Naturally carbing keg

I want to naturally carb kegs and just use the CO2 for serving pressure. I like this idea because I have the worst time carb boosting, and I don't want 2 weeks down time from the CO2 for set and forget.

Am I correct to hypothesize that this will also help kegs last longer since there will be less artificial carbonation in the keg. This will also allow me to swap out kegs to suit what I want to drink more.

Bottles take 3 weeks to condition, kegs should be no different. You then will need several days to chill and allow the co2 in the head space to be absorbed into solution.

It will take longer and create more sediment in the bottom of your kegs. It will help your beer last longer as you will be waiting longer to drink it. It has no bearing on the life of a keg though.

petep1980 said:

I like this idea because I have the worst time carb boosting

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How are you trying to force carb? There are many ways to do it, and once I found the way that worked best for me I've had very good results.

I chill the keg for a day or two
Put 30 psi on it
Shake the keg 100 times
Return the keg to the kegerator at serving psi for a day
Enjoy

I set it and forget it at 12 psi and beers are ready to drink in a week. They do get better as time goes on though, but are drinkable in a week without overcarbonating, rolling, shaking, or messing with a regulator and relief valve.

EdWort said:

I set it and forget it at 12 psi and beers are ready to drink in a week. They do get better as time goes on though, but are drinkable in a week without overcarbonating, rolling, shaking, or messing with a regulator and relief valve.

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That is they way I do it. I have a dual regulator so different pressures are easy.

I only have room for 2 kegs so the only advantage to priming a keg is that it can be carbing while the other 2 are in the refrigerator.

+1 on "set it and forget it"

I originally used the quick force carb method, but the results were to erractic and unpredictable.

Salute!

I meant life of beer, not keg. I figured it would take longer, but if I can do it off pressure that's good.

I tried carb boosting like 3 or 4 times already. I did the 48psi for 48 hours thing, the 30psi and rolling and shaking. It carbs much more quickly, but I usually have too much foam. This is even with releasing the pressure valve. Then I spend the next two or three weeks playing with the regulator, pressure relief and all that crap.

petep1980 said:

Then I spend the next two or three weeks playing with the regulator, pressure relief and all that crap.

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That is the main thing I think people have trouble with. While you can find a quick way to force carb, if you overcarb adjusting everything randomly can just make things worse.

With a properly carbed keg, get your system balanced so you have a reference to return to. You need to be aware of the temperature of the beer in the keg, not the kegerator. Then set the regulator accordingly and use the correct length of line for your system (5' minimum).

The chill, 30 psi and shake 100 times works for me because I've found that is what works for me and the temperature I keep my kegerator (around 43 to 45 degrees). If you keep your kegs colder, you may want to use less pressure or not shake as much.

Remember... colder less pressure, warmer more pressure.

We have always natural carbed our kegs. We always have enough beer in the pipeline that the newly kegged beer has a good month or two before we use it. I find it to be the simplest way to have a keg ready when we want to tap it.

I boil up about 2.5 ounces of sugar, pour it in the keg, rack the beer, pressurize the keg enough to seal, and set it aside until we use it. It is always perfectly carbonated when tapped.

Nurmey said:

We have always natural carbed our kegs. We always have enough beer in the pipeline that the newly kegged beer has a good month or two before we use it. I find it to be the simplest way to have a keg ready when we want to tap it.

I boil up about 2.5 ounces of sugar, pour it in the keg, rack the beer, pressurize the keg enough to seal, and set it aside until we use it. It is always perfectly carbonated when tapped.

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Yeah that's what I want. I hate the downtime between kegs. IT SUCKS!!!

has anyone tired to naturally carbornate a keg with less then 5 gallons? say about 3 gallons. when I try it i just get a lot of preasure and no co2 disolved. any ideas?