500 mile drive with kegs.

[waldoar15]

I've never transported any full ones.
How long will it take for them to settle down and be drinkable once iced down after bouncing around in a truck for eight hours?

Or should I just take cases of bottles?

 

[mightynintendo]

I've gone 130 miles on interstate with kegs before to no ill-effect. Clear and drinkable the moment I arrived. Don't know if that helps much...

 

[david_42]

Depends a great deal on the yeast. I've had kegs get stirred up just moving them from the conditioning cabinet to the kegger that took two days to settle. Other times, a keg has been fine after a couple hours in the van.

 

[waldoar15]

Depends a great deal on the yeast. I've had kegs get stirred up just moving them from the conditioning cabinet to the kegger that took two days to settle. Other times, a keg has been fine after a couple hours in the van.

It will probably be just BM's HPA and Cream Ale with either SA 05 or Pacman since most of these people are BMC drinkers.

It's going to be a 4x4 weekend at Coal Creek by Knoxville TN. I really don't want to deal with bottles and will have a 20 lb C02 powertank with me anyway.

 

[Yooper]

I've done that! Heck, I went 800 miles with 2 kegs. I have a couple of tips. One is something I did just today. Carb your kegs and chill as usual. After they're carbed up, dump the first pint which is full of sediment. When you're ready to take them, get a couple of empty kegs and sanitize them and then "jump" the beer to the new keg. That works because you already have the sediment settled out to the bottom of the first keg, and if you don't move that keg, you will have clear beer to put into a new keg and relatively little sediment. After that, you can jostle them around quite a bit without an issue.

How to jump: Get two black quick disconnects and a length of beer line and attach. Put some co2 into the "new" keg, and purge. Set the original keg to about 2-4 psi, to push the beer. Put a QD on the "out" of the original keg, and then one on the "out" of the new keg. Every once in a while, pull the pressure relief valve on the receiving keg as it fills. You can "top off" with a shot of co2 to ensure the lid is sealed, and that's it! You get a sediment free keg, already carbed and conditioned and ready to go.

I did it just today, to take a 3 gallon keg out to my lake cottage. It's fast, easy, and very little sediment will get stirred up when you move that second keg since the sediment in the first keg doesn't get agitated.

 

[waldoar15]

Cool idea! Not sure if I will need to do that as I have a big pipeline and the beer is already brewed and has been in primary for a few weeks already. I normally cold crash then add gelatin before kegging. So, what's getting kegged is pretty clear to begin with.

BTW, it will be consumed mid June.

ETA, how many feet of hose should I use for dispensing with a cobra tap?


TIA.

 

[Yooper]

Cool idea! Not sure if I will need to do that as I have a big pipeline and the beer is already brewed and has been in primary for a few weeks already. I normally cold crash then add gelatin before kegging. So, what's getting kegged is pretty clear to begin with.

BTW, it will be consumed mid June.

ETA, how many feet of hose should I use for dispensing with a cobra tap?


TIA.

Yes, I realize it'll be pretty clear going into the keg. However, shaking up the keg in transport causes ALL of the sediment to resuspend. That's why I transfer it to another keg before moving it. If you don't mind floaters, though, no need to transfer.

You can use just a short hose, if you turn your dispensing pressure way down for the weekend. I keep mine in a cottage, on a "regular" co2 pressure, so I need 6', but if you turn down the co2 to a weekend serving pressure of, say 2 psi, you can get by with as little as you want. It depends on where you want to place the cobra taps for easy access.

 

[waldoar15]

Thanks much. l'll probably try the jumpers just for the heck of it then.

 

[WholeHoppness]

I've done that! Heck, I went 800 miles with 2 kegs. I have a couple of tips. One is something I did just today. Carb your kegs and chill as usual. After they're carbed up, dump the first pint which is full of sediment. When you're ready to take them, get a couple of empty kegs and sanitize them and then "jump" the beer to the new keg. That works because you already have the sediment settled out to the bottom of the first keg, and if you don't move that keg, you will have clear beer to put into a new keg and relatively little sediment. After that, you can jostle them around quite a bit without an issue.

How to jump: Get two black quick disconnects and a length of beer line and attach. Put some co2 into the "new" keg, and purge. Set the original keg to about 2-4 psi, to push the beer. Put a QD on the "out" of the original keg, and then one on the "out" of the new keg. Every once in a while, pull the pressure relief valve on the receiving keg as it fills. You can "top off" with a shot of co2 to ensure the lid is sealed, and that's it! You get a sediment free keg, already carbed and conditioned and ready to go.

I did it just today, to take a 3 gallon keg out to my lake cottage. It's fast, easy, and very little sediment will get stirred up when you move that second keg since the sediment in the first keg doesn't get agitated.

Great advice Yooper! I transfered kegs one time and had a stirred up issue. I WILL try this soon!