Sanke keg hole diameter

[BayouBrew]

I'm not going to weigh in on the ethical aspects because I have 2 sanke's that were legally purchased from our good friend oneal66 at Rahr and Sons Brewing and a third from a scrap yard which is technically illegal. I love them all though (feelings), and it's great to give a damaged or otherwise useless keg a new life.

Another idea for larger, safer (than glass) fermentors is using the 15 gallon plastic vessels that LHBSs' dispense their LME from. I picked one up from a local shop for $5 and will repurpose it for my next batch. You can't beat the price since they would probably just throw it away otherwise.

[fastdogbrewing]

One of the guys in my club is welding 4" tri-clover fittings onto Sanke's for his fermenters.

Baller. I wish I knew a guy who could weld stainless for me.

Good tips though, I'll keep all that in mind when I go to bump batch size. 5g is just not cutting it at all.

Had some discussions about access to the inside of a Sanke used as a fermenter. The guy welding on the 4" fittings is doing so to be able to get into the keg to clean it. I have also seen people just cut a hole the right size for a Cornie lid. The pro brewer in our club worries about not being able to get inside and clean it out. However a couple other guys in the club use Sankes with no modifications. If they have a problem they just put them on their brew stand with some water and boil the SH!T out of them, literally.

I'm going to start with a straight up unmodified Sanke myself, but I may build one with a plexi lid on it. Right now I have a ton of carboys so I am going to stick with them. I'd rather spend the time on my ferment chamber project and my new Mash Tun.

[fastdogbrewing]

I'm not going to weigh in on the ethical aspects because I have 2 sanke's that were legally purchased from our good friend oneal66 at Rahr and Sons Brewing and a third from a scrap yard which is technically illegal. I love them all though (feelings), and it's great to give a damaged or otherwise useless keg a new life.

Another idea for larger, safer (than glass) fermentors is using the 15 gallon plastic vessels that LHBSs' dispense their LME from. I picked one up from a local shop for $5 and will repurpose it for my next batch. You can't beat the price since they would probably just throw it away otherwise.

There are a LOT of options for fermenters out there. You just need to make sure its something you can clean, something that is safe, and something you can use.

A couple guys in my club recently came across some 15 gallon cornie-style kegs. I really kinda hate them for not getting me one.

[Brandt]

I have also seen people just cut a hole the right size for a Cornie lid. The pro brewer in our club worries about not being able to get inside and clean it out. However a couple other guys in the club use Sankes with no modifications. If they have a problem they just put them on their brew stand with some water and boil the SH!T out of them, literally.
.

This is how one of my friends does it. I never considered one of my own because of the stainless welding involved. However, if I can use an unmodified one and turn it in to a plumbing puzzle....

[fastdogbrewing]

I have also seen people just cut a hole the right size for a Cornie lid. The pro brewer in our club worries about not being able to get inside and clean it out. However a couple other guys in the club use Sankes with no modifications. If they have a problem they just put them on their brew stand with some water and boil the SH!T out of them, literally.
.

This is how one of my friends does it. I never considered one of my own because of the stainless welding involved. However, if I can use an unmodified one and turn it in to a plumbing puzzle....

A carboy hood will fit over the opening in a Sanke(I don't remember which size). They really do make great fermenters, as long as you clean them well, and you can use them as a fermenter with nothing more than the spear removed and a carboy hood.

[ajlewis13]

The diameter on a sanke is the same as the big glass demi-john's that alot of people use for wine...any stopper meant for those should work for your keg