Newbie kegging question need a quick answer

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bd2xu

bd2xu

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Need a quick answer on kegging. I kegged my first beer tonight, borrowing a buddy's setup. I washed the keg inside, rinsed, soaked the lid in star San (with seal removed), put some star San in the keg, put the lid on, shook it for about 29 seconds, dumped out the star San, scooped out most of the foam but left some. Dumped in my priming sugar solution and I then racked my beer in through the large opening. Replaced the lid and connected the co2 line to the in post. Applied gas at 10 psi until I couldn't hear any more gas going in. Picked up the keg and shook a little then removed the gas line.

QUESTION: I realize I just applied co2 to the existing air in the keg. Should I have applied co2 with the release valve open first for about 20 secs and then closed the release valve and continued to fill. After reading it seems like this would have been better so only co2 in the keg. I did this all 2 hours ago, should I go release the pressure now, apply gas with the release valve open to purge out all air the close the release valve and seal with co2? Is it too late now? Not sure if I should go do this now or don't worry about it.
 
tektonjp said:
ermmm, how are you planning on carbonating the beer? Why take the co2 line off?
Click to expand...

Added priming sugar, carbing naturally as I would with bottles.
 
Chalk one up to experience. Putting pressure on the keg was a good idea as it sealed the lid. When the yeast start working the priming sugar, you're guaranteed that it'll stay in the keg. Dumping the StarSan and then shaking beer (mixing in the head space) are two places to improve your technique for next time.

I recommend pushing the sanitizer out under pressure. Not only are you filling the keg with gas, you're scrubbing the liquid-out side with the sanitizer. When doing several kegs at once, you can chain them together liquid-out to gas-in (with lid open or pressure relief pulled) to also scrub the gas-in side. Some view this as a waste of gas.

If you do prefer to dump, purging the head space a couple of times will help displace atmosphere with CO2. You'll always have some mixing, but filling and releasing a couple of times won't hurt. Lower pressure in will help reduce mixing as the pure CO2 being introduced will lend to sink with less mixing.

Oxidation takes a little time to develop. If you're drinking the beer sooner rather than later, it likely won't matter. Some people (like me) have a hard time tasting it anyway. Like day_trppr said, do what you can (a couple of head space flushes), relax, and don't worry about it. It'll be what it is and you'll know better for next time.

How much priming sugar did you use? When keg-conditioning, the ratio of volume to head space is much greater than when in bottles. This means that you can use less sugar to get the same carbonation. If it's overcarbonated, just vent & shake it a few times to knock some of the CO2 out of solution.
 
How much priming sugar did you use? I just tapped a keg of cream ale that I carbonated with 5 oz of priming sugar, and although I've read on some posts here that you aren't suppose to use the same amount of priming sugar when kegging that you would for bottling, ours turned out fine. Maybe ours was fine because we did a cream ale, I don't know what type you kegged but I would be interested to see how much you used and how it tastes when you tap that baby in about 2-3 weeks.
 
TheKeggingPart said:
Chalk one up to experience. Putting pressure on the keg was a good idea as it sealed the lid. When the yeast start working the priming sugar, you're guaranteed that it'll stay in the keg. Dumping the StarSan and then shaking beer (mixing in the head space) are two places to improve your technique for next time.

I recommend pushing the sanitizer out under pressure. Not only are you filling the keg with gas, you're scrubbing the liquid-out side with the sanitizer. When doing several kegs at once, you can chain them together liquid-out to gas-in (with lid open or pressure relief pulled) to also scrub the gas-in side. Some view this as a waste of gas.

If you do prefer to dump, purging the head space a couple of times will help displace atmosphere with CO2. You'll always have some mixing, but filling and releasing a couple of times won't hurt. Lower pressure in will help reduce mixing as the pure CO2 being introduced will lend to sink with less mixing.

Oxidation takes a little time to develop. If you're drinking the beer sooner rather than later, it likely won't matter. Some people (like me) have a hard time tasting it anyway. Like day_trppr said, do what you can (a couple of head space flushes), relax, and don't worry about it. It'll be what it is and you'll know better for next time.

How much priming sugar did you use? When keg-conditioning, the ratio of volume to head space is much greater than when in bottles. This means that you can use less sugar to get the same carbonation. If it's overcarbonated, just vent & shake it a few times to knock some of the CO2 out of solution.
Click to expand...

Thanks I realize I should have pushed the star San out now, hopefully enough of it got into the dip tube before I dumped it. I plan on drinking this one pretty fast, especially if it tastes as good as the hydro sample. This is my first all grain batch and is a Sweetwater IPA clone. I've had A LOT of IPAs and sweetwater is one of my top 3.

So next time I will push the star San out and also after I rack my beer in I will hold the release valve open for about 20 secs with gas going in then close the release and let the gas set the seal.

I used 4-4.5 ounces of priming sugar in two cups water. I used a standard 5 oz pack of priming sugar but left a little behind sincere volume was a little under 5 gallons and I also thought if I have carbing issues I can always add more co2.

Question on the shaking, if I push all air out after racking and before setting the seal then hypothetically there's only co2 in the keg, so is gently shaking ok to make sure the keg has accepted all the gas it can before disconnecting?
 
HaveADrinkOnMe said:
How much priming sugar did you use? I just tapped a keg of cream ale that I carbonated with 5 oz of priming sugar, and although I've read on some posts here that you aren't suppose to use the same amount of priming sugar when kegging that you would for bottling, ours turned out fine. Maybe ours was fine because we did a cream ale, I don't know what type you kegged but I would be interested to see how much you used and how it tastes when you tap that baby in about 2-3 weeks.
Click to expand...

