Natural Carbonation and Keg Size + some questions about preservation

Hey all,

I had it with bottles. A lot of work and I usually drink a couple a day leaving me with a lot of dishes .

So time to start keging:

1. 
   I thought of using 5L (quarter batch for me) or 10L (half batch) kegs. I will ferment using a bucket then move to keg for natural carbonation.
   While in bottling it was easy to leave the adequate empty space for carbonation to take place, how do I calculate the empty (air) space I need in a keg for natural carbonation?

• 
  I will be using CO2 container only to fill the gap and pushing the beer out of the keg. Will that keep the beer in the keg from spoiling considering it is unfiltered?

Thank you

 

With a full keg you need less sugar to carbonate - I fill my kegs right up to the gas diptube so not much headspace. For a full 5 gal keg it takes about 1/2 the amount of sugar needed for bottles (not sure what it would be for a small keg, I've never naturally carbed those). You will want to purge the air from the headspace first and hit it with a blast of pressure to seal, many lids need pressure to seal. The beer will keep fine if you have CO2 to push it and maintain pressure.

 

Thank you for your prompt reply.
This is very helpful and informative

 

I have used Party Pig systems in the past, which hold 2 1/2 gallons. They recommend using 1/4 or 1/3 cup of corn sugar - depending on style.

 

Should work fine. I sugar prime most of my corny kegs, unless its a lager (like them very clear) or has a stubborn yeast flocc'r (like Kolsch yeast). I also run most of mine up to the bottom of the gas "in" diptube with a 5G corny keg. But really it ends up being what I rack out of primary. Hard to calculate the head space of that vs 48-50 bottles. I use 2/3 the sugar that I would use in bottling.

Basically I think you'll be in a trial/error situation. But it shouldn't be hard to dial in once you've carb'd a few kegs. No spoilage at all with your plan (should last you almost indefiinitely if you didn't oxidize prior to kegging).

Why not just jump into the 5G corny kegs? At $50-60 they are not cheap, but they should last a lifetime with some occasional O-ring replacements. They beauty of 5G cornys is you only have to rack into 1 keg with matching primary/keg volumes.

Which 5L and 10L kegs are you thinking about using? I would like to eventually get a 2.5 or 3G corny for kids root beer, but they are pretty spendy new at $120 each.

 

Hey Solbes,

Thank you for your input.

The sole reason I want to use small-sized kegs is because they are more prractical to me.
One batch makes 4 5L Kegs, they are dead easy to cary to the beach/field, they are fast to coold down, and I don't have to risk my back.
The only down side (a hefty one I must admit) is price. 4 small kegs will cost me here 3 times one 5G keg.
Maybe I will end up with one big keg and bottle what I need; I was hesitant as I had the notion that beer might spoil even if I used CO2 to push beer and fill the "dead" space.

 

That makes sense then. One thing to note, although the 5G corny kegs are still heavy, the skinny shape of them plus the handles makes moving them much easier than say a carboy or bucket. I often end up going upstairs & downstairs with them and they are much easier than hauling the fermenters.

I brought 2 5G corny kegs 1500 miles south to a rented Texas beach house a couple of years back (one a wheat and one a hoppy Maibock). So good and so much fun!

No spoilage concerns with CO2 if you purge, so you are good there if you decide to bottle a portion.