Kegging/Cold crashing/Clearing Question

[boomtown25]

I am cold crashing a keg right now and I am likely going to be adding gelatin to clear it overnight before I begin to carbonate it. But here is my question: If I cold crash and then clear with gelatin, isn't all of the particles which clear going to settle to the bottom near the dip tube and only act to clog up my kegerator lines? Is it a proper step to "clear the keg" from all debris at bottom of keg after crashing and clearing? Maybe with a liquid disconnect on a 1/4 inch line into a waste receptor and not through the keg lines or am I simply overthinking things??

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Did you ferment in the keg?
Most cold crash in the fermenter to drop most everything and add gelatin to fine tune the beer in the keg.

 

[boomtown25]

No, I just racked into keg tonight and put in fridge

 

[jmcquesten]

I am cold crashing a keg right now and I am likely going to be adding gelatin to clear it overnight before I begin to carbonate it. But here is my question: If I cold crash and then clear with gelatin, isn't all of the particles which clear going to settle to the bottom near the dip tube and only act to clog up my kegerator lines? Is it a proper step to "clear the keg" from all debris at bottom of keg after crashing and clearing? Maybe with a liquid disconnect on a 1/4 inch line into a waste receptor and not through the keg lines or am I simply overthinking things??

I like to cold crash in the keg when using gelatin. I kind of use it like a secondary. I'll transfer from fermenter to keg, then hit it with co2 before cold crashing. Once cold, I'll inject the keg with the gelatin solution, gently rock to mix it around, then let sit cold for a few days. Then I pressure transfer the clear beer to a clean, purged keg. Before I hook up the jumper line, I connect it to the keg (without one of the keg connectors) to let whatever has settled in the bottom blow out of the line before connecting to the receiving keg.

 

[jmcquesten]

Here's the gelatin injector I put together. Gotta be sure to release the pressure in keg before connecting the injector.

 

[jmcquesten]

Another picture of the injector.

 

[chumpsteak]

Just bend the dip tube in your keg so it points away from the center. This will leave a pint or so in the keg but all the excess trub and gelatin and whatnot will collect below the dip tube. You will also not suck up yeast and trub when the keg kicks and your beer lines will stay cleaner.

 

[Nagorg]

I cold crash and fine in the fermentor before transferring to the keg if I know I want to fine the beer. I've fined in the keg due to clarity problems before but never had a trouble from stuff getting sucked through the beer line. The gelatin to water ratio should be low enough that you wont create jello. (1/2 tsp gelatin to 1/4 cup water)

 

[whovous]

Draw your beer from the top, not the bottom and avoid the whole problem!

http://www.clearbeerdraughtsystem.com/

 

[gunhaus]

I have long bent the tube up just a tad away from center. I routinely dissolve my gel, and pour the solution right into the keg before the beer. Add the beer, and a couple shots of CO2, then roll it around a bit to be sure its mixed. I then just chill for 24 hours before connecting the CO2 for carbing. I carb according to beer, circumstance, need. Sometimes fast, sometimes the 2 week sit and wait. My beer is always crystal clear. I DO cold crash my primary for about 48 hours - be it a bucket or a corney. This really seems to help settle trub, and makes for a pretty clean transfer to begin with. I never seem to have much material in a kicked keg afterward. I just recently kicked a keg of Centennial Blond done this way (After the 24 hours chilling in the keg with gelatin, I hooked it up at 35 PSI for 24, then set it to 12 PSI for two days and served) When the keg flamed out, we purged the pressure and dumped the dregs into a pitcher. It was about a quart, and it was a bit cloudy with sediment for a few minutes, but quickly settled right down and cleared right up with a teeny thin layer in the bottom of the pitcher. There was also a tiny thin layer in the keg, that rinsed right out.

 

[Travis K. Jansen]

It will not clog up your system. The only drawback is that your first pint or two will be uber cloudy.