Bottling/Kegging FAQs

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Wow... can't believe no one has responded to this yet. :confused:

I've run two brews through each of two kegs and I only rinsed 'em out with hot water in between. I left the kegs in the fridge when empty, figuring that would keep the nasties at a minimum. When the next batch was ready, I fetched the keg from the fridge and rinsed it out good and then filled it. Total time with beer in them is around four months (been drinking most of it myself, hence the long drain time). I'm nearing the end of the second batches and they still taste fine.

The eBay beer guy I bought my kegerator parts from says he only breaks his down every third batch. With my success thus far, I'd say that's pretty safe.
 
I clean the insides and the lids of my kegs in PBW (Powdered Brewers Wash) after every beer. I have yet to replace or disassemble any of the posts, but I am getting ready to do that. I also use Keg Lube on the lids, so that I get a good seal and CO2 does not leak out.
 
maybe i'm just paranoid, but i take everything apart before i use it, and clean with b-brite if i need to, rinse out, and then sanitize, put everything back together, and then transfer beer to the keg
 
I have a couple of disconnects that I connected garden hose fittings too. I back flush through both connections then fill the keg up with water and add 6 table spoons of bleach, seal up the keg then connect the garden hose to the gas disconnect and allow the water to over flow through out the black disconnect then vice verca. I seal it up for 20 mins, empty, back flush through each disconnect, rinse add a drop of dilute sodium metabisulphite solution to neutralise any chlorine, empty and it's ready to go.

If i'm short on time though, back flushing and swilling a littie iodophor around does the trick.

I reckon I only need tol dismantle completely every 5-10 uses (which is around once a year) with this method.
 
I just started kegging and I've done two batches. I cleaned them taking them apart and soaking the lids and all gaskets, rings and poppits in a small bowl of sanitizer, and then fill the keg 2/3 full with sanitizer, then flip over with the buicket on top method. It all gets done quickly and easily enough that I will do that every time.
 
When kegging a brew, how long can it be left stored in the keg before having to carbonate and then how long could it be stored for after carbonating for building up stocks ?Once opend and put in a fridge what would the time be before it started to go off?
 
beerbarron said:
When kegging a brew, how long can it be left stored in the keg before having to carbonate and then how long could it be stored for after carbonating for building up stocks ?Once opend and put in a fridge what would the time be before it started to go off?
The big three factors for helping beer keep are no direct sun or fluourescent light, avoid heat, and keep it in a closed container. As long as you keep the keg sealed and relatively cool, I've been told the beer should taste fine for six months or more. The most one of my kegs has had beer in it is 2.5 months and I didn't detect any off flavors. In fact, most seem to get better as they age.

I'm working on building up a five keg system with four in the fridge and one for rotation. I figure I'll pressurized and release that keg (as if I were placing it in the fridge) a couple times to purge out any O2 from inside and then put it in the coolest part of the basement until I need it. If you're carbonating naturally, shelf life shouldn't be any different than bottling. Probably would be better since there's comparatively less head space to liquid than when bottled.
 
I have 4 kegs and store each with iodophor and water. Before filling with beer, I simply empty, rinse, and run hot water through the disconnects. When the keg is spent, however, I pull the disconnects and wash each part with hot water/soap, rinse, then fill with iodophor and water. Me = anal.
 
woodstone said:
I have 4 kegs and store each with iodophor and water. Before filling with beer, I simply empty, rinse, and run hot water through the disconnects. When the keg is spent, however, I pull the disconnects and wash each part with hot water/soap, rinse, then fill with iodophor and water. Me = anal.
If you're leaving the kegs for weeks/months with the iodophor solution in them, you might be wasting your time. It degrades and thus loses its effectiveness.

Check out this link. I learned quite a bit from it. http://kotmf.com/articles/iodophor.php
 
i think his system is alright. it's not what i do, but that doesn't really matter. the iodophor will sanitize while it is effective in the kegs, and i assume he will slosh it around to sanitize the keg, and as long as he doesn't open it later, but only to fill, i think it should remain sanitized, even if left for such a long period of time.
 
I use Iodophor after a hot water bath/scrub.

Every six or seven times I might disassemble the keg and rinse the parts in iodophor.

Sometimes, when I'm really lazy, I'll put beer back in the keg WITHOUT washing it! Hey, if the beer that was there before was clean...:cross:

I force carbonate after a secondary in which I drop the temp of the beer to refrigerating temperatures. There is almost no sediment in my homebrew kegs.
 
DrewsBrews said:
Wow... can't believe no one has responded to this yet. :confused:

I've run two brews through each of two kegs and I only rinsed 'em out with hot water in between. I left the kegs in the fridge when empty, figuring that would keep the nasties at a minimum. When the next batch was ready, I fetched the keg from the fridge and rinsed it out good and then filled it. Total time with beer in them is around four months (been drinking most of it myself, hence the long drain time). I'm nearing the end of the second batches and they still taste fine.

The eBay beer guy I bought my kegerator parts from says he only breaks his down every third batch. With my success thus far, I'd say that's pretty safe.

i agree with this post except i slip in a bit of my favorite sanitizer iodine (iodophore).
 
Hey, I just figured that this should probably be in the FAQ's since it is a pretty basic question :drunk: :

If I wanted to invest in a keg (which I do), what is the complete list of parts that I would need. Assuming that I would get a corny. Thanks.
 
I seldom take mine completely apart. I clean/sanitize before and after use, and store them with some CO2 pressure inside.

