JUST finished Kegerator retrofit...how long do I have to wait ?

ok so I just finished gutting my minifridge to fit my 5 gallon corny and co2 tank.

I just plugged it in, set the Tstat, Then I racked my beer(coopers real ale extract kit) into my corny and then placed the keg and Co2 inside the fridge...

How long do I have to wait before I try Force carbonating the keg ? and how much longer till I can drink !???

I've got about 2 feet of 3/16'' hose going from the Co2 tank to the keg, and about 2.5' going to the tap. What should I set the preasure at ??

This is my FIRST real batch of beer. It spent 10 days in the primary fermentor, and 1 week in the secondary...I then ran out of patience and decided it was time to set up my KEGERATOR I can't wait to try it out !

Force Carbonation & Carb Table

Good info here to figure out what you'll need to do. Here's hoping it turns out great

Did you hit the keg with some CO2 already to purge the headspace?

flyangler18 said:

Did you hit the keg with some CO2 already to purge the headspace?

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no should I ? how do I do that ??

I typically wait til the keg is cold (overnight) before I force carb it (I use the shake method). But if you plan to just leave it hooked up at serving pressure for a week or more to get it carbed, you can hook it up anytime.

To purge the air sitting on top of your beer pressurize the keg with co2, pull the pressure release valve on the keg for a couple short bursts. Thats it.

no should I ? how do I do that ??

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Yes, you should. Reason being- you don't want air sitting against your beer, oxidizing it.

Attach the CO2 to the keg, and let the gas run in for about thirty seconds, then pull the release valve. You might want to do this a couple times to force all the air out of the keg and replace it with C02.

ok awesome thanks.

I had hoped I would be able to drink it tonight....doh O well.

I guess I will just wait till before I go to bed, and then open up the Co2 tank. I've got the Tstat CRANKED in there now...

You may want to invest in a longer beer line, you may have trouble with foaming with that short line. Go long (6-8feet) you can always trim it if need be.

wildwest450 said:

You may want to invest in a longer beer line, you may have trouble with foaming with that short line. Go long (6-8feet) you can always trim it if need be.

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Agreed - that 2.5 feet is going to foam like mad! I might even suggest starting at 10' and trimming as needed.

I use a carbonator which is basically the valve that is on a keg but threaded on the bottom for a soda bottle. You can rack into a liter soda bottle and chill it and carbonate it much quicker than the full 5 gall. Just food for thought for your next batch. I know I always want to drink it right away so thats my solution.

Yunus said:

I use a carbonator which is basically the valve that is on a keg but threaded on the bottom for a soda bottle. You can rack into a liter soda bottle and chill it and carbonate it much quicker than the full 5 gall. Just food for thought for your next batch. I know I always want to drink it right away so thats my solution.

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reeeeeeeeaaally.... that sounds interesting. I am in need of some alternate methods to hold all the rest of the beer I am currently brewing.

what else are you guys using to hold your beer ? how long does it take to chill and force carbonate a 2 liter bottle ??

Force carbing I can get beer in a day. though with speradic carbonation level.

Using the "set and forget" method of just using serving pressure it takes about a week. A little more patience but consistent carb every time.

I do both depending on how much beer I have on hand and how desperate I am to get some homebrew.

Special Hops said:

Force carbing I can get beer in a day. though with speradic carbonation level.

Using the "set and forget" method of just using serving pressure it takes about a week. A little more patience but consistent carb every time.

I do both depending on how much beer I have on hand and how desperate I am to get some homebrew.

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just how sporadic ??

enough to get at least 10 "normal" beers ?

I mean just how long does it take to be able to pour out a couple of decently fizzy glasses ?

ok so when I came home around 8pm I opened up the Co2 tank @ 10psi. I just poured out a NICE cool, mildly fizzy, BEER ! it was GOOD !(12:30am)

This is my first full 5 gallon batch. And my first KEGGED batch of beer ! HOORAY BEER !

illnastyimpreza said:

ok so when I came home around 8pm I opened up the Co2 tank @ 10psi. I just poured out a NICE cool, mildly fizzy, BEER ! it was GOOD !(12:30am)

This is my first full 5 gallon batch. And my first KEGGED batch of beer ! HOORAY BEER !

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HA! Congrats. Yeah, beer rocks, good homebrew RULES!:rockin: