Use AIO Wine Pump to transfer to a keg

[Raptor99]

I make hard cider, and I am getting ready to try kegging. I wonder if anyone has used the AIO wine pump to transfer from a carboy to a keg. I would need a way to connect the vacuum line to the gas inlet on a corny keg. Has anyone done this?

 

[ratflinger]

If your carboy is on a table & the keg is on the floor then gravity works well. Otherwise a reducing coupler should work. HD & Lowes usually has those in the plumbing section.

 

[Jim Welch]

I make hard cider, and I am getting ready to try kegging. I wonder if anyone has used the AIO wine pump to transfer from a carboy to a keg. I would need a way to connect the vacuum line to the gas inlet on a corny keg. Has anyone done this?

Yes, I do this all the time now. What started as a way to free up a couple carboys has become a fixture of my method.

 

[Jim Welch]

@Raptor99
Here is what I put together to do it. I pull the vacuum through the gas inlet and fill the kegs through the liquid outlet.

 

[vinny]

@Raptor99
Here is what I put together to do it. I pull the vacuum through the gas inlet and fill the kegs through the liquid outlet. View attachment 100024

These connections are dirt cheap on Amazon. @Raptor99 If you got a hose barb you could keep your AIO as is and just connect your vacuum release line to the barb on the keg quick release.

 

[Jim Welch]

These connections are dirt cheap on Amazon. @Raptor99 If you got a hose barb you could keep your AIO as is and just connect your vacuum release line to the barb on the keg quick release.

The tubing pieces are both AIO spares I've permanently dedicated to kegging operations. I have both pin lock and ball lock kegs so opted for the MFL fittings to make swapping QDs easier.

Edit: One other thing I'll mention is a scale. While not absolutely necessary it helps a lot, especially with optimizing the keg fill

 

[vinny]

The tubing pieces are both AIO spares I've permanently dedicated to kegging operations. I have both pin lock and ball lock kegs so opted for the MFL fittings to make swapping QDs easier.

I have everything needed to do this. My corny kegs were bought just for storage and moving from building to building. My Co2 tank was so I had a year's supply for the soda stream. I'm thinking I might need to make a hard lemonade or cider just so I have reason to tinker around and make this all possible.

A make work project, just for the fun of it.

What to make, though? I suppose I could do the beer kit I have been threatening to purchase.

Refrigeration is the one thing I don't have set up, but I do have a chest freezer converted to a fridge in the shop that would fit the keg. What are you guys doing on that side?

 

[Raptor99]

Refrigeration is the one thing I don't have set up, but I do have a chest freezer converted to a fridge in the shop that would fit the keg. What are you guys doing on that side?

Refrigeration was the main thing holding me back. I think that the chest freezer/fridge would work fine. You could put the taps on the outside or the inside. It's nice to make a pass through so you can put the CO2 tank on the outside. Plenty of people on this forum have done things like that, so I'm sure you can find some good advice.

I found a used kegerator on Craig's List for $200. Right now I am cleaning it up and upgrading it to dual tap. I still need to acquire a few corny kegs. The nice thing about the kegerator is that it is not too big, and it has casters so that I can move it around. It should hold two 5-gal corny kegs.

I have a batch of hard ginger ale that I want to use to test it out. If you like ginger, that might be a good experiment.

 

[Jim Welch]

I have everything needed to do this. My corny kegs were bought just for storage and moving from building to building. My Co2 tank was so I had a year's supply for the soda stream. I'm thinking I might need to make a hard lemonade or cider just so I have reason to tinker around and make this all possible.

A make work project, just for the fun of it.

What to make, though? I suppose I could do the beer kit I have been threatening to purchase.

Refrigeration is the one thing I don't have set up, but I do have a chest freezer converted to a fridge in the shop that would fit the keg. What are you guys doing on that side?

I have a 5 or 7 cu ft chest freezer I converted into a 4 tap kegerator. It will hold 4 5 gal cornies/sanke sixtels; or a 1/2 sanke keg and 1 corny or sixtel.
I also made a temp controlled fermentation cabinet {for beer primarily) by stripping the refrigeration system from an old small freezer and building a cabinet around it. It is somewhat MacGuyvered but it works great for TC fermentation as it both heats and cools. I always use a thermowell so the temperature controller's temp sensor is in the middle of what ever is fermenting.

