I just filled up my first keg!

Well after my keezer build, which you can see Here, I finally got the nerve up to get my Stout into the keg and get it going. Of course I didn't get any answers to my questions in my other thread about kegging but hey, nothing a little tinkering can't solve I suppose. I threw everything into my keezer, hooked it up to 10 psi and am going to let it sit for a couple weeks and carbonate. If the wind will ever die down I'll be able to brew my Hobgoblin clone...god I hate the Oregon coast.

I do in fact enjoy the fact that I don't have to bottle anymore...I can't honestly see going back to it. It was like switching from carboys to ported BB's. Once you experience the convenience you just can't imagine doing it any other way. I can't wait to pull my first pint:rockin:



Dan

Willsellout said:

I do in fact enjoy the fact that I don't have to bottle anymore...I can't honestly see going back to it. It was like switching from carboys to ported BB's. Once you experience the convenience you just can't imagine doing it any other way. I can't wait to pull my first pint:rockin:

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Kegging rocks. Congrats on becoming a kegger!

-Steve

10 psi? Good dispensing pressure but it will take forever to be drinkable.
Put 30lbs on it, disconnect everything then shake and roll it like it contains a leprechaun that owes you money.
Do that a few times and you'll have carbonated brew that needs to be bled of excess pressure before dispensing.
Bleed it of excess gas an enjoy.

Not only that but if you keep your tank valve open and connected to anything, then you run the risk of any leak anywhere bleeding your tank dry.
I've found it is better to carbonate the keg, apply pressure to dispense then close, and only reopen when flow demands.

Maine Homebrewer said:

10 psi? Good dispensing pressure but it will take forever to be drinkable.
Put 30lbs on it, disconnect everything then shake and roll it like it contains a leprechaun that owes you money.
Do that a few times and you'll have carbonated brew that needs to be bled of excess pressure before dispensing.
Bleed it of excess gas an enjoy.

Not only that but if you keep your tank valve open and connected to anything, then you run the risk of any leak anywhere bleeding your tank dry.
I've found it is better to carbonate the keg, apply pressure to dispense then close, and only reopen when flow demands.

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Huh..I know that you can force carb, which sounds like what you are describing with the shaking method, but I was planning on just letting it sit and carbonate over time; is that not a good idea?


Dan

^ it works just fine. Just takes a bit longer but if you are patient there is nothing wrong with it.

Willsellout said:

Huh..I know that you can force carb, which sounds like what you are describing with the shaking method, but I was planning on just letting it sit and carbonate over time; is that not a good idea?


Dan

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At 10 pis (depending on beer temp) it will be ready to drink in 5-8 days. This is how I do it too.

Since you plan on letting it condition on the gas for a couple weeks, 10 psi is fine.

OK Cool, thanks!
The wind finally started to calm down so it looks like I'll have another brew in the kegs in a couple weeks.


Dan

Congrats on your switch! I've found that the problem with kegging it all is that it's harder to share with others. I've started bottling a sixer with carb tabs and kegging the rest.

I keep my kegs at 12 psi, to carb up and dispense, but it always takes at least 2 weeks to get a nice, full carb. I run 10' of beer line, so I don't have any foam issues.

+1 on the general consensus. It takes a long time for me to kill a keg and my regulator goes up to 300, so it is not too terribly accurate. When I swap in a new keg for an old one, I leave it on the gas at about 12 psi and can usually drink it in less than 3 weeks.

That's why it pays to have more than one tap.

Flyin' Lion said:

+1 on the general consensus. It takes a long time for me to kill a keg and my regulator goes up to 300, so it is not too terribly accurate. When I swap in a new keg for an old one, I leave it on the gas at about 12 psi and can usually drink it in less than 3 weeks.

That's why it pays to have more than one tap.

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Yeah, I have three beers bottled; Arrogant Bastard, Summit IPA, and an Apfelwein, which is probably why I'm patient enough to let it sit and carb for a couple weeks

I have a three tap system so once I'm up and running, I shouldn't ever be without beer



Dan

Moonshae said:

Congrats on your switch! I've found that the problem with kegging it all is that it's harder to share with others. I've started bottling a sixer with carb tabs and kegging the rest.

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That works pretty well, but if you want a sediment free bottle, you should carb up your keg and then bottle from the keg using this.

Huh..I know that you can force carb, which sounds like what you are describing with the shaking method, but I was planning on just letting it sit and carbonate over time; is that not a good idea?

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I try not to keep the gas attached to the keg for prolonged periods of time, because any leak in the system results in another trip to the welding supply store to trade in my CO2 tank.