4-4.5 oz
 
I think with 4-4.5 oz you should be ok, our cream ale is actually tasting better and becoming more clear the more into the keg we get. If it does taste a hair on the flat side you can always just turn the psi on the CO2 up to about 12-13 for a couple days and it would pick up the lack of carbonation, if there is one.

I am interested to know where you got the recipe for a SweetWater clone, my mom lives down in TN and whenever I go there I stockpile their products because we don't get distribution here in IL. My favorite has to be their Blue, but I also like their 420 Extra Pale Ale, Motorboat Ale, and the IPA when I want something really really hoppy and bitter.
 
HaveADrinkOnMe said:
I think with 4-4.5 oz you should be ok, our cream ale is actually tasting better and becoming more clear the more into the keg we get. If it does taste a hair on the flat side you can always just turn the psi on the CO2 up to about 12-13 for a couple days and it would pick up the lack of carbonation, if there is one.

I am interested to know where you got the recipe for a SweetWater clone, my mom lives down in TN and whenever I go there I stockpile their products because we don't get distribution here in IL. My favorite has to be their Blue, but I also like their 420 Extra Pale Ale, Motorboat Ale, and the IPA when I want something really really hoppy and bitter.
Click to expand...

Attaching the BeerSmith file in case you have that, and the PDF from it, but found on various forums and ended up with with this recipe. Got very close on the SG's and it tastes great (flat). My OG was 1.064 and FG 1.012.

View attachment SW IPA.bsmx

View attachment Sweetwater IPA Clone.pdf
 
bd2xu said:
Attaching the BeerSmith file in case you have that, and the PDF from it, but found on various forums and ended up with with this recipe. Got very close on the SG's and it tastes great (flat). My OG was 1.064 and FG 1.012.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing, I will be excited to try and compare my final product to the real thing. I am also going to have to start looking for a Blue clone recipe, although it may be easier to just find the recipe of a light wheat beer and add some blueberries and extract myself. I know my buddy and I came really close to matching the taste of Abita's Strawberry Lager, but instead of lagering, we chose a cream ale and added about 5lbs of blended up strawberries and some extract before kegging and it turned out delicious. :mug:
 
HaveADrinkOnMe said:
Thanks for sharing, I will be excited to try and compare my final product to the real thing. I am also going to have to start looking for a Blue clone recipe, although it may be easier to just find the recipe of a light wheat beer and add some blueberries and extract myself. I know my buddy and I came really close to matching the taste of Abita's Strawberry Lager, but instead of lagering, we chose a cream ale and added about 5lbs of blended up strawberries and some extract before kegging and it turned out delicious. :mug:
Click to expand...

Sweetwater has some great beers, one of their newest is the Lowryder IPA, a Rye IPA. I love Terrapin Rye Ale (another GA brewery) as well. My second batch was a Brewers Best Rye Pale Ale extract kit and it was fantastic, went fast. Their Porter rocks too.
 
bd2xu said:
Question on the shaking, if I push all air out after racking and before setting the seal then hypothetically there's only co2 in the keg, so is gently shaking ok to make sure the keg has accepted all the gas it can before disconnecting?
Click to expand...

If you've purged the head space of CO2, that gets rid of my concern about mixing oxygen into your finished beer. Personally I try not to shake the beer as my understanding is that beer foam is a one-and-done structure. When you purge, let it come up to pressure, release, come back up, release, and so forth a couple of times. When it gets up to pressure, that lid should be well seated. I don't think that shaking is gaining you much there. It's almost impossible to get 100% of the atmosphere out of the head space with this method (or any method that doesn't involve a vacuum). By not shaking, I'm hoping that the CO2 preferentially stays near the beer and protects it by forming an oxygen-free layer. Sure, I'm dreaming, but what dreams they are!
 
TheKeggingPart said:
If you've purged the head space of CO2, that gets rid of my concern about mixing oxygen into your finished beer. Personally I try not to shake the beer as my understanding is that beer foam is a one-and-done structure. When you purge, let it come up to pressure, release, come back up, release, and so forth a couple of times. When it gets up to pressure, that lid should be well seated. I don't think that shaking is gaining you much there. It's almost impossible to get 100% of the atmosphere out of the head space with this method (or any method that doesn't involve a vacuum). By not shaking, I'm hoping that the CO2 preferentially stays near the beer and protects it by forming an oxygen-free layer. Sure, I'm dreaming, but what dreams they are!
Click to expand...

Makes sense, I guess the only time you want to shake then is if you are force carbing?
 
bd2xu said:
Makes sense, I guess the only time you want to shake then is if you are force carbing?
Click to expand...

that is correct, and even I wouldn't go that route unless you are under a time constraint. I force carbed our first batch and shook it like everyday for like 10-15 minutes for a week and when we tapped it, it had a huge head when poured but tasted flat and stale. If you want to really enjoy your beer then you just have to wait, you shouldn't try to rush the process, plus you will be pleased with how much better it tastes when you wait. I personally will be using priming sugar even when we keg a batch, just because I believe that the priming sugar gives the beer a better taste when finished, plus all you have to do is burn off the first pint or two to get rid of the sediment byproduct from the sugar, and after that its crystal clear and tastes amazing.
 

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