Kegging 101

This is my first time kegging so I have questions and need advice.

I'm making two 5 gallon batches. One is a double IPA and the other a Belgian double. Both are Northern kits, plus some additions. I'm making double starters for both. I recently purchased a kegerator and just got a temperature controller to keep it at 68-degrees so I can primary in there, which I'm psyched about.

1. Should I secondary? My other option is to brew with Irish moss, rack to the keg, put it on gas, and let it stay in there another week or two. I was planning on using a secondary, but just realized it might not be needed.

2. If the keg is the secondary, do I need to worry about any residual yeast or hops clogging the system?

3. Even if I keg, does the beer still need conditioning time? Is it fine to condition under pressure?

4. Do I need to chill the beer after kegging or can I simply put it in a cooler place and wait until both kegs are ready to be put on tap? If I can put beers on and take them off of the tap that would give me the ability to take a beer off for two weeks while I'm using it as a fermentation locker, then thrown them back on.

Thanks! I'm sure I'll have more questions once it comes time to hook the lines up.

1) Don't secondary. It's established now that secondary tanks were based on really old information and poor yeast health. You can secondary for dry-hopping if you want, but a lot of folks just do that in the primary if it's less than 2 oz of hops or so. If you're trying to wash/save yeast then you'd probably want to go to a secondary.

2) The first pint you pull off your keg will probably be a bit yeasty/cloudy - either drink it if you're a hass or just dump it...after that you'll be good to hook, unless you shift your kegs around or something - you shouldn't have ANY hops in your keg after transferring...if you do you might need to change up your siphoning methods.

3) Yes, if you use the 'set it and forget it method' it will take about two weeks to hit true carbonation equilibrium (will be ok after about 7 days though probably). These two weeks also serve as a conditioning phase...same as when you bottle and let it carb up for two weeks or so.

4) You don't have to chill the beer after kegging, but keep in mind that the higher the temperature of the liquid is, the less readily CO2 will dissolve into it. Doesn't mean that it can't be done...just means you're going to need a lot higher pressure (hooked up to another co2 tank constantly...not just at the start) or priming sugar. There are charts for calculating the sugar needed at certain temps, etc.

I don't really understand what you're saying here, "If I can put beers on and take them off of the tap that would give me the ability to take a beer off for two weeks while I'm using it as a fermentation locker, then thrown them back on. "


I just started kegging recently myself and this has been my experience and the general consensus of members of this forum I gather.

Let me caveat #1 by saying, don't secondary unless you're going for a long lagering or conditioning in bulk. Max time I think it's recommended to leave a beer in primary is about 4 weeks. Lots of folks will say they go longer, and I'm sure that's fine, but really after 4 weeks you've gotten all you're going to get out of those yeasties.

jambafish said:

4. Do I need to chill the beer after kegging or can I simply put it in a cooler place and wait until both kegs are ready to be put on tap? If I can put beers on and take them off of the tap that would give me the ability to take a beer off for two weeks while I'm using it as a fermentation locker, then thrown them back on.

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You can certainly take the keg out of your fridge/keezer and bring it back up to room temp, but it might lead to some chill haze. It won't lose carbonation though.

I agree with JPHussey, skip the secondary. And yes, it'll continue to condition while under pressure.

Just don't rush from primary to keg. No need to secondary, but that doesn't mean 'rack in a week'.
Let it sit on the yeast cake in primary a couple weeks after fermentation ends, then rack to keg or bottle.

Hey, thanks for the solid advice. Unfortunately, I didn't see these in time and kept in primary for 2 weeks then moved to secondary, but I've had it down to 50 degrees for about a week. I'm moving to keg today or tomorrow.