on using corny kegs. I just want to know what is the best option to do this without permanently altering the keg? Also, I was hoping to leave the keg in the freezer and rack using co2, if that will work. That way I only have to lift the keg when it is empty.

[anday6]

You could use a siphon under pressure (really low, under 5psi) similar to the siphon starter from morebeer or anything with a racking tube through the carboy hood. That way you can siphon from the carboy in the chest freezer and save your back.

As for using a corny, you would have to account for a lot of lost beer. You would probably only get 3.5gallons to package.

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18873//Sterile_Siphon_Starter_-_For_65_Gallon_Carboy_

[Savage Brewer]

Ok. Thanks for the idea. I'll look into that.

[Afterlab]

Were you possibly looking for something like this? http://www.homebrewing.org/Cornelious-K ... p_999.html

[Henning1966]

Were you possibly looking for something like this? http://www.homebrewing.org/Cornelious-K ... p_999.html

Why buy extra stuff? I ferment in a 10 gallon corny and just use a gas disconnect with a piece of hose in a blow off container.

[Savage Brewer]

Thanks for the help everybody. I am still researching this on the web as well. Has anyone used a foam inhibitor with a 5 gallon corny keg for primary fermentation. I saw a kit from Midwest supplies. If anyone has used this I would like to know about there experience with it. Again thank you for all the help.

[Savage Brewer]

Thank you for all the help. I finally decided to push with co2 out of my carboy with the two port carboy cap. I ran a test on it today with water and it worked perfectly with only 3 psi needed to push it out of the carboy and up and over the freezer. Again. Thank you for all the help. Cheers!

[Yt-Toe]

I popped out the gas-in poppet valve and shoved a tube, tightly fitted, into the opening. I am going to run that into a small bucket of water to catch the blow-off. I cut about two inches off of the bottom of the out-side tube in order to account for the sediment that will accumulate on the bottom of the corny.
I am sure I will lose some volume but I have already dumped 15 gallons of beer due to poor fermentation control. My next upgrade is going to be a small chest freezer that is set up as a fermentation chamber.