Kegging/C02 Question

I just purged the 02 from my newly filled keg and finished it with 10psi of C02.

Can I put the keg back down in my basement to finish for a couple weeks or does it need to stay attached to the c02 bottle and be refrigerated?

Thanks!

Tim

Edit: I just re-read your post carefully.

I put 30psi on mine when ageing at room temp, but I just do it out of abundance of caution (so the seal stays) and to pre-carb when I do go to serve it.

You can stash it like it is in your basement no problem.

timm747 said:

I just purged the 02 from my newly filled keg and finished it with 10lbs of C02.

Can I put the keg back down in my basement to finish for a couple weeks or does it need to stay attached to the c02 bottle and be refrigerated?

Thanks!

Tim

Click to expand...

What do you mean by finish? Finishing as in fermenting or carbonating? If it is the latter, you need to keep it cold at the psi you are carbonating at, and keep it hooked up. If it is the former, as long as you keep a seal on the keg, you're fine. Just make sure there is always pressure.

Finish meaning let it "age" a little longer before I drink it. I'm not looking for it to be carbonated after another week or two in the basement. Dumb question, if I put 10psi in the keg will the beer absorb it and take the pressure away?

timm747 said:

Finish meaning let it "age" a little longer before I drink it. I'm not looking for it to be carbonated after another week or two in the basement. Dumb question, if I put 10psi in the keg will the beer absorb it and take the pressure away?

Click to expand...

Yeah, what you are describing is a "bright tank" And yes, the beer will absorb the CO2. Once it is in solution, the head pressure on your keg will drop. At least, that is my experience. If you have the capability, I would suggest keeping the keg refrigerated with the gas on it. Cold conditioning never hurts. Otherwise you'll have to either move the keg or your CO2 supply to keep pressure in the keg. Cold helps the yeast to settle, moving the keg suspends it again. And please remember, there are no dumb questions......

Ok, I just put it in my kegerator and set it to 10psi.

Thanks.

Tim

You're welcome. Good luck. And this table is a great reference for force carbonating based on what style you brew.

The physics of this, roughly speaking, is that the gas in the liquid and the gas in the head space will reach a type of pressure equilibrium. Hitting a keg of flat beer with 12 psi and taking it off the gas will result, over time, in the beer absorbing some of the gas in the head space, reducing the pressure in the head space. If you were to take a keg already at equilibrium on 30 psi of pressure, take it off the gas, and vent it so there was no pressure in the head space, then the pressure in the head space, over time, would increase to reach an equilibrium.