What to do with this keg?

[socalboomer]

So I picked up a sanke keg on CL. It looked like it was just painted, but no, it has the plastic crap on the top and bottom.

I had hoped to use this for boil, but I think I read where it's really just not worth it to get rid of all the plastic crap - messy and ugly. Am I wrong? Did I imagine this? Wouldn't be surprising! LOL

So I thought I could use it as a fermentor. Flush it with some CO2 and I could ferment an entire batch at a time instead of doing it in two separate carboys. . .

What do you think?

With the first, I can cut the top easy. With the second, how would I remove the "equipment" while still keeping the nice neat hole, and any suggestions to stopper it (aside from a big stopper, which would be the easy way, and perfectly fine. . . )


My thanks. I did search but didn't come up with much.

 

[TopherM]

If you want to use it as a fermentor, the center spear comes out rather easily, and they certainly make a drilled bung large enough to fit that hole as well. There is a stiff metal ring that secures the spear apparatus. You depressurize the keg by wedging something into the "ball" in the middle of the spear (or hooking up a Sanke coupling, if you have one), remove the ring (there is usally a notch where you can wedge it out with a screwdriver or ice pick), then the spear slides right out, leaving about a 3" hole.

You could also keep the spear intact and drill a 1-2 inch hole off center to fit a drilled bung and airlock. Just make sure, again, that you depressurize the keg first.

Either way, you would also need to either siphon your cooled wort in on brew day or get a larger funnel to get it done a bit faster.

 

[chicagojimmyjames]

Slight correction: You depressurize the keg by wedging something into the ball valve WHEN THE KEG IS ON ITS SIDE. If you do it while standing above and leaning over, any remaining (stale) beer in that keg will likely end up in your face. ...and yes, I speak from experience.

 

[chicagojimmyjames]

...and don't throw out the spear, even if you don't know what to use it for just now.

 

[Berniep]

If you wedge something down on the seal that surrounds the ball it will let pressure out without spraying bad beer everywhere.
Put pressure down on the outside edge of that seal and it will move down, it's spring loaded like the ball.

 

[itsme6582]

Take a look at these...

Brewer's Hardware
DIY

 

[socalboomer]

THANK YOU!!!

And, I've been through the spray all over my face thing. . .

:cross:

 

[socalboomer]

I picked up a Sanke tap, and attached a line to my CO2, and a picnic tap to it:

I hook it up to my CO2, pressurize it a bit, let out the air so I purge it nice, and bingo!

and, it's awesome. SO nice to ferment (secondary, conditioning) in a nice stackable little keg.

I want to do a full batch (10G) in a big keg - any issues with that? I'll use a large stopper with a blow-off.

 

[itsme6582]

No issues. It' the same thing. Just bigger.

 

[Berniep]

My last batch I fermented in a bunked and the only thing is you can't see what's going on in it, I didn't really miss it, but I use the pitch and forget for 3 weeks method of fermenting anyway. If it's not blowing out the blowoff tube then I don't mess with it at all for 3 weeks

 

[rekoob]

I picked up a Sanke tap, and attached a line to my CO2, and a picnic tap to it:

I hook it up to my CO2, pressurize it a bit, let out the air so I purge it nice, and bingo!

and, it's awesome. SO nice to ferment (secondary, conditioning) in a nice stackable little keg.

I want to do a full batch (10G) in a big keg - any issues with that? I'll use a large stopper with a blow-off.

So after you purge you leave to ferment without releasing pressure as some given level?
I have a half keg just like that one (with rubber coating) and plan to use it when I start 10G batches.
do you use co2 to get it out of the keg?

 

[socalboomer]

Well it's in secondary right now so it's not generating a lot of co2... I plan to continue primary in better-bottles at least for now.

I am thinking about how to get it out. I think it would be pretty easy to purge and the pull the spear and then siphon, just like normal... But since I'm taking this to my wedding, I'm very tempted to just take the pony keg and tap straight from there...

if I do a primary in my pony kegs, i plan to use a rubber stopper and blowoff tube... I think a #13 stopper should fit, yes?;D

What do y'all think of using the plastic-coated 15.5 g keg as a mash tun? I do t heat my mash tun so that wouldn't be a huge deal...

I'm gonna lose a bunch of equipment that I've been borrowing so I kinda have to start thinking outside the keg...

 

[rex]

I have four of these kegs with the rubbers tops and bottoms.

I still haven't done anything with them...although I am planning an electric setup soon.

 

[bluemoose]

I'd use it for a MLT. Then get 2 more without the rubber for the BK and HLT. Rubber probably has better insulating properties and you could insulate the remaining (middle) with the blanket insulation.