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How to fruit or hop samke kegs?

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  • How to fruit or hop samke kegs?

    I hate corny kegs. There are just too many damn places for them to fail. I for one will be glad when my brewery opens in a month or so and I don't have to use them anymore. There is one thing however that I love about them...the ability to put shit inside them! I love to put whole leaf hops in bags in my IPA's, keeps that fresh hop aroma exploding for months. Another trick is to put fruit or spices or whatever inside of a keg. Its essentially the same thing as a randall but without all the foaming issues. I also feel that the flavors infuse more fully over a few days of contact rather than a few seconds like a randall. The versatility this gives is also awesome. One beer can turn into several simply by adding different things to different kegs. The question is, how the hell do you do this in a sanke??

  • #2
    Made by MicroMatic to easily and safely remove the valve and spear from an American Sankey (type D) keg.  MicroMatic is the world market leader in the supply of keg spears and keg extractor tubes for the global draft beer market. This is a necessary tool for anyone that needs to remove a Sankey keg spear for cleaning or repairs.  This tool only presses the spear down on the retaining ring.  You still need to physically remove the ring by hand using the keg spear removal knife SKU # 2509.  Kegs contain pressure which can be dangerous if you try to remove the spear without the proper tools to release the pressure while holding down the spear and valve.

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    • #3
      Not exactly cheap, but these work great for us:

      These are 1/2 barrel kegs with a Sankey valve and spear installed in a 4" tri-clamp cap. Perfect for serving many beverages, conditioning beer and carbonating.

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      • #4
        Personally, I find that keeping hops in beer for months leads to an unpleasant vegetal character (not that our IPA sticks around for that long anyway) and fruiting for that long can be tricky from a wild yeast and fruit balance perspective. But when we want to add fruit or hop character past what we can get by adding fruit or hops to the fermenter or brite tank (which is usually enough) we use firkins. We'll put the additives in the firkin (sometimes in nylon bags), and condition as usual. Then, you can either gravity pour, like we do, or use a beer engine to pull the firkin. Either way, we have a low-pressure CO2 breather to keep the cask fresh until it kicks. I've also seen breweries use the modified half barrels like in the post above to great effect. The larger TC openings mean they're also easier to clean than either firkins or dismantled Sankeys. I've even seen taller vessels made of modified kegs in the 100L range, so you don't have to refill them as often.
        The main reason I wouldn't want to frequently take apart my Sankeys is the maintenance cost and danger involved. Yes, standard practice should be enough to remove the risk. But you still should replace the retention ring every time you take a spear out, and there's always a chance everything doesn't go back together properly. Have you seen the videos of spears leaving kegs under pressure? No thanks. And like I said, washing dry hops or fruit out of the Sankey opening doesn't sound fun. Just do all of us a favor. If you ever sign up for a keg leasing service like MicroStar, please, please, never put anything in the keg. It's tricky enough to use a keg you don't own, without wondering if there's leftover hops or spices or something floating around in there. Thanks, and good luck with your new brewery!

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        • #5
          Thanks mikeyrb1!! That looks perfect. They are quite pricey but I definitely think I'll pick up a few when I have additional funds.

          spetrovits, I've found that hopping in the keg does not produce any grassy flavors so long as it is kept cold. I also exaggerated when I said months. The longest any keg hopped IPA I made lasted was about a month, usually shorter. Also, at the brewery It will go very quick so I don't think that's an issue.

          I don't plan to fruit or hop too many kegs so my plan now is to buy a few of the large TC opening sankes and only use those for these procedures. I agree that taking the spear in and out of regular sankes frequently is a bad idea.

          Finally, while we're on the topic of firkins we are planning to do cask conditioned english styles and serve them through a hand pump with a Co2 breather to ensure freshness. Since we're only adding sugar there should be no reason we can't use regular sanke kegs for these purposes, right?

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