prepping a keggle for brewing

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San_Diego_Matt

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I had a couple of kegs cut into kettles and want to make sure I have the prepping process down before I get past the point of no return.

I have some PBW and some Star San for them. from what I understand I need to use the PBW on them first and then the Star San. I have the mixing instructions for them both, but have been given advice about heating the water before adding it to the keg, that I should let them sit when full of the 2 solutions and that I need to let any brass parts sit in beer before I use them.


  • am I correct in thinking that I need to use the PBS first and then the Star San?

  • When I add the PBW to the keg, should the water be heated? If so, how hot?

  • When I add the Star San, should I heat the water? If so, how hot?

  • When the PBW is in the keg, how long should I let it sit? Does the water need to be heated the entire time it's in there? If it does, how do I keep it hot?

  • When the Star San is in the keg, how long should I let it sit? Does the water need to be heated the entire time it's in there? If it does, how do I keep it hot?[

  • I meed tp clean the kegs before I pacivate (sp? them. Can I just use PBW, water and a green scrubby for that?

  • What exactly do I need to do to any brass parts before brewing with them?


  • Do I need to sanitize the kegs aftr this entire process and before brewing

Thanks in advance for any help. This is the last big step before I brew my first batch
 
If they're just keggles and you are going to boil in them I don't see any need to use sanitizer. Make sure they are clean with soap and water and rinse them well. If you want then you can just boil some water in them to ensure that any funk is taken care of. Then just use them like a big pot.

I've never sanitized my kettle other than to just wash it out before a use.
 
I was told by the guy that cut them that the fresh cuts in the metal and the welds need to be treated before they're used to boil?
 
All you really need to do is clean them to remove dirt and oils. I use either cheap non-scented auto dishwasher detergent, or Oxyclean, what ever I reach for first. You can dissolve a couple or three tablespoons worth in a gallon of hot water and give them a good scrub with a Scotchbrite TM (I work for that company) green pads.

I think that welds may need to be treated with BKF (Bar keepers friend) to passivate the metal since the welding heat may make it more corrodable. If the cuts were made by a plasma cutter you could treat the surfaces with BKF, but I wouldn't bother if they were my keggles.

No need to sanitize, they will be sanitized by the boiling as others have said.

John Palmer's "How to Brew" has a great section on brewing metalurgy that I recommend you read, either on line or on paper. He is a metalurgist by training, and knows his stuff.

Go get busy brewing.
 
scrub the inside with a STAINLESS scrub pad. B3 has them for like 3 bones then use the hell out of em..... Its stainless brother you cant hurt it! and its not like its a wetable material like copper anyway
JJ
 
The only thing I noticed I had to clean up was little bits of stainless that got stuck to the insides the of keggle from grinding the top out. I just used a scotchbrite pad with some water/oxyclean. It's a sanitary stainless tank that was already used to hold drinkable beer. There's really not much to it unless it was holding used motor oil in between brew purposes.
 
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