Teach me please.

[indymedic]

I am a new kegerator owner. How do I walk by my kegerator and not take a pull? I just put a keg of cider on a week ago and I'm afraid it's not even going to last till it properly carbonated.

Is there a meeting I should go to or maybe a memo I missed? Please help.

 

[kh54s10]

Put a good solid lock on the door and give the key(s) to your wife.....

 

[buzd]

Put a good solid lock on the door and give the key(s) to your wife.....

He didn't say NEVER take a pull.

 

[schatzke]

You need more taps. It's easier to stay out of 1 if you have a few others to sample from

 

[pshankstar]

I would recommend you package up your kegerator today, I'll drive out to your place and pick it up this weekend. Then go back to bottling and I've helped you with your concern. Problem solved! HAHA

That's the hard thing about having a keg. You can pull just a little sample or a full pint whenever you want. Maybe relocate the unit to the basement or out in the garage to make it a little more difficult to get to. Or should I say, more of "Out of sight, out of mind" but then again, that doesn't really work for me...

 

[SGTSparty]

^^^^^ Yes. and in a perfect world have 1 more gas line then you have taps. That way once you get your pipeline filled you have say 4 kegs on tap and 1 carbing that you literally cannot drink from. Either that or move your kegerator to a room/garage/basement you don't use much. I have to go down to the basement to get a pint, much easier to let things carb when you're not looking at it 10 times a day.

Side note: Learn to quick carb. I quick carb at 30 PSI for 36 hours, bleed and set to serving pressure. Only takes 2 days to carb up and you wont want to pull pints at 30 PSI, at least, likely not more than once. Dual purpose approach 1) gets you fully carbed faster 2) acts as its own defense mechanism to prevent you from pulling premature pints. No one wants to suffer from Premature Pint Pulling.

 

[indymedic]

You need more taps. It's easier to stay out of 1 if you have a few others to sample from

Thank God! I don't have time for meetings.

 

[indymedic]

It's located in the garage right in the path of the door and the truck so it very convenient. I have plans to add 3 more taps. Just haven't put them in yet due to not having beer to put on them anyway.

I have been sceptical about the 24 hour method. I guess I'm worried about over carbing. What is your method?

 

[indymedic]

I would recommend you package up your kegerator today, I'll drive out to your place and pick it up this weekend. Then go back to bottling and I've helped you with your concern. Problem solved! HAHA

I have had many offers from friends already to haul it away but then I would never get a pull.

It was much easier to store bottles in the basement. I was rarely temped to open one early. This is a big test of will power.

 

[SGTSparty]

It's located in the garage right in the path of the door and the truck so it very convenient. I have plans to add 3 more taps. Just haven't put them in yet due to not having beer to put on them anyway.

I have been sceptical about the 24 hour method. I guess I'm worried about over carbing. What is your method?

Here's what I do (there are a million variations in various threads so not mine persay). Rack your finished brew into a keg. Hook it up to your CO2 and burp it like 15 times (or more, I'm OCD and I don't count) to purge the o2 if you don't do o2 free transfers. Dial the regulator up to 25-30 psi and just leave it, in the fridge on the gas for 36 hours. I typically do all this at night before I go to bed day 1. Then wait 36 hours. Turn off/disconnect the gas, purge the gas from the keg, set the regulator to serving pressure and turn on/reconnect the gas (typically I do this before work on day 3). Leave it for 8-12 hours (or until I get home from work that day). Drink well carbed beer at your leisure. Never had a problem w/ over carbing doing this method.

If you do get slightly over carbed just burp the keg every hour or so, any carb beyond your serving pressure will come out of solution and into the head space (equilibriam and all that), by burping it you'll vent that extra head space pressure and go again until the liquid and gas pressure are the same (aka serving pressure) annoying but not going to hurt anything.

 

[indymedic]

Here's what I do (there are a million variations in various threads so not mine persay). Rack your finished brew into a keg. Hook it up to your CO2 and burp it like 15 times (or more, I'm OCD and I don't count) to purge the o2 if you don't do o2 free transfers. Dial the regulator up to 25-30 psi and just leave it, in the fridge on the gas for 36 hours. I typically do all this at night before I go to bed day 1. Then wait 36 hours. Turn off/disconnect the gas, purge the gas from the keg, set the regulator to serving pressure and turn on/reconnect the gas (typically I do this before work on day 3). Leave it for 8-12 hours (or until I get home from work that day). Drink well carbed beer at your leisure. Never had a problem w/ over carbing doing this method.

If you do get slightly over carbed just burp the keg every hour or so, any carb beyond your serving pressure will come out of solution and into the head space (equilibriam and all that), by burping it you'll vent that extra head space pressure and go again until the liquid and gas pressure are the same (aka serving pressure) annoying but not going to hurt anything.

