Kettle Fermentation

[Velnerj]

I have read a few threads about kettle fermentation, that is, fermenting straight in your Brew Kettle without the hassle of cleaning/sanitizing and transferring to a fermenter (bucket or carboy etc.) My BK fits nicely in my temperature control chamber so I think I am going to go for it. I have looked at all the cons and the only one that bothers me a bit is not having a sealed lid with an airlock/blow-off tube. I will be using my Kettle lid and that is it.

I am willing to be there are some here who think this is not a good idea due to Oxygen ingress, but I am not that worried about it... Should I be?

 

[McKnuckle]

I think it's similar to fermenting in any container that's not sealed - simply, you don't want to leave the beer in there for an extended time once active fermentation has ceased. Depending on the yeast strain, I would wait no more than 2-3 days following terminal gravity before transferring to a keg for additional conditioning. If you bottle, consider how to get clean beer into them.

Does the kettle have a ball valve so you can take gravity samples? If not, deduct a point there.

Oh, and kettles are usually a wider diameter for a given volume vs. any traditional fermenter, making it harder to rack off the sediment. And there will be a lot of sediment!

The only other issue is that your kettle is not available for another brew, should you get the urge.

 

[Velnerj]

Yes, the plan is to ferment until terminal gravity has been reached (usually around 7-10 days) then rack into a keg. Condition in keg for another week or so before chilling and carbing up to serving pressure. I have only ever made ales so this schedule works for 80-90% of the beers I would make anyway.

The only issue I can now see if I can cold crash before I rack into the keg (to make the sediment more compact and easier to rack off of). I suppose I could rack cold beer into the keg and let it warm up again and the remaining yeast can still "clean up." It's a bit unorthodox but not out of the realm of possibilities....

No port on the kettle. So I see the potential drawback there. But I have had too many issues with my fermenters lately that I think it's a fair trade off.

I only brew once in two months so having my BK "tied up" is a non issue.

 

[marc1]

With a healthy pitch of yeast the fermentation is going to be mostly done in a few days. You could transfer to your keg then. Your fermentation will no longer be vigorous. If you get a spunding valve you could even start carbing.
Transfer to keg with spunding, increase the temp a bit, and let it finish out. A floating dip tube could help with any sediment.