Hey guys. I have gotten to a point where im looking to get my first keg and i was wondering if you have any good resources on the process i can check out. I am also wondering if i should get a co2 or nitro set up. I usually do stouts and darker ales and i hear there decent on nitro. Anything i shod take into consideration before i make a dicision?
New to kegging
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FloppyKnockers
Well-Known Member
Here's a pretty good read on the basics.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/1312/Summerzym95-Kegging_How-To.pdf
I would go with CO2 first. I don't use nitro, but as far as I understand it from people who do, you carb with CO2 then serve with nitro.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/1312/Summerzym95-Kegging_How-To.pdf
I would go with CO2 first. I don't use nitro, but as far as I understand it from people who do, you carb with CO2 then serve with nitro.
ncsuwerewolf
Well-Known Member
All beer is good on CO2, not all are right for nitro and nitro can be fickle as far as carbing and serving. Start with a normal system and decide if you want to add a nitro tap later after you have figured out everything else as far as kegging goes. YouTube has plenty of tips and tricks for cleaning and kegging.
That is exactly what i was looking for, thank you!
Thank you, it seems like theres more info out there on CO2 so i will most likely go that rout... its a bit cheaper anyway
SGTSparty
Well-Known Member
Another great resource if you want to see it first hand, google CriagTube Kegging. He's got a 4 part youtube series thats great. Its several years old at this point but its not like the process has changed. Was very helpful for me when I got my first kegging set up.
Hell yeah! I forgot about that guy. I use to watch him when i was getting started. Admittedly i havent watched him in a while and definitely didnt watch his kegging stuff cause i wasnt interested in it at the time. Thanks for the heads up. Ill be checking that out this evening
Just out of curiosity, can i put co2 in a nitro bottle? The only difference i see is preassure related. I know i will eventually want to run a nitro setup in the next year, so if i can get the bottle and regulator but run co2 out of it i may go that rout to save a few bucks and just fill with the gas i want when needed.
ncsuwerewolf
Well-Known Member
The regulators are threaded differently. CO2 is usually filled and i get my nitro here in Raleigh via swap. Get yourself setup for CO2 and keep your eyes open for people who are getting out of the game on craigslist and pick up the stuff you want second hand.
btbnl
Well-Known Member
For nitro pours, ideally you want beer gas (typically 75% N2, 25% CO2) which you can seamlessly use to carb and serve. You can certainly carb with CO2 and push with N2, but you'll lose some of the carbonation over time. You'll obviously also need a stout tap.
I'd definitely recommend starting with CO2 and adding to that when you're ready. As much as anything, N2 (or beer gas) tanks don't last nearly as long as CO2 since the N2 doesn't liquefy at standard tank pressures, so you get much less of it.
Also, always test everything for leaks (spraying with starsan solution works well) and pick up a spare gas tank if you can so you're never stuck with unservable beer. A small spare tank is also useful for taking a keg to a party and for pushing liquids between kegs (eg. when cleaning or purging).
I'd definitely recommend starting with CO2 and adding to that when you're ready. As much as anything, N2 (or beer gas) tanks don't last nearly as long as CO2 since the N2 doesn't liquefy at standard tank pressures, so you get much less of it.
Also, always test everything for leaks (spraying with starsan solution works well) and pick up a spare gas tank if you can so you're never stuck with unservable beer. A small spare tank is also useful for taking a keg to a party and for pushing liquids between kegs (eg. when cleaning or purging).
you may find this video useful as well:
http://beersmith.com/blog/2014/04/0...-beer-with-chris-graham-beersmith-podcast-79/
http://beersmith.com/blog/2014/04/0...-beer-with-chris-graham-beersmith-podcast-79/
dancingfetus
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I disagree that you can use beer gas to carb, That was my first mistake brewing, that I bought beer gas instead of CO2. I ended up with barely noticeable carbonation, which makes me lean towards C02 first, then beer gas and stout tap to serve, not that I've done a stout on tap . . . yet.
( I guess you can keep in mind that the beer gas mix can fluctuate % but in general i think it would be a bad time)
btbnl
Well-Known Member
If you're carbing with beer gas you have to crank the pressure up to compensate for the fractional CO2, but it can certainly be done - around 36psi with 25% CO2 is equivalent to 9psi on 100% CO2, and you can then serve at that pressure through the stout tap's restrictor plate.
I dunno, I load my stouts in the keezer with 25% beer gas at 35 psi and considering they're already sitting around .75 volumes of CO2 post-fermentation, if I was willing to have it sit there in the keezer for a few weeks I'm sure it'd hit the very low carbonation level I like.
But I hate having an idle faucet - my whole pipeline is designed to make sure that never happens (and hasn't in ~5 years). So I do "carb" my stouts on straight CO2 - if you call .75 psi at 40°F "carbonation"
- in my cold-conditioning/carbing fridge for a few weeks, so it doesn't impact a faucet...
Cheers!
But I hate having an idle faucet - my whole pipeline is designed to make sure that never happens (and hasn't in ~5 years). So I do "carb" my stouts on straight CO2 - if you call .75 psi at 40°F "carbonation"
- in my cold-conditioning/carbing fridge for a few weeks, so it doesn't impact a faucet...Cheers!
But it will come out with a giant nitro-foam. Which is not appropriate for ALL styles.
btbnl
Well-Known Member
One of the reasons I advocated starting with a straight CO2 set-up - this was simply a side-question about whether beer gas could successfully be used to carb.
dhutchings
Well-Known Member
Thank you for this link! I've purchased ball lock internals and kegs that should be arriving tomorrow so I can start kegging my homebrew from my existing kegerator. This is exactly the kind of info I've been trying to track down!
