Ok so I've kegged before. However, I have only done so by priming the keg with sugar and using a portable CO2 charger to dispense the tasty stuff. Ive upgraded recently thanx to kegconection's awesome prices and have a few ?s. All of the equipment (faucets, shanks, lines, regulator, tank) is new. 1) Is it necessary to run the keg of sanitizer when racking beer into the keg through the lines out of the faucets or is this needless since they are new? 2) Is it necessary to clean the red gas lines? 3) It says to turn the dials on the regulator ( I have a dual body reg) all the way counter-clockwise before you turn on the gas; however, when I do this they loosen up a lot. Is this wrong? I figure that I would need to turn it clockwise in order for it to not let gas go into the kegs when I turn the gas on and I can then adjust accordingly to the right psi i want (30 psi to start force carbing). 4) Is about 10 psi correct in order to seal the keg lid while letting it cold crash for a day or two before beginning force carbing? Thx for any possible feedback.
First time force carbing
- Thread starter JesseRYC
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1) I'd make sure they are really really clean, or give them a soak in sanitizer (star san) before the first hookup.
2) just make sure htey are free of visible dirt particles (blow some compressed air or CO2 through them once to blow em out)
3) when you hook up the gas, you want the regulator valve closed/off so that no gas goes through. you then turn on the CO2 cylinder first, and the regulator halts the flow. if the regulator is opened when you crank open the CO2 cylinder, the valve can start 'flapping' and that could damage it. I don't mess with my regulator except when I swap cylinders, but as I recall counter-clockwise should indeed turn it off, so the directions sound right.
4) 30psi is best for seating a keg lid, but if your lids seat easily, then 15 psi is enough
5) you can seat the lid, put it in the fridge, leave it at 12-14psi while it cold crashes AND force carbs. no need to differentiate the two...they don't need to be exclusive activities. done separate or at the same time, the first couple draws will purge most of the crashed sediment just fine.
I often seat the lid, and leave the keg at room temp to mellow and age, then I make it cold and carb it up the rest of the way.
There's MANY proper ways to force carb. I myself prefer the 'set it and forget it for 10 days' method, since pretty much all beer improves with a little resting time.
2) just make sure htey are free of visible dirt particles (blow some compressed air or CO2 through them once to blow em out)
3) when you hook up the gas, you want the regulator valve closed/off so that no gas goes through. you then turn on the CO2 cylinder first, and the regulator halts the flow. if the regulator is opened when you crank open the CO2 cylinder, the valve can start 'flapping' and that could damage it. I don't mess with my regulator except when I swap cylinders, but as I recall counter-clockwise should indeed turn it off, so the directions sound right.
4) 30psi is best for seating a keg lid, but if your lids seat easily, then 15 psi is enough
5) you can seat the lid, put it in the fridge, leave it at 12-14psi while it cold crashes AND force carbs. no need to differentiate the two...they don't need to be exclusive activities. done separate or at the same time, the first couple draws will purge most of the crashed sediment just fine.
I often seat the lid, and leave the keg at room temp to mellow and age, then I make it cold and carb it up the rest of the way.
There's MANY proper ways to force carb. I myself prefer the 'set it and forget it for 10 days' method, since pretty much all beer improves with a little resting time.
I just wanted to add that you want to make sure that all the seals and o-rings are in good condition. I had one weak o-ring on a poppet - so I replaced it with the new set provided by kegconnections. Pouring some star-san on the valves and around the keg lids is the best way to check for leaks (after you have sealed the lid of course). Also use some food-grade lubricant if you have them on the o-rings.
When I was sanitizing my kegs with starsan, I also ran some of the solution through the beer-put line and faucets using CO2. I figured this served the purpose of sanitizing the dip tube and the outlet valves, as well as filling up the keg with CO2 thereby removing all O2.
I sealed with ~30psi as per advice I found here. So far, I have kegged three beers and for two (an ale and a hefeweizen), I have racked to the keg, sealed with CO2, purged a few times and left in my fermentation chamber (~65F) for a week. The third beer was a lager and it was already cold-crashed, so I just transferred to a pre-chilled, sanitized keg.
Finally, I used the set and forget method for force carbing. It has really worked out well. You just have to be patient. Most of my beer was carbonated by 7 days, but it was in the second and third weeks when the taste really took off.
Thankfully, I had some of my earlier bottled beer, so I could resist the temptation of trying out the beer too early (not that I did not pour myself a small tasting glass or two every now and then
).
When I was sanitizing my kegs with starsan, I also ran some of the solution through the beer-put line and faucets using CO2. I figured this served the purpose of sanitizing the dip tube and the outlet valves, as well as filling up the keg with CO2 thereby removing all O2.
I sealed with ~30psi as per advice I found here. So far, I have kegged three beers and for two (an ale and a hefeweizen), I have racked to the keg, sealed with CO2, purged a few times and left in my fermentation chamber (~65F) for a week. The third beer was a lager and it was already cold-crashed, so I just transferred to a pre-chilled, sanitized keg.
Finally, I used the set and forget method for force carbing. It has really worked out well. You just have to be patient. Most of my beer was carbonated by 7 days, but it was in the second and third weeks when the taste really took off.
Thankfully, I had some of my earlier bottled beer, so I could resist the temptation of trying out the beer too early (not that I did not pour myself a small tasting glass or two every now and then
).My equipment arrives on Friday and I had some of the same questions. If I use the set it and forget it method of carbing, do I need to up the pressure to 30 psi to seat the lid or can I just hook it up at serving pressure (about 10 psi) and leave it?
