Newbie Question - Is there an issue with using 5 gallon Keg for 2 gallon batch

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seander77

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I just upgraded to kegs from bottles which has been great. I am trying out a weird new recipe and only want to make 2-3 gallons of it in case it is not great. is there a problem with having a few gallons of "headspace' in the 5 gallon keg to start with?

Please let me know if there are issues and if there is any way to mitigate them. Your help is always appreciated.
 
No, you will be fine...assuming you are force carbing the beer. The surface area of the beer will be the same at 2 gallons as it would be with 5 gallons. But since the depth of the beer will be less, it will likely carbonate a bit quicker. Also, do yourself a favor and make sure you purge well to get the oxygen out.
 
I wouldn't do this often because it will waste CO2 vs filling the keg. That's a lot of headspace to purge. Other than that, there is no issue.
 
While it is true you'll "waste" more Co2 in the headspace with only 2 gallons in the keg, it's a non-issue.

It will likely carb faster, and you will have to purge more to get the o2 out. However, the "Wasted" gas in the headspace is no different than a full keg.

When a full keg kicks, you have still "Wasted" the Co2 in the now empty headspace.

You're good. There's really nothing to worry about.

It could be argued that you'd be better off with 3 gallon kegs for short batches. But, you can buy a LOT of Co2 for the $75 price difference in kegs.
 
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