Newbie kegging question

Have a dual tap kegerator already that fits two standard five gallon kegs (the kind you get from the liquor store--I'm not sure what those are called--ball lock maybe?).

I really want to keg my homebrews when I get finally finish a batch here. My question involves the priming sugar. I've read you need much less then if you bottle, but how much is right for a 5 gallon keg? Also, how long after I put the CO2 on it should it take to be drinkable?

Thanks again!

So you plan to prime in the keg instead of force carbonating with CO2?

One example from BeerSmith:

Desired CO2 volume = 2.5
Temp: 55F
Batch: 5 gallons
Keg force carb: 20.28 psi
Keg prime: 1.89 oz sugar
bottle prime: 3.78 oz sugar

That was kind of my question... If I just force carbonation with the CO2 canister, is there any need force any priming sugar? Or do I just crank the gas onto it and that's it?

*any need to use any priming sugar?

WISAZ13 said:

*any need to use any priming sugar?

Click to expand...

If you force carbonate with CO2 you don't prime. There are charts that will tell you how much pressure you need to apply based on the liquids temperature to achieve a specific amount of dissolved CO2.

If you force carbonate there is no need for priming sugar.

If you do decide to naturally carbonate using priming sugar you'll still want to hook up CO2 to purge the O2 in the head space and put some pressure in the keg to seal the lid. That all takes less than a minute. Then disconnect the CO2 and sit the keg in a warm place to let naturally carbonate just as you would bottles.

If you have a commercial keg set up (for sanke kegs), you'll need an adapter to use cornelius kegs (soda kegs) that many homebrewers use. It's easy, though.

Then you just connect the gas to the keg, and set it up. It takes anywhere from a day or two up to 7 days for the beer to fully carb up.

I've been force carbing mine. Usually 30-35 psi for 24-48 hours, I taste after 24, and adjust from there. Just go till it tastes right to you. Everyone likes a little different Carb level. Remember to disconnect the gas line from the keg before adjusting the pressure lower so the beer isn't forced into the gas line. Then let the pressure out of the keg.