A few beginner kegging questions

[DancingBull]

Howdy again folks,

I'm happy to say that I just moved to kegging. My father in law donated the refridgerator, another friend gave me 2 cornelious kegs, a third friend supplied the regulator as a gift, so after picking up a CO2 tank (filled in Charlotte, NC for a total of $71 out the door for a 5 lb tank, Machine and Welding Supply on 24th Street) and I had to purchase the hoses and fittings for another $40, I am now kegging.

I was able to force carbonate Friday evening (30 PSI, shook the keg for about 5 min, Wheat beer, 15 days in my primary, 3 days in the corny keg as my secondary) as I had some folks over.

The beer carbonated nicely, my question is, the keg is about half empty, how much pressure should i put it on to 'finish' carbonating, i read just leave it on 10 PSI and let it sit for another week +.

Do I eventually remove the CO2 hose or can/should i leave it on until the keg is empty?

Last question, if I want to share some of this beer, can i simply fill a bottle from the keg and cap it?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[azscoob]

Just leave it at the proper pressure for your beer, it will reach an equalibrium with the keg pressure, just follow a carbonation table to get the proper volumes of CO2 for your serving temp, and yes, you leave it on the gas until it is empty.


You can fill bottles from the keg and cap them, look into making Biermuncher's beer gun.

 

[TomSD]

You want to keep the hoses attached and the CO2 on all the time. If there are no leaks you won't be wasting any.

Your final pressure is really dependent on your setup and head preference so that you will have to play with. There are some charts out there and tons of knowledgeable people here on the forums so feel free to ask away if it isn't flowing how you like it.

You can do bottles but I go with growlers... most common sizes are half and full gallon. They are basically large glass bottles. You attach a piece of tubing to your tap and put it in the growler then fill it that way. The tubing needs to go all the way to the bottom of the growler to do the most good. It is to minimize foaming and head loss. Fill it to overflowing then tightly cap and keep chilled (if you can). It will last quite a while like that then, once opened, you'll have 24-48 hours before it goes flat/stale.

 

[HalfPint]

Alright, to answer your 1'st question of what serving pressure should it be set at really depends on the temperature of your kegerator and the style of brew. I serve most of my ales at around 40*F and leave my Co2 at 12 psi. You do not remove the hose b/c if you do, the keg will eventually lose pressure from you serving, and go flat. So you set it at the pressure you want that carbonates it the the volume you want, and leave it. Here is a chart for you http://www.ebrew.com