Benefits of Fermenting Under Pressure
Updated: October 7, 2024
Pressurized fermentations are becoming increasingly popular, and for a good reason. Some of the benefits that you gain from fermenting beer under pressure are: Lower ester production, being able to ferment at higher temperatures without producing off-flavors, and having your beer carbonated by the end of fermentation. Pressure fermenters are also called uni-tanks because you can use them for both fermentation and carbonating. You can serve beer directly from uni-tanks, counter pressure fill bottles or easily transfer beer into kegs using pressure.
Limited Time Deal on 15 Gallon Kegs (can be used as a pressure fermenter)!
Torpedo Keg | Ball Lock Keg | Stainless Steel Corny Keg | 15 gal.
More Info
From the product description, check product page for current description, price and availability:
This used Torpedo ball lock 15 gallon keg has the same great features and superior quality as its predecessors, and will allow large-scale homebrewers to fit their entire batch into a single keg. These kegs are laser welded by an ISO certified commercial keg manufacturer, so you won’t find any nooks or crannies for contaminants to hide. Made with rolled stainless steel handles that are comfortable to grab. “In” and “Out” are etched near the keg posts for a quick and mistake-free set up when connecting lines in a refrigerator or kegerator. The 15 gallon kegs can be stacked on top of each other with ball lock fittings still attached.
Specifications:
Total Capacity: 15.2 gal.
Max Pressure: 130 psi
PRV Rating: 85 psi
Height: 24.75″
Diameter: 16.05″
Made from 304 Stainless Steel
Shipping Box Dimensions: 25-3/4″ H x 18″ L x 18″ W
Weight: 32.16 lbs
These kegs are used but in excellent condition. I have a good number of these but when they are gone they are gone and tough to find. They have only been rinsed and examined during refurbishing so Corny Keg recommends that you clean and sanitize before use. The kegs pictured are stock photos of new kegs but these used kegs look great and will perform like new or we will take them back.
- cornykeg,com has a limited number of used 15 gallon Torpedo Ball Locks.
- These are selling for $175. That’s a bargain for a 15 gallon keg!
- Quantities are limited, check the product page to see if you can still get in on this.
Used Torpedo 15 Gallon Ball Lock Corny Keg
Hands on Review! Check out my in depth Hands on Review of the 10 gallon version of this keg.
Compare, New at MoreBeer: Torpedo Ball Lock Keg – 15 gal. KEG815
Related: Benefits of Using Kegs for Fermentation
Fermenting lagers under pressure is a huge benefit of uni-tank. When yeast ferment under pressure, the production of fruity esters is greatly reduced. This can allow you to brew a lager at 70F an obtain traditional lager flavor. – via MoreBeer
Since off-gassing is reduced added hop flavor and aromas are also potential benefits of fermenting under pressure.
This article is by Homebrew Finds Contributor Brad Probert. Brad is an engineer, expert homebrewer and experienced reviewer. Grab a link to Brad’s website at the end of this review.
What is Fermenting Under Pressure?
I’ll start first by defining “normal fermentation” as fermenting with an airlock or blow-off tube on your fermentor. In the chemical process of your yeast converting wort sugars to alcohol, CO2 gets naturally produced. In a normal fermentation, this CO2 pushes out of the liquid wort/beer into the headspace above your liquid level. As more and more CO2 gets produced, it starts to get crowded up there, so pressure builds up and then pushes a glug of air/CO2 through your airlock. As fermentation progresses, more CO2 is created, creates pressure in the headspace, and then vents through your blow-off tube or airlock.
Limited Time Deal on Larger Pressure Capable Kegs
- Cornykeg.com is discounting their exclusive lineup of brand new kegs by 10%
- This is a rare sale, in fact it’s the first across the board keg sale I can recall.
- Use coupon code HBFathersday to get the deal
cornykeg.com brand keg sale! – remember promo code HBFathersday
The lineup includes 10 and 12 gallon kegs…
Pressure Capable Fermenters:
Fermenting under pressure follows the chemical process, but instead of an airlock or blow-off tube, which has a very low pressure threshold before it relieves the pressure, you have a spunding valve attached. The spunding valve is typically set to open and release headspace pressure until a much higher level, and therefore keeps everything at a higher pressure in your fermentor (headspace and beer). This increased pressure on your yeast during fermentation changes how they behave. The two main important things that happens with yeast under pressure are: 1) It slows down fermentation rate, and 2) It suppresses production of esters and fusel alcohols.
Spunding Valves for Fermenting Under Pressure
There are multiple makers of spunding valves, with different looks and features/limitations. They can be grouped into two major types- 1) Spring & Poppet, and 2) Diaphragm. Both operate with the same basic principles. Pressure from your fermentor pushes up against the pressure regulating mechanism inside. In the Spring & Poppet, the “mechanism” is a small poppet like what you have inside the gas or liquid posts on your keg. The Diaphragm design uses a large flexible rubber/silicone disc as its “mechanism”. Resisting this pressure, on the other side of the mechanism is a spring. By turning an adjustment knob on the spunding, you can compress the spring more, which in turn pushes harder on the mechanism. Then it’s just a force balance between the pressure in your fermentor and the compression of the spring. Once the pressure overcomes the spring force, it creates a path for the compressed CO2 to escape and it bleeds off. This then regulates your pressure.
Keep Reading: Lots More About Fermenting Under Pressure
I use a similar heat mat to help remove stubborn keg labels. See: Removing Keg Labels… A Trick That Makes it Easy! – a section of our keg rebuild how-to
