Yeasty Kegs, Dip Tubes, and Suckback

[andrewgator]

Is everyone chilling down their fermenters before kegging to drop out most of the yeast?

If so, do you cover with foil, let the airlock fluid get sucked in, cover with plastic wrap? I'm hesitant to chill before kegging due to all of the O2 that gets sucked in. I've been thinking of using some tight plastic wrap. Once its time to open up the fermenter and rack to the keg, I'll just purge with CO2.

I've been going straight to the keg from fermentation temps. But with less flocculant yeast, I've ended up with some pretty yeasty kegs. Especially since I haven't shortened my dip tube.

Any one have any better solutions?

[Effingbeer]

I go with a stopper. (No holes)

[PorkSlapper]

I slowly drop my temp from 68 or 70 if dry hopping down to 35 over about a 2 day period of time, I never have had a suck back issue, if you are worried throw some vodka in there if you are afraid of an off flavor. As for the Oxygen the CO2 produced from your beer that is in the carboy should do a decent job of covering your beer since it is heavier than air. Thats my thought anyways.

-Porky

[andrewgator]

Good point about the residual CO2 being heavier than whatever amount of O2 gets sucked in.

I'm cooling in a chest freezer, it gets pretty damn cold in there pretty quick and always sucks the airlock dry. I've used solid stoppers on better bottles and had the bottoms crack.

Ideally I'd go into a keg, fine. Then rack to another keg.


I think I'll just go with chilling quickly and purging the headspace with CO2 every couple of hours.

[hoodie]

I use an S-type airlock when cold crashing. It does suck in some O2, but it has to pass through sanitizer first. No sanitizer gets sucked in though, like with a 3 piece airlock.

[brewinhard]

Agreed. An s-shaped airlock with a small amount of star san placed on the fermenter before cold crashing has never suffered from any suck back in my experience. It is the way to go.

[Bokonon]

I think all of the above answers are about the same. If you use an airlock, plastic wrap, foil, etc. when you pop it open to rack out you are going to suck air in. If your vessel can take the pressure (stainless conical or keg) then putting co2 on it is the way to go.

I use stainless conicals now but before when I used carboys I would just use foil for fermentation unless I had to use a blowoff tube.

If you are really concerned about the air uptake, move your fermenter somewhere higher to let it settle as best as you can and then rack to a keg. Then crash the keg, add fining (if that is your thing), and transfer to another keg making sure to dump the first pint or two that comes out.

[spiderwrangler]

Having a keg you use as a bright tank is probably the cleanest solution with no O2 or contaminant pickup through suckback, but requires extra keg and extra work.