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Filling FVs halfway

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  • Filling FVs halfway

    Servus,

    I have 500 liter fermenters and I am planning on brewing some smaller batches, around 220 liters, which will also go into the 500 liter fermenters.

    My question is, will the space above the fermenting beer contain too much oxygen, which will in turn affect the beer?

    Prost!
    Dave

  • #2
    No, the air in the headspace will be displaced by CO2 as it off gasses from the fermenting beer.

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    • #3
      I have read that before, but I am still concerned that the extra space allows more oxygen to stay inside the fermenter. Won't the partial pressure of oxygen allow it to stay in the fermenter? And with extra space won't there be more oxygen in the head space even after the CO2 produced by the fermentation pushes a lot out?

      Or would flushing the FV with CO2 first alleviate my concerns?

      Thanks!

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      • #4
        If you want to flush it first and that will make you feel better, go ahead, but it would be a waste of time/CO2 in my opinion. I've been doing partial fills (as needed) on Unitanks for over 20 years without any indication of a problem. In my current brewery D.O. checks prior to canning have been consistent regardless of full, 2/3, or 1/2 filled Unis. Heck, before that I was brewing with open fermenters and it wasn't an issue either.

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        • #5
          The location of the cooling jacket(s) of the uni is the most important thing. If the jacket isn't covered fully, the cooling efficiency will be very poor, and there is a potential for some nasty icing above the fill line. We've had a unitank damaged by a large sheet of ice falling off after brewing a short batch which didn't completely cover the jacket. The manway door was open, with the door inside the tank when the ice fell, bending the arm of the door badly. Just glad there wasn't a head or arm in the way!
          Timm Turrentine

          Brewerywright,
          Terminal Gravity Brewing,
          Enterprise. Oregon.

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          • #6
            Thanks for the info. I prefer brewing our hefeweizen in smaller batches as freshness is really important, but have been worried about the head space. I apparently have been over-thinking it!

            Prost!

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            • #7
              Would the icing effect the beer quality?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by DaveVonRenn View Post
                Thanks for the info. I prefer brewing our hefeweizen in smaller batches as freshness is really important, but have been worried about the head space. I apparently have been over-thinking it!

                Prost!
                I don't know how much beer you go through, but for a small system such as 500L I would maximize your brews; just forget about wasting time with half batching.

                If you are worried about the hefeweizen dropping clear before you have a chance to serve it, then do one simple thing that large breweries do. Rack off the unfiltered but conditioned hefeweizen into kegs and store them upside down. When you are ready to tap one, set it on it's side, give it a little roll and tip it right side up. You have resuspended your yeast.
                Todd G Hicks
                BeerDenizen Brewing Services

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                • #9
                  My main concern is that we are expanding the brewery and had to take apart our larger cool room where I store kegs, etc. I don't want the hefeweizen stored warm while waiting for it to turnover. A half batch of each of our core beers fits in our smaller cool room. Since it is summer, storing the other half of a full batch outside will push them above 20C, and at this temperature staling rates increase dramatically.

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                  • #10
                    Aside from the fermentation process driving off head-space oxygen via C02 production, I would also imagine that during the aerobic process (lag-phase) of fermentation, the yeast would consume all of the dissolved oxygen, assuming you weren't oxygenating an obscene amount.
                    Ryan
                    Viridian Brewing Company
                    [Brewery-In-Planning]

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                    • #11
                      If already storing some beer outside, can a small walk in cooler be built outside to store those kegs?
                      Todd G Hicks
                      BeerDenizen Brewing Services

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                      • #12
                        Hey Todd,

                        That is exactly what we have decided to do. We bought a large walk-in cooler that we fit lots of kegs into. This will work well till the expansion is done or fall comes, whichever happens first.

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