Pressure Fermenting Time

[m_kc]

Doing my first pressure ferment (Munich Helles with W-34/70) at room temp (20°C) and 10 PSI in a 5L keg.

I don't have any control over fermentation temps so hoping I can make a lager all year round and not worry about the ambient temperature of my garage in the winter.

How long can I expect this to take to finish out? Wanted to add gelatin after X days then carb/condition for a few weeks before trying. Have shortened the dip tube so plan on drinking straight out of this keg.

 

[2Beers]

I do a pressure lager at room temperature repetitively, and I just add up all the time it would take to make it traditionally and allow that amount of time in the pressure vessel.

So a normally made lager would be fermenting for say 3 weeks, and dia resting for a week, and then 2 weeks to carb in a keg. 5-6 weeks.

I simply leave it to pressure ferment for 5-6 weeks. For the last 2-3 weeks at a pressure that will carb it. Pressure transfer to a keg, I lager it for 1 week minimum in a cool place.

 

[2Beers]

So I'd say 3 weeks at 15 psi and then push it up to 30 to carb it. I shake the vessel to rouse the yeast to reduce diacetyl and get it to carb.

 

[crowcrow]

I've only done two pressure brews in my corny - both 'lagers' - first was 20psi at 25c (as that was how hit the shed was) second was 10psi at 20c.

They both completed fermentation inside 7 days. I think they'd have been done at 5 days to be honest. This was using the crossmyloof lager yeast, nothing special - not a kyvek or anything.

So I'd say at those temps you'll be done fast.

I crashed, transferred to final keg and then carbed and was drinking a week after brew day. Def got better over the next 2 weeks, but very drinkable straight away - was very popular with friends.

 

[m_kc]

I've only done two pressure brews in my corny - both 'lagers' - first was 20psi at 25c (as that was how hit the shed was) second was 10psi at 20c.

They both completed fermentation inside 7 days. I think they'd have been done at 5 days to be honest. This was using the crossmyloof lager yeast, nothing special - not a kyvek or anything.

So I'd say at those temps you'll be done fast.

I crashed, transferred to final keg and then carbed and was drinking a week after brew day. Def got better over the next 2 weeks, but very drinkable straight away - was very popular with friends.

Did you notice any difference between the 10 PSI versus the 20 PSI batch?

Is there a relationship between pressure and temp ?? ..i.e. the lower your room temp the lower your pressure can be?

 

[crowcrow]

First was at 20psi as I thought it might need that to be well carbed, but later reading told me that was probably too high. The 10psi was carbed just as easily, as I added gas to the final keg.

If anything the first (20psi) was better and a little cleaner, but who knows what else I changed along the way. I am not very scientific about my brewing and often make small adjustments and tell myself ill remember later what I changed but I never do.

That said both beers were great and well received (they were the lost lager recipe from brew dog)

 

[2Beers]

Did you notice any difference between the 10 PSI versus the 20 PSI batch?

Is there a relationship between pressure and temp ?? ..i.e. the lower your room temp the lower your pressure can be?

The higher the room temp the more psi needed to carb, and I think the more pressure needed to suppress esters that are undesirable in lagers. But this higher temp and pressure stresses the yeast and so it needs longer to clean up.

In my experience it's just trade-offs, there's no free-ride.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Try opshaug kveik yeast, ferment at 35 celsius at least to start, set spund to 25 psi let it build that pressure on its own. As ferment tails off increase the pressure to the vols you want the lager at say 2.5 vols and adjust pressure up. It will be about 35 psi at 27 celsius. After 5 days cold crash and readust the pressure for the temp. You can be drinking a lager this way in under 2 weeks. I have also used Whitelabs high pressure lager yeast for an NZ pilsner, lower pressure as the yeast likes a lower temp than kveik. Did require gelation and then super F to clear it but it was drinking in 2 weeks as well and that included the dry hopping.
Brew club thought the kveik lager was great and the pilsner came 3rd in a beat the brewer competition so it can work.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Doing my first pressure ferment (Munich Helles with W-34/70) at room temp (20°C) and 10 PSI in a 5L keg.

I'm brewing for my first pressure fermented batch now. Once headspace and trub are taken into account, will you get any clear beer out of a 5 litre keg?

 

[RoomWithABrew]

You can bank on a little less headspace than an open as the pressure squashes the krausen. I use a floating dip tube, but if you start with 4 litres you could get 3.5 but i'm guessing really.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

I've got about ten litres in a 19 litre keg, but haven't pressurised it. The keg is around 18°c. Do you know how long it shoukd take to reach 3psi using S04 yeast? I foolishly didn't test my Kegland spjnding valve before attaching it to the jeg3.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Have just been fermenting wyeast 1099 under 3 psi with 8 litres of head space. That made the pressure in less than 24 hours. That started at 16 celsius and rose to 18.5 with a big starter.
Charlies fist bump lager also got to 10 psi in 24 hours at 13 celsius for a lager.

 

[2Beers]

Not long, it could easily be at 10-15 in 24 hours.

The lager I am drinking now, in this evening's glorious sunshine, went from 10 psi to 40+ overnight. It was hissing like snake when I went down in the morning, I'd forgotten to dial down the spunding valve.

This lager has spent 7-8 weeks fermenting at 30 psi at room temperature, and is now a very nice drink.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

This lager has spent 7-8 weeks fermenting at room temperature

pardon me, but... really?

 

[2Beers]

pardon me, but... really?

Sorry, it spent 7-8 weeks in a fermenter. I apologise for sloppy language, thanks for highlighting it.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Sorry didn’t mean to sound like ‘mr picky’ I’d be worried about leaving it on the trub for that long, without it developing meaty flavours

 

[m_kc]

I'm brewing for my first pressure fermented batch now. Once headspace and trub are taken into account, will you get any clear beer out of a 5 litre keg?

I don't know :) The opening is to small for all the floating dip tubes I've seen so I cut the dip tube ~ 1" off the base. I'm hoping for 4L and for minimum sediment rousing!

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Oops. I thought I'd use the C02 given off by the yeast to pressuries, forgetting that cornius kegs need pressure to seal.

Nothing much seemed to be happenning, although a quick tug on the PRV confirmed there was some C02. Spraying some Star San over the keg lid confirmed it hadn't sealed. Luckily it's still fermenting and I only brewed in on Saturday. Will just have to wait and see.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

@m_kc
The float is the issue as you say too big for the opening on those mini kegs. I've been on the lookout for a " plastic " cork as these sanitise well and float and would be the right size. Trouble is seems they are now out of vogue for wine it's unscrew or a real cork and I'm not so keen to use a bit of real cork.
Let me know if you find a wine with plastic corks and I'll try and hunt one down here.