Great. I have read similar instructions. I was just hesitant to do it. i will try on my next batch.

 

[pshankstar]

Here's what I do (there are a million variations in various threads so not mine persay). Rack your finished brew into a keg. Hook it up to your CO2 and burp it like 15 times (or more, I'm OCD and I don't count) to purge the o2 if you don't do o2 free transfers. Dial the regulator up to 25-30 psi and just leave it, in the fridge on the gas for 36 hours. I typically do all this at night before I go to bed day 1. Then wait 36 hours. Turn off/disconnect the gas, purge the gas from the keg, set the regulator to serving pressure and turn on/reconnect the gas (typically I do this before work on day 3). Leave it for 8-12 hours (or until I get home from work that day). Drink well carbed beer at your leisure. Never had a problem w/ over carbing doing this method.

If you do get slightly over carbed just burp the keg every hour or so, any carb beyond your serving pressure will come out of solution and into the head space (equilibriam and all that), by burping it you'll vent that extra head space pressure and go again until the liquid and gas pressure are the same (aka serving pressure) annoying but not going to hurt anything.

Great. I have read similar instructions. I was just hesitant to do it. i will try on my next batch.

I do exactly what @SGTSparty does and have great results. @indymedic, once you go down this road, you will wonder why you hadn't done it earlier!

 

[Homercidal]

Move the kegerator to a less convenient location. I have mine in my computer/hobby room. I usually have to make a conscious decision to walk in there to get a glass of beer. Although there have been times I've gone in there and thought, "What the hell did I walk in here for?" And then I pour a glass of beer.

 

[vance]

Doesn't burping the keg a lot release a bunch of delicious hop aroma?

 

[indymedic]

Although there have been times I've gone in there and thought, "What the hell did I walk in here for?" And then I pour a glass of beer.

This sounds like the problem I have. Unfortunately. I would have to get permission from my wife to move it and as sweet as I think it looks she probably wouldn't approve of it going in the house. And the basement would be just as convenient as the garage. Right now It's just the coolest thing ever to have my beer on tap. I'm sure the novelty will ware eventually

 

[ChelisHubby]

I am a new kegerator owner. How do I walk by my kegerator and not take a pull? I just put a keg of cider on a week ago and I'm afraid it's not even going to last till it properly carbonated.

Is there a meeting I should go to or maybe a memo I missed? Please help.

I think you need to brew much more. My first 3 kegs of beer all lasted less than 2 weeks and I am a light drinker.

 

[jddevinn]

More taps so you don't pull the same one so much.

Bigger pipeline so everything on tap is carbed and conditioned. I carb some beers in "brite tanks" and can get them ready in a day or so, if rushed. Some beers I let carb slower, some I let carb naturally.



I regularly have meetings about this subject with friends at my house, we have them at the bar.

 

[55x11]

I agree, more taps will solve the problem. Especially once you have >5 taps or so. variety helps to be more selective.

 

[buckinin]

So if you have multiple taps and force carb a new keg at 30 psi. Do you disconnect the other kegs for 36 hours or so? I wouldn't think you would leave the other on gas at 30 psi while they are already carbed?

 

[estricklin]

Strippers in the other room.

 

[ChelisHubby]

Strippers in the other room.

only if their chest aint hairy!

 

[SGTSparty]

So if you have multiple taps and force carb a new keg at 30 psi. Do you disconnect the other kegs for 36 hours or so? I wouldn't think you would leave the other on gas at 30 psi while they are already carbed?

Good question. The answer depends on your set up. I have a 4 body regulator so I can set each keg's PSI independently. But they can be a bit expensive. I think mine was ~200 bucks new. Other folks have a separate CO2 set up for force carbing and then run a manifold/distributor for all serving kegs (typically a secondary regulator can adjust individually where as a distributor/manifold will just distribute the same PSI to all kegs, they're typically about 1/4 the cost). Another way I've seen is some brewers do a two body primary regulator, run 1 body/line for force kegging and 1 body/line to their distributor/manifold for serving pressure. More ways to set up your kegorator than I can count or list so it just depends on what works for you and your budget.

 

[Redlantern]

Simple solution. make a larger batch and bottle half. Carb with priming sugar and don't hook up the keg until your daily samples from the bottles let you know it is ready, then hook the keg up. Your first pull from the keg will be perfect. With each batch, you cite that you used a different ingredient and that understanding how it matures is critical to your process.

Take full advantage of the dissonant relationship you have with the kegerator in the name of brew science!!!

 

[buckinin]

Thanks Sparty. I have a splitter to go to three kegs but just one pressure for the whole system in my current setup. In all of the kegging instruction videos I've watched, I hadn't seen this addressed.

