Can I have a keg without a freezer/fridge?

I just got done bottling my second batch, and while I like bottles, its just to much work.

I would like to get a kegging system but I don't have enough money for a freezer right now. Which leads me to my question -

Can I get a kegging system, force carbonate inside at around 68-70 degree temps (the amount of time it would take to force carbonate doesn't matter because I usually plan ahead), and then put it in the fridge a day or two before consumption?

And if we don't finish it, would I be able to pull it out after the party and leave it at room temp again? or would that skunk it?

Hopefully I wouldn't need to pull it back out but you never know. :cross:

Thanks.

 

did you think about doin a jockey box kinda thing? like just keeping the keg at room temp and running the line through a cooler with ice? might work. i do know that co2 is better absorbed by the beer at cold temperatures than at warm temps. any one know how hard it is to carb at room temp?

 

the fridge or freezer could easily be the cheapest part of your setup. Watch your local craigslist and newspaper, you can pick up something cheap/free very easily.

 

I use the same mini fridge for fermenting, force carbing and serving from. It limits my brewing timeline, but I'm ok with that....especially when it comes to standing outside for 6 hours in 90+ heat.

 

buy the fridge/freezer before the keg..

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/app/2361207713.html
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/app/2360816125.html

 

Thanks for the feedback, but I guess I'm still looking for a answer.

Can I get a kegging system, force carbonate inside at around 68-70 degree temps (the amount of time it would take to force carbonate doesn't matter because I usually plan ahead), and then put it in the fridge a day or two before consumption?

I'm aware that I need a fridge/freezer, but the money combined with the fact I have a small car so I can't transport one that I buy on craig's list, and SWMBO is not having it. She doesn't want one in the garage or the basement.

I would just like to know WHY I wouldn't be able to do what I want to do.

What are the reasons for force carbonating in a fridge if I don't mind the time or the amount of co2 used?
Will there be off flavors if I do it my way?
Will the beer go bad?

I guess I'm asking - Why do I HAVE to have a fridge if I'm chilling it 2 days prior to an event?

 

well it could be done, cold liquid does take co2 more readily, follow these charts to see what pressure you need for your desired co2 volume at your temperature.

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
http://brewery.org/library/CO2charts.html

 

Hagelslag,

yes you can carbonate a keg at room temperature. Since at room temperature the liquid will not absorb the CO2 as well, you will have to apply a higher pressure than you would do in a fridge. I could not find a table that goes up to 70 degrees, but something around 30 / 35 psi should do it. Just plug it for 2 weeks and it will be carbonated.

Now, I would not do it like this: just to save gas and be able to do several at a time, I would prime them with sugar, just like you do when you bottle: dump a mix of 3oz (no need for more when you prime in a keg) of priming sugar and 2 cups of water in your keg (boiled and cooled down), rack your beer on top of that, close your keg, hit it with 30psi for a minute to seal it.
Then check that there is not leak by spraying some star san on the lid and the post. In two week at 70 degrees, you will have a keg full of carbonated beer, like a big bottle.
I just did this with a keg and it works great. Since you do not have a regulator in there and you have some leak possibilities, I built the same thing that you see in this thread to monitor the pressure: my-first-spunding-valve
It can be used to monitor the pressure, and to set a target pressure by changing the valve setting. It is pretty cool.

Once it is full and carbonated, your keg is like a big bottle. You can keep it at room temperature for a long time before drinking it.

Now for serving it, you may have to wait for someone else's advice, as I have small keezer for this. But the way I see it is that you can put the keg in the fridge a couple days before serving. Just make sure not to move it around for some days so that the sediments settle at the bottom and your beer remains clear. Also, if you do not drink the full keg and need to put it back to room temperature, I am not sure what would happen, and if the beer will go bad or not.

 

I use a pre-mix soda fountain and only force carbonate at room temperature... My regulator is set to 28 psi...

 

Sounds like a lot of work for saving a little bottling time to me.

You could certainly do what you describe, but honestly, it's only a start IMO. I probably wouldn't even put it in the fridge. I'd probably just get a trash can and put the keg in there and pour ice round it. It will chill faster that way, and you won't lose room in the fridge.

Keep in mind that while you are pumping CO2 into the keg to carb the beer, warm beer won't collect as much carbonation, so you will have to use more pressure to get the same amount of carbonation. Plus you are going to use picnic taps, which aren't ideal, but would still work as long as they are chilled.

Actually, if you could get your hands on a cold plate, then a jockey box would make the most sense.

But wow, no kegerator in the garage or the basement?? I know everyone has their own idea about relationships, but ONE of those places is going to be my domain. My wife can have the kitchen and the bathroom! (that's a joke BTW...) At some point you gotta be allowed to be your own person.

If she's concerned with young people or strangers drinking your beer, you can always get a lock for that faucet to keep people without a key from drinking your beer...

 

I was in your position all of a month or two back. Had kegs, but no dedicated fridge/freezer.
I can tell you, the first time that I suggested popping out a couple of shelves from the food fridge to store even one keg, the look of death SWMBO shot me would have caused internal hemorrhaging in lesser men.
Suffice it to say, the kegs sat in the garage. And naturally, they were wonderfully chilled in the morning, but pretty darn warm by the time I'd get home.
I'd probably guess, that temperature fluctuations aren't going to spoil your beer, but you may notice a change in some flavors. I had a Citrus Wheat that lost most of the citrus after a week of being in the garage.

 

Sounds like we are in the same predicament.

SWMBO is pretty cool since she's the one that got me my first kit. We just don't have a lot of space in the garage because we want to be able to fit a car in there, and putting a freezer in the basement just doesn't seem practical when we might be moving soon.

Looks like I'll be bottling my blonde this weekend.