'hot' brewing lager under pressure in a corny?

[crowcrow]

Does anyone here have any experience in fermentation until pressure in a conry keg? I've seen a few videos but I feel like I'd like to see the process mapped out a little more for my understanding - so keen to know if any others here are doing this.

If not, I'll post my progress of my next brew (when I can buy the malt...)

 

[Sadfield]

No and yes. I've not done it hot, but do use the same technique it to ferment lagers using the quick lager method at 12C to get the benefit of fermenting with Saflager S23 much lower without the issues of needing a greater pitch rate and stressing the yeast. I've also experimented fermenting and dry-hopping NEIPA under pressure as per the following article. It contains some useful, transferable info. Fermenting under pressure.

What are you classing as hot? Are you using any form of temperature control?

 

[crowcrow]

I'd read/YouTube'd about brewing at 18c with a lager yeast under pressure - I can either set up a waterbath from about 16c which my shed is, to 35c. Alt I can use my keezer to brew at 10c down to 0c. Sadly no one of brewing in the middle yet. I'd hoped to go hot (18c plus) and fast under pressure - but as I say the processes seem a little vague to me. Loads about the outcomes but not about the inputs.

 

[peebee]

Yes, I do! But like @Sadfield I'm not sure what you mean by "hot"?

I ferment all my low-alcohol stuff (<1.5% ABV) in a Corny under pressure at "ale" fermentation temperatures, and then dispense from the same Corny. This works fine, but I've been trying the same technique with session strength beer (3.5-4.5% ABV) and might be experiencing problems?

I use floating beer extractors in place of the rigid dip-tube which I thought would make me immune to excessive yeast in the keg. But I'm beginning to think top-cropping yeast is leaving a lot of yeast stuck to the upper of the keg which gradually works it way down to and through the fermented beer. Keeping the beer hazy (latterly make that murky!) for much longer than I'd expect.

UPDATE: Just read your more recent post: I'm fermenting out within five days (three for the last) at 17-20°C and wouldn't want to go faster. Fermenting at 10-12PSI. I ferment under pressure solely to carbonate the beer, not to explore any other claimed advantage of fermenting under pressure.

EDIT: A link to me using Corny kegs as fermenters: PeeBee's Brewday - Low Alcohol Beer

 

[Sadfield]

Surely the keezer should be able to be set to the mid range temperatures. If not 10C is a good temperature for lager fermentation, pressurised or not. I'm a little confused as to your objective. Faster fermentation? Fermenting lager warm under pressure is often a work around for not having the option of a temperature controlled keezer.

 

[crowcrow]

Cheers will read the links you both posted and give it a shot - planning a lager - just need to wait for it to arrive yet.

 

[crowcrow]

Faster and less/no lagering time. I only have the keezer, so while it is set at 'other' temps I can't use it for its main purpose - we also use it as a spill over fridge for food, so again some desire not to mess too much with temps in the keezer I I can help it.

 

[Session]

I ferment under pressure, like peebee, to naturally carbonate my beer. I tend to do IPAs and haven’t done a lager.
I find most of the murk drops out when cold crashing

 

[Wynne]

Like others I ferment under pressure to naturally carbonate. I start by fermenting at atmospheric pressure using a blow-off tube for 24-48hours to allow the yeast to get through its growth phase then I apply a spunding valve to control the pressure either directly to the fermenter/keg or I connect the liquid out post of another sanitised corny to the gas in of the fermenter and use the CO2 from fermentation to flush the second keg. Fermenting under pressure is reported to reduce the production of higher (fusel) alcohols and esters which are flavour compounds regarded as undesirable in lager Warm fermentation should also help yeast remove diacetyl which gives a “buttery” flavour generally regarded as undesirable in lager. Fermenting under pressure means that there should be less stripping of volatile compounds by vigorous CO2 action, this should retain hop aroma compounds but may also retain di-methyl sulphide (DMS) which can give an undesirable “cooked corn” or “vegetable” flavour in lager. The development of flavour compounds varies with yeast strain and there are various lager yeasts (e.g. MJ54 California Lager) which claim to ferment at 18-20c without producing off-flavours. Good luck.

 

[foxy]

As what Wynne has posted, White Labs produce a higher pressure lager yeast WLP925, use at 1 bar, but during his visit to Australia I had a chance to speak with Chris White who told me any lager yeast will achieve the same result.
I have made a lager under pressure, don't expect it to turn out the same as a lager made in the more traditional way, it won't. If its for your own enjoyment that's fair enough but don't expect to get on the podium in a comp.