If you want to condition it then you use 1/3 cup sugar (as opposed to 1/2 cup when bottling), put enough pressure on it to make sure the lid is on solid, then disconnect and let it be.

By putting 10lbs on it and letting it sit you are force carbonating, only over a longer period of time.

If you're confident that you have no leaks anywhere in the system, then what you're doing will get you a carbonated beer in a week or two. Or you can speed things up and eliminate the risk of depleting your CO2 tank by upping the pressure and then disconnecting everything.

I'm only saying this because my system is not perfectly sound, and when I leave the gas open it bleeds my tank.

Just set it at 10 PSI for a week and forget it, works like a charm. If you are worried then check your Co2 connections by spraying soapy water on them to see any bubbles

conpewter said:

Just set it at 10 PSI for a week and forget it, works like a charm. If you are worried then check your Co2 connections by spraying soapy water on them to see any bubbles

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I checked all connections with some soapy water and no leaks as far as I can tell. The pressure has held steady as well so I think I'm good right now.


Dan

Maine Homebrewer said:

...my system is not perfectly sound, and when I leave the gas open it bleeds my tank.

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That would suck. I can't imagine micro-managing my on/offs for 7 taps.

Willsellout said:

I was planning on just letting it sit and carbonate over time; is that not a good idea?

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It's a great idea. Especially if you're like me, and like to condition your kegs for several weeks at room temp followed by several weeks refrigerated. The beer gets wonderfully clear this way, and shaking it up is the LAST thing I want to do!

I usually leave my kegs at about 12psi for a week or so in the garage fridge before moving them to the kegerator at serving pressure for a few more days. Then it's good to go. It's an imprecise method, but it really doesn't have to be precise.

Is it possible to over carb your beer with co2? I have my first batch in a corny and I've been messing around trying to get the carbonation correct. Right now I'm storing it and serving it at room temp, about 68 degrees. I tried the shake method I was getting to much foam, so I bleed the tank, changed psi to 7 and now there isn't enough head in the pour and the flavor has changed, less flavor. I want to say that there is a small burn sensation left in my mouth. Is this carb burn? This is all within 5 days.

If you can't tell I'm a noob.

Thanks.

Pale Ale

CWalters said:

Is it possible to over carb your beer with co2?

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That's all preference I think, but I do hear of people having more carbonation than they want but they just bleed the co2 out to bring the carb level down.

I have my first batch in a corny and I've been messing around trying to get the carbonation correct. Right now I'm storing it and serving it at room temp, about 68 degrees. I tried the shake method I was getting to much foam, so I bleed the tank, changed psi to 7 and now there isn't enough head in the pour and the flavor has changed, less flavor. I want to say that there is a small burn sensation left in my mouth. Is this carb burn? This is all within 5 days.

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I'll let someone else deal with this one as I don't really have a good answer. Foam as far as I've read could be caused by too much PSI or not enough length in your beer line. There's a lot about foaming issues, look up "Balanced system" or "balancing" and you should find something.

If you can't tell I'm a noob.

Thanks.

Pale Ale

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Welcome to the club

CWalters said:

Is it possible to over carb your beer with co2? I have my first batch in a corny and I've been messing around trying to get the carbonation correct. Right now I'm storing it and serving it at room temp, about 68 degrees. I tried the shake method I was getting to much foam, so I bleed the tank, changed psi to 7 and now there isn't enough head in the pour and the flavor has changed, less flavor. I want to say that there is a small burn sensation left in my mouth. Is this carb burn? This is all within 5 days.

If you can't tell I'm a noob.

Thanks.

Pale Ale

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You'll never get proper CO2 saturation at 68 degrees..unless you naturally prime the keg.

Force carbing with CO2 works at chilled temps. Warm beer does not absorb CO2 from external sources.

I say...chill the keg to 37 for 48 hours, then draw a sample at 7PSI and see what it's like.

It is entirely possible to overcarbonate in relation to the dispensing pressure.
In my experience I can easily dispense a lightly carbonated brew at 12psi, but something more carbonated would come out as foam at that pressure so I need to reduce the dispensing pressure accordingly.
And even that is dependent upon the inner diameter and length of the tubing between the tap and the keg.
If you want to get even more confusing you can take gravity into account, and then consider mixing in Nitrogen to have enough pressure to go from the basement to the ground floor without overcarbonating.

Oh, and I found a loose fitting that I think may have been the cause of the leak, but I still don't trust keeping everything hooked up with the pressure on.
I've gone to draw a beer and found that the pressure was neutral, meaning that if the 5# CO2 tank had been hooked to the leaky keg it would likely be empty.