Burping Conical Fermenter w/CO2 During Dry Hopping

[Punk_Rock]

I have heard of commercial brewery's burping their fermenters with CO2 a day or so after dry hopping. This re suspends the hops in the beer to maximize the dry hop utilization. This seems like a good idea to really get that great hop aroma. I was wondering if anyone is doing this with their homebrew and what is your setup.
I currently have a SS Brewtech half barrel conical. I am guessing you would some how connect the CO2 to the yeast dump valve on the conical. I'm just looking for any advise.

Thanks,

 

[jddevinn]

I have not heard of this practice commercially...

I assume that you rack to your kegs using pressure? Therefore you have everything needed to connect a keg to your conical? How about taking a clean sanitized and purged keg, hooking it up like you were going to keg (or to the dump) but not purging CO2 pressure from the keg. Leave the keg pressurized with CO2 attached, open the valve and allow the CO2 from the keg to push into the conical. Close the valve before any beer comes out.

 

[Punk_Rock]

I have not heard of this practice commercially...

I assume that you rack to your kegs using pressure? Therefore you have everything needed to connect a keg to your conical? How about taking a clean sanitized and purged keg, hooking it up like you were going to keg (or to the dump) but not purging CO2 pressure from the keg. Leave the keg pressurized with CO2 attached, open the valve and allow the CO2 from the keg to push into the conical. Close the valve before any beer comes out.

Thanks for your thoughts. I do have the parts to connect the CO2 to the dump valve.
I'm wondering how other people are doing it.

How much pressure (I know it needs to be under 5 psi)?
For how long?
How often?
If its worth the trouble?

I saw an interview with Mitch Steele, the Brewmaster at Stone Brewing talking about this, but he did not get into to much detail (BeerSmith Podcast #96). It is a great interview about making IPA's, worth a watch.

 

[philipCT]

Thanks for your thoughts. I do have the parts to connect the CO2 to the dump valve.
I'm wondering how other people are doing it.

I've done this by inserting a co2 wand thru the top but I like the idea of doing it thru the dump valve.

Could you share what parts you're using to connect co2 to your dump valve? I'm asking because that's a 3/4" QD so it's an unusual fitting in my brewery.

I started doing this because Vinny Chilurzo talks about doing this in his Making a Double IPA article.

 

[milldoggy]

Interested in the same thing, I have a tri to gas disconnect, guess there is only one way to find out

 

[Dcpcooks]

https://www.brewershardware.com/1-1.5-Tri-Clover-X-1-4-Hose-Barb.html

 

[milldoggy]

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/tc15blg.htm

Is what I have, but I bet beer will flow into the line

 

[milldoggy]

Gave it a try this am, used the part listed above. Used about 3-4 psi. I pressured the dump valve, then cracked it open slightly. Could hear it bubbling through. Just did a few seconds. Closed the valve, took off the tri clamp, not a drop of beer. I am guessing the pressure and small opening I made with ball valve did not let any liquid through. Doubt you will get same result with butterfly. But I think since I got no wort, might repeat this daily. To bad I am away all this week, there is always next batch

 

[philipCT]

So I started to think and realized I could remove the 3/4" male QD fitting from the valve, then fit a 3/4 to 1/2 bushing/reducer into the valve and put a 1/2" to 1/4" flare fitting on there to mate directly to the gas line. It all came together nicely.

Burping was uneventful and I didn't get any beer in the line either. It was so easy I'll do this every day now. I'm psyched for this NEIPA even more now.

 

[milldoggy]

Nice, could not get the movie to load.

 

[Punk_Rock]

Here is the You Tube video I made.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOn5owOt2h4&t=26s[/ame]

 

[philipCT]

So I started to think and realized I could remove the 3/4" male QD fitting from the valve, then fit a 3/4 to 1/2 bushing/reducer into the valve and put a 1/2" to 1/4" flare fitting on there to mate directly to the gas line. It all came together nicely.

Burping was uneventful and I didn't get any beer in the line either. It was so easy I'll do this every day now. I'm psyched for this NEIPA even more now.

Sorry for attempting to embed a video right in my message before - that doesn't seem to work very well.

Here's the version I uploaded to Youtube: https://youtu.be/p10mf8pDTaQ. It's a longer, more drawn out version of Punk Rock's excellent video above

 

[Punk_Rock]

Nice vid philipCT. I'm totally getting casters for my conical.