 

[vinny]

Refrigeration was the main thing holding me back. .

Space is my big thing. I didn't want a basement.

I have a batch of hard ginger ale that I want to use to test it out. If you like ginger, that might be a good experiment.

That I would certainly be interested in. Would you share your recipe?

I have to do some bottling before I start anything. I was just cleaning up my room. I have more vessels, but where I would put them is the big question.

 

[vinny]

I have a 5 or 7 cu ft chest freezer I converted into a 4 tap kegerator. It will hold 4 5 gal cornies/sanke sixtels; or a 1/2 sanke keg and 1 corny or sixtel.
I also made a temp controlled fermentation cabinet {for beer primarily) by stripping the refrigeration system from an old small freezer and building a cabinet around it. It is somewhat MacGuyvered but it works great for TC fermentation as it both heats and cools. I always use a thermowell so the temperature controller's temp sensor is in the middle of what ever is fermenting.

I never LOVED the beers I made at you brew places. It's the only reason I haven't made any beer. I don't want 6 gallons to work through, but I am considering a Belgian Ale, and @winemaker81 has me thinking with his comment about a chocolate peanut butter porter.

I would love to set up a fermentation cabinet. Good for wine and beer too, but the fun a guy could have with sausages, oh my! So many interests, so little time!

 

[ChuckD]

I never LOVED the beers I made at you brew places. It's the only reason I haven't made any beer. I don't want 6 gallons to work through, but I am considering a Belgian Ale, and @winemaker81 has me thinking with his comment about a chocolate peanut butter porter.

I would love to set up a fermentation cabinet. Good for wine and beer too, but the fun a guy could have with sausages, oh my! So many interests, so little time!

I didn’t think you could ferment sausages but let me know how that turns out.

 

[vinny]

I didn’t think you could ferment sausages but let me know how that turns out.

Oh, yes sir, you can!

All the good ones are fermented. Salami, landjager, pepperoni, chorizo, etc etc.

 

[Raptor99]

That I would certainly be interested in. Would you share your recipe?

Hard Ginger Ale (1.5 gal. initial volume)

140 g ginger, finely minced
2.5 c sugar
Juice and zest from 2 fresh lemons
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1.5 gallon water
0.45 g Kmeta
1/3 package Safale S-04 Yeast

Simmer the ginger for 10 min, then turn off stove and add lemon juice and zest. Cover let steep until cool.
Initial Brix 12.6 ( = SG 1.0509, potential ABV 6.7%)
pH 3.34

Nutrient schedule: (target +120 ppm YAN)

Rehydration	3 g GoFerm	4 oz. water
At yeast pitch	1.26 g Ferm-O
At 24 hours	1.26 g Ferm-O	1.35 g Ferm-K
At 48 hours		1.35 g Ferm-K

I used SNA because ginger inhibits yeast growth, so I wanted to give the yeast every advantage. It fermented more slowly than my hard cider, but eventually reached SG 1.007. That was two weeks ago, so I need to check it again to see if it is any lower

 

[Raptor99]

@Raptor99
Here is what I put together to do it. I pull the vacuum through the gas inlet and fill the kegs through the liquid outlet. View attachment 100024

Thanks for the photo. This is what I need to try.

 

[vinny]

I used SNA because ginger inhibits yeast growth, so I wanted to give the yeast every advantage. It fermented more slowly than my hard cider, but eventually reached SG 1.007. That was two weeks ago, so I need to check it again to see if it is any lower

Had to go on a web search. Several Nutrient Additions?

I was close. Staggered! I've done it, but never named it.

I'm tempted to start this today, amongst a couple other things. We will see how the day progresses...

 

[Raptor99]

SNA is commonly used in making mead. Honey has very little in the way of yeast nutrients, so it is especially important to give them healthy, organic nutrients on a schedule that they can absorb.

Maybe we need a sticky post in the Beginners forum on Wine Making Terms and Abbreviations.