How to have backup keg ready?

I'm just about to start kegging. My kegerator is going to be able to fit 2 cornys both hooked up to the CO2 with the dual manifold. I want to have a backup keg always on hand so when one keg is kicked I can quickly hook up another and be able to drink it fairly soon. So if I pick up a third corny, what would be the best process for having it ready on deck? I don't really have room in a fridge to chill it, so my most likely option would be storing it at room temp. So after transfering from my fermenter to the keg, what should be my plan of attack? I should be able to disconnect the gas from the keg in the kegerator and shoot up the "on deck keg" correct(assuming not leaks in the keg)?

The main thing that you will have to do is to prime your keg with some corn sugar when you rack your beer into the keg. After you rack the beer into the keg, you will need to hit it with a blast of 20 psi of CO2, then purge the air about two or three times. This will help remove any oxygen that is left in there. Then just blast it one more time and then don't purge the air, this will help form a seal with the lid and to avoid any leaks

Now you will hear some people here say that you need to use the same amount of cron sugar as if you are bottling, some will say that you need less. Go with the same and just experiment from there. I used the same amount and it turned out fine.

Your only problem will be that if you need it in an emergency your beer will be warm. Other than that you should have no problem with keeping a back up ready. I am doing that and that is essentially keg conditioning the beer.

I have the same setup. I kegged a stout on 12/27 which is about gone. I kegged a second batch 2 days ago, but I'd like to get another batch ready to replace the stout when it goes dry.

I'm a newbie myself and look forward to some expert advice on this also. it seems that the 3rd batch would have to connected constantly to the gas through the carbonation period?

If so, I'm going to get another corny, another co2 tank and regulator and put it in the garage which is about 35 degrees. This won't work in the summer though

This may be a silly questions but why do I need to put in Corn Sugar? Is this because I am storing it warm?

DirtyPolock said:

The main thing that you will have to do is to prime your keg with some corn sugar when you rack your beer into the keg. After you rack the beer into the keg, you will need to hit it with a blast of 20 psi of CO2, then purge the air about two or three times. This will help remove any oxygen that is left in there. Then just blast it one more time and then don't purge the air, this will help form a seal with the lid and to avoid any leaks

Now you will hear some people here say that you need to use the same amount of cron sugar as if you are bottling, some will say that you need less. Go with the same and just experiment from there. I used the same amount and it turned out fine.

Your only problem will be that if you need it in an emergency your beer will be warm. Other than that you should have no problem with keeping a back up ready. I am doing that and that is essentially keg conditioning the beer.

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I agree! Except where I don't.

I prime a keg with 1/2 of the "normal" priming sugar. I always weigh my sugar, though- so instead of 4 ounces, I'll use 2 for a 5 gallon keg.

Otherwise, I agree. Store it at room temperature. Then when a keg kicks, pull the pressure relief valve (just so you don't get back up into your regulator) and put the new keg on tap. Let it sit a day or so, to chill and settle, then pull about 1/3 pint of yeast sediment to discard. After that, you're free and clear!

italynstallyn44 said:

This may be a silly questions but why do I need to put in Corn Sugar? Is this because I am storing it warm?

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Well, yes. And no.

SOME thing needs to carbonate your keg. If you want it to carbonate while you store it, you can either force carb with a second co2 tank, or you can prime it.

If you have a second co2 tank, you might as well force carb it.

Either way, when you have an opening in your kegerator, the beer will be carbed up and ready!

If I use the "priming sugar" I'm assuming I have to mix it with ~2 cups of boiling water and let cool as in bottling?

so say you force carb with a second co2 tank at 10 - 12 psi for awhile. Then for some reason you have to disconnect the co2. Will the beer remain carbonated? I assume that it will unless there is a leak in the keg?
Matt

italynstallyn44 said:

If I use the "priming sugar" I'm assuming I have to mix it with ~2 cups of boiling water and let cool as in bottling?

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Yes, or a bit less. Whatever it takes to dissolve the sugar- probably less than a cup.

Mparsons327 said:

so say you force carb with a second co2 tank at 10 - 12 psi for awhile. Then for some reason you have to disconnect the co2. Will the beer remain carbonated? I assume that it will unless there is a leak in the keg?
Matt

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Well, at room temperature, you'll need more like a psi of 30 psi. At fridge temperatures, 12 psi sounds right. And yes. The beer will stay carbonated.

italynstallyn44 said:

If I use the "priming sugar" I'm assuming I have to mix it with ~2 cups of boiling water and let cool as in bottling?

Click to expand...

Yes you would still boil up a small amount of water to sterilize it and the corn sugar before you mix it with the beer.

Mparsons327 said:

so say you force carb with a second co2 tank at 10 - 12 psi for awhile. Then for some reason you have to disconnect the co2. Will the beer remain carbonated? I assume that it will unless there is a leak in the keg?
Matt

Click to expand...

If you do this at room temperature you will need to keep it at a much greater PSI, say around 25-30 psi. This is because it is harder for CO2 to dissolve in warm beer as opposed to cold beer. Take a look at this chart, to tell you what pressure you need to keep a keg under based on the temperature.

And yes it will still stay carbonated if you kept it connected for the requisite 2-3 weeks under pressure. If you just keep it connected for a few days this is not enough time to allow to CO2 to dissolve. It will act just like a bottle, just a really large bottle.

Sorry Yooper, you must be typing faster than me.

Ok that's what I thought. I have a fridge in the garage so i figured i could just carb the kegs there. then stick them in the basement when they are done.

I studied this same thing, as I am limited to a kegerator and a garberator. I can chill 4 but have about ten cornies. I read several different places that you have the choice of naturally carbing, or force carbing while warm. Natural Carbing (self explanatory, I would go with 2 oz. priming sugar for five gallons beer). Force Carbing you need to set up as earlier stated, after purging, run them up to 30 PSI with CO2. Then every week or so you want to connect the CO2 to your room temp tanks and take them back up around thirty lbs. You can store them for months.

That is what I read, like you I haven't done it yet.
This is what I would do to find my carb level:

Leave unconnected (both serving line and CO2) at thirty PSI and refridgerate for 48 hours, pop the pressure release to see where I am at, set at serving (10 psi). Try it, if more carb is needed, use the carb table (remembering that it may have been on CO2 for a month, maybe 5 months). I would think the amount of time on CO2 would make a diference.

Good luck and

If you use "priming sugar" to carbonate, are you going to have a yeast cake at the bottom of the keg, like you do when you bottle condition? If so, do you have to avoid drinking the last bit of the keg?

Since the beer is feeding from the bottom, that will come out in your first couple glasses.