Pros and Cons of Fermenting in Cornies vs Carboys

[bikefoolery]

I'm thinking of about changing from fermenting in glass carboys to cornie kegs I plan remove the 'out' fitting and dip tube and replace with a small bung and airlock. I'm growing more concerned about falling/knocked over/shattered glass with a 5 month old baby that will be toddling soon. And I already have cornies around the home brewery.


Cornie Pros:
- Durable. No potential shattering glass.
- Easier to handle when wet, has handles
- Easier to lift in and out of the fermentation chamber (converted chest freezer), at least easier then a carboy with a brew hauler
- Easier access to the inside for cleaning (larger opening)
- Easier to aerate wort with paint stirrer, (better then shaking 5.5 gallons in a carboy)

Cornie Cons:
- Can't witness fermentation, damn that is cool
- More difficult to visually inspect for cleanliness. Steel isn't clear like glass.
- Will need 2 containers instead of 1 carboy

Anything I'm missing?

Anyone else fermenting in cornie kegs have any tips or suggestions?


Thanks,
Bikefoolery

[JasonHorlacher]

When I get back, I plan on doing the same. I just want the ease of racking/filtering with CO2.
But I know I have heard on the show (by JP) that Cornies dont have the correct shape for fermenting, i.e. too skinny and tall compared to carboy or bucket. I do not have first hand knowledge.

[Bugeater]

I sometimes ferment in a 10 gallon Corny keg. It works great. The inspection for cleanliness is no worse for fermentation than it is for kegging. If this is your big concern, then you shouldn't be kegging.

The big con against the normal 5 gallon kegs is the small head space. You will lose an awful lot to blowoff unless you are only brewing 3 gallon batches. The rule of thumb is that you need headspace equal to at least 25% of your batch size ( e.g. a 5 gallon batch needs at least 1.25 gallons of head space, hence the commonly used 6.5 gallon carboy).

One hint I learned the hard way was that you need to hook up your blowoff tube to the gas post, not the liquid post. CO2 produced by fermentation will do a great job of pumping the wort right out of your keg!

Wayne

[JasonHorlacher]

Bug reminded me of something. For the blow off, use the anti-foam drops they sell.

[bikefoolery]

I'm already using anti foam drops. And splitting a 5.5 gallon batch should easily fit into 2 cornies. I'll have boil capacity for 8-10 gallon batches in the near future, may need to cap it at 8 gallons to fit in 2 cornies with some head space, even with foam control.

[freddyk]

I just got a 10.3 cubic foot chest freezer off of craigslist that holds 6 carboys. By fermenting in cornies that means I could ferment about 25 gallons of beer total with full temp control. Using carboys, conicals, or buckets I don't see how you could ferment so much beer, and potentially so many different beers, with such a small footprint. In addition you can use a corny keg for either fermenting or serving. It is a multi-tasker that allows for much greater flexibility. It is also refreshingly easy to add either an air lock or a blow off tube. If you are not using them they are much easier to store than carboys as well. They also last a hell of a long time. And one last thing...they are shiny

Here is my first ferment in cornies hanging out in my kegerator.


The ugly details:
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15966