Complete list of parts for kegging assuming you buy used kegs:
Corny keg (buy two or three preferably)
New poppets (2 ea. per keg)
New o-rings (1 set of 5 per keg)
Full CO2 cylinder (leased or bought)
CO2 regulator (eBay is good for these)
One set of ball lock fittings for each tap (black is beer, white/gray is gas)
1/4 or 3/16 beer/gas line (a debate in and of itself - I like 1/4)
And last, but certainly not least, a kegerator!

Depending on your setup, you may find that you'll need a couple of assorted barbed hose fittings and some hose clamps from the hardware store. They're cheap and easy to use. Be sure to use teflon tape on anything that has NPT (pipe) threads. You can use a 7/8" 12 point wrench or deep well socket to remove the posts for cleaning/changing o-rings (Pepsi style kegs).
 
Beerhead said:
Hey, I just figured that this should probably be in the FAQ's since it is a pretty basic question :drunk: :

If I wanted to invest in a keg (which I do), what is the complete list of parts that I would need. Assuming that I would get a corny. Thanks.

Good call! Here's my shopping list so far:

4 cornies @ ~$20 ea
1 single regulator from Chimone @ $35
1 4-way distributor @ $45.00
1 tub PBW @ $7
4 sets of O-rings @ $3.00 ea
4 Gas-Ins @ $5.00 ea
2 Beer-Outs @ $5.00 ea
2 outs w/faucets @ $13.00 ea (to hold me over until I get my kegerator)
1 20lb Co2 tank @ $90 (filled. I'm buying it this week)

I have an old dorm fridge that I'm trying to convert into a kegerator but I don't think it'll work very well. I'm holding off on buying a fridge and tap set up until it's warm outside. I need to let these costs cool down before dropping a couple more bills. I'm sure that there's a few other pieces I'll need. I know I'll need the sockets and some line.
 
Don't forget the keg lube. It's cheap ($5), will last you through at least a hundred keg break-downs, and keeps all the rubber parts in top shape.

I've broken down, cleaned, and rebuilt at least seven kegs and haven't had a pinched o-ring or CO2 leak yet. The lube container still looks full. It'll take me years to use it up.

Started putting a little on the hard plastic feet at the ends of the latch (?) that holds the lid in place, too. Makes it a lot easier to open/close the lid.
 
As always, thanks for the help!

I was also wondering if I could use a two way CO2 distributer but for one keg. Is there a cap or somthing that I can put on the other? Because I want to get another keg down the road, but I'm not sure If I need two now. Or should I just get 2 kegs? Thanks.

-Cheers :mug:
 
It's been said many times (and will many more) that you can never have too many kegs. You may not use it right away, but you'll find use for a second keg soon.

Regarding the CO2 regulator: If you're talking about two regulators in tandem, just turn the control screw on the unused regulator all the way in to stop the gas from flowing through it. If you're splitting a gas line with a tee, install a quick disconnect at the end of the unused line and leave it hanging. If the disconnect isn't connected to a keg post, it won't flow any gas. Hope that makes sense. :D

I have one regulator with a split gas line and frequently leave one lead hanging (not attached to a keg) while the other lead is pushing gas to another keg.
 
I installed a 3 way distributor on mine that had individual shut off valves and a safety pressure release valve. That way if you are not using one, just turn the quarter turn to off.

http://www.superprod.com/webapp/wcs...Id=706528&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=211424
moz-screenshot.jpg
 
Here's a FAQ that i know has been asked....

How do i start kegging? what equipment do i need? is there documentation we can put on the wiki for people to look over?
 
How about this one:

What different types of places can you get a co2 tank refilled at? Any big chains that do it?
 
Ok, I'm jumping on the keg wagon. two questions:

1: Can I bottle from the keg? The kegerator is great for the house but, half the fun of brewing is giving out your beer to friends!

2: I thought that one of the main reasons for kegging was the fact that you didn't have to wait for carbonation to occur. However, I have read that you still put a little priming sugar into your kegs at the fill. Why do you do this if you are forcing CO2 into your beer?
 
first, i would recommend some search terms for you:

beer gun, beergun, CPBF, counter pressure bottle filler, force carbonation

with that said, there are many ways to bottle your brew from kegs. most expensive would be a CPBF, cheapest would be put a piece of tubing on your faucet or picnic faucet, and pour directly into a bottle then cap.

you can either prime a keg with sugar like you would with bottles, or you can force carbonate. i prefer to force carbonate as i am lazy and impatient. some like to conserve co2. i have 6 co2 tanks, one of which is a 50# tank, so i don't really worry about conserving co2, and it is really cheap.
 
About splitting the gas line:

I want to convert my commercial single-tap keggerator into a double-tap rig for my homebrew. What are the thoughts out there regarding a 2-way "T"-type line splitter vs. a 2-way manifold?
 
I clean my kegs when I run out of beer, tear it completely down and clean with soap. Ready to use keg again, tear it down again, wash with boiling water, then sanitize.
 
Southwood said:
About splitting the gas line:

I want to convert my commercial single-tap keggerator into a double-tap rig for my homebrew. What are the thoughts out there regarding a 2-way "T"-type line splitter vs. a 2-way manifold?

The biggest difference between a Tee and a manifold is the fact that you can turn off the gas to individual kegs (highly recommended). It is also easier with manifolds to add inline check valves which prevent beer from back flowing into your regulator (rare but it happens).

grid_MM751-017.jpg
stainless-tees.jpg

Something like above right are easily expandable as well for when you want to expand your daft system.

Overall manifolds will cost quite a bit more but they generally make up for the difference in their usefulness.
 
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