no chill method in a keg

[oliver]

Anyone use a keg to do overnight no-chill method? Any downsides?

I'm thinking of killing the boil, going straight into the keg, seal it up, it sanitizes itself. Wait overnight for it to cooldown, or use a chest freezer to assist.

Bonus points, go oxygen tank to ball lock connector, use O2 to push the wort out of the keg into a fermenter and pitch yeast.

Any downsides I'm not seeing?

 

[Sunfire96]

Used to be my go-to method. A few things:
Don't splash when transferring the hot wort into the keg
Put about 5 psi of pressure on the keg when you first close it up
Flip the keg upside down for 5-10 minutes when first transferred (after adding CO2) to sanitize the top
Either invest in a spunding valve or remove the PRV and cover with a small piece of foil after you pitch the yeast
Cut your liquid diptube or get a floating one.

 

[oliver]

Used to be my go-to method. A few things:
Don't splash when transferring the hot wort into the keg
Put about 5 psi of pressure on the keg when you first close it up
Flip the keg upside down for 5-10 minutes when first transferred (after adding CO2) to sanitize the top
Either invest in a spunding valve or remove the PRV and cover with a small piece of foil after you pitch the yeast
Cut your liquid diptube or get a floating one.

word, got it. Good tip about splashing, boiling wort splashing around sounds fun.

with the PRV, are you doing that because you also ferment in the keg? I'm not trying to ferment in the keg, just use as a closed, sealed, and heatproof vessel. And I'd use oxygen to both pressure transfer into a dedicated fermenter and aerate the wort.

 

[Minbari]

so are you gonna ferment it in the keg or just cool it there?

if ferment, then all for it, as @Sunfire96 said, get a spunding valve and skips a step when kegging.

if just to cool it before transferring to the fermenter. I dont see the point. it is already in a sanitized kettle. cover with cling wrap and transfer to fermenter the next day.

 

[oliver]

Used to be my go-to method. A few things:
Don't splash when transferring the hot wort into the keg
Put about 5 psi of pressure on the keg when you first close it up
Flip the keg upside down for 5-10 minutes when first transferred (after adding CO2) to sanitize the top
Either invest in a spunding valve or remove the PRV and cover with a small piece of foil after you pitch the yeast
Cut your liquid diptube or get a floating one.

follow up question. Do you use a chest freezer to assist with the chilling? Or just set at room temp and wait overnight?

 

[Sunfire96]

follow up question. Do you use a chest freezer to assist with the chilling? Or just set at room temp and wait overnight?

I usually put it outside in the winter or near the A/C in the summer. But we have had a very mild winter this year, no chance of freezing the wort on accident

 

[Minbari]

follow up question. Do you use a chest freezer to assist with the chilling? Or just set at room temp and wait overnight?

if you have a chest freezer to use for fermentation temp control. transfer to the fermenter right away, will sanitize the fermenter and then cool the wort in one step. pitch yeast the next day.

 

[Zambi]

If you can, maybe ferment in the keg & spund like @Minbari suggests
Only problem I see there is the trub formation, so don't draw from the bottom when tapping

 

[Sunfire96]

word, got it. Good tip about splashing, boiling wort splashing around sounds fun.

with the PRV, are you doing that because you also ferment in the keg? I'm not trying to ferment in the keg, just use as a closed, sealed, and heatproof vessel. And I'd use oxygen to both pressure transfer into a dedicated fermenter and aerate the wort.

If you're not fermenting in the keg then I wouldn't add an extra transfer it if were me. Too much risk for oxidation and contamination