Back to the main topic - I've got my first keg carbing and have had at least a taste every day. Tough to resist....

 

[chask31]

Mine is in our bonus room which is out of the way and up a winding staircase. It's a destination.

 

[SGTSparty]

Thanks Sparty. I have a splitter to go to three kegs but just one pressure for the whole system in my current setup. In all of the kegging instruction videos I've watched, I hadn't seen this addressed.

Back to the main topic - I've got my first keg carbing and have had at least a taste every day. Tough to resist....

For a first keg I honestly don't think its a bad thing to pull as sample every day. If your force carbing at serving pressure it will just show you how much better it gets every day and let you know how many days it takes to get the correct carbonation given your serving pressure and temp. In a perfect world it will teach you how much better it is on day 10 vs. day 1 and so in the future you'll be better equipped to resist the meh beers on days 1-9 for what will probably amount to a sixer of Hell Yes! beers on days 10+

 

[indymedic]

This derailed a bit but all good information. I have a single serve regulator and a 4 way manifold. My plan for now is to unhook a keg and hook up to my new keg to seal and carbonate. my guess is this method won't last long and I will rebuild. We will see.

 

[SGTSparty]

If patience isn't one of your virtues (kinda the point of this whole thread lol) I'd defniately consider upgrading to a dual body primary. Probably the cheapest way to get you a priming line and serving lines. Then just keep your current primary as a backup or sell it to help recoup the cost of your new one. Something to consider though, IIRC a dual body primary is about 100 where as a 4 bodied secondary is about 200 So if you want the ability to serve different styles at different CO2 volumes and quick carb in place it might be worth the extra 100 dollars. Added advantage of the 4 bodied secondary is that you don't have to change your lines from your primary (huge bonus for me as my CO2 tank sits outside my kegerator so it would have required drilling another set of holes to carb at temp). Down side is you need to carb in 1 of your 4 serving slots vs 4 on tap and another carbing. Just some things to consider.

 

[LBussy]

One thing to keep in mind about carbing with that method: If your keg is full to where the gas dip tube is in the beer, you can suck back beer into the regulator. Make sure you have a check valve!

 

[Rockn_M]

I have plans to add 3 more taps. Just haven't put them in yet due to not having beer to put on them anyway.

If you build it they will come.

 

[indymedic]

If patience isn't one of your virtues (kinda the point of this whole thread lol).

In reality I'm really not doing that bad. i t's been carbing for a week and I have probably had 4 pulls and they were sample cups mainly just to follow how it is carbing. But I will say that walking by that handle multiple times a day is very temping. It's going to be worse when there is a variety of beers in there.

 

[SEndorf]

That's one of the advantages over bottling.
A lot of the time I just want a taste, not a 12'er....

 

[BrerRabbitBrew]

I love that about kegging. I have a 5oz sample glass I got at a beer festival that I use for sampling and also satisfying my desire for beer. My biggest problem is that I really like fresh beer while it's carbing when it has that 'cask' kind of character.

 

[indymedic]

That's one of the advantages over bottling.
A lot of the time I just want a taste, not a 12'er....

Yeah it's nice to be able to test the progress. Today's pull I was actually able to see evidence of and feel some carbonation so that was cool.

The real question is who walks past there kegerator in the morning and has a sample before work?

 

[Chanoc]

Yeah it's nice to be able to test the progress. Today's pull I was actually able to see evidence of and feel some carbonation so that was cool.

The real question is who walks past there kegerator in the morning and has a sample before work?

I would if I could...
But I bottle in 500 ml bottles...

 

[Homercidal]

So if you have multiple taps and force carb a new keg at 30 psi. Do you disconnect the other kegs for 36 hours or so? I wouldn't think you would leave the other on gas at 30 psi while they are already carbed?

For most people, yes. Depending on their setup, they may have a dual-stage regulator and can burst carb a keg wile the others remain at normal pressure.

A keg will dispense bee as long as there is enough pressure in the headspace to push the beer. The less headspace, the faster the keg will run out of pressure. So a new, full keg won't serve many glasses, but a half-full keg can server plenty of them.

 

[SEndorf]

The real question is who walks past there kegerator in the morning and has a sample before work?

That would seem to be a problem! Though I do fill a growler occasionally before work to bring in. Gotta keep the bees happy[emoji2]

 

[jddevinn]

For most people, yes. Depending on their setup, they may have a dual-stage regulator and can burst carb a keg wile the others remain at normal pressure.

A keg will dispense bee as long as there is enough pressure in the headspace to push the beer. The less headspace, the faster the keg will run out of pressure. So a new, full keg won't serve many glasses, but a half-full keg can server plenty of them.

I just have another chest freezer for conditioning that has a CO2 tank and manifold.