Conical question

[tommy24a]

Fermenting in spike conical with gas pressure manifold in place...should I have a blow off tube in place instead? I notice the pressure builds up almost to the prv 15psi release. Not sure if most folks ferment in these conical with blow off tubes or not.

 

[Tom R]

Should you ferment under pressure? That depends on what you want to accomplish.

Some folks who ferment their lagers at ale temperatures use pressure to reduce ester production.

I use a blow off until I near the end of fermentation on ales and lagers, then I spund to save some money on CO2.

 

[DuncB]

I don't think it's good practice to have the PRV as your only release, I use the spunding valve and have the prv as backup.

Blowoff tube if the krausen likely to exit via the spunding valve or link in a blowoff capture before the spunding valve.
However if your pressure high enough you can control the krausen but only if you can see it to do that, however high pressure has
other potential detriments.

I did stand this up after the video, useful way to do a sterile top crop without opening.

 

[tommy24a]

Thanks for your reply...still learning the whole system

 

[tommy24a]

I don't think it's good practice to have the PRV as your only release, I use the spunding valve and have the prv as backup.

Blowoff tube if the krausen likely to exit via the spunding valve or link in a blowoff capture before the spunding valve.
However if your pressure high enough you can control the krausen but only if you can see it to do that, however high pressure has
other potential detriments.

I did stand this up after the video, useful way to do a sterile top crop without opening.
View attachment 736248

So you think I would be better off removing my manifold and put in a blow off tube into a bucket full of sanitized solution?

 

[DuncB]

What are you brewing? and what yeast? and what temp?

 

[tommy24a]

10 gal of American IPA with
Omega
Product ID: OYL-011
At 67 degrees

 

[DuncB]

I think you'll suppress the esters with pressure on that, they mostly form over the first few days though. I would get the pressure building up once you start the dry hop which could be during the latter stages of ferment and keep it on pressure and away from oxygen after that. You could try a bit hotter and some psi early on though, it's a bit of a yin and yang thing in that hotter means more esters and pressure reduces the esters.

Don't think you'd need a bucket unless the activity is very high at the moment.

As an example forgot to put spunding valve on and thought nothing happening for this beer and this was the first picture.



Then released pressure and CO2 out of solution and krausen blowing out of the keg post. You've seen the video.



Probably wouldn't have happened if I'd kept control of it from the start or just left it open, but it's a bit of shaking a bottle of coke scenario. Goes to show how activity can take off with a big starter.

Now running with a 3 inch krausen at 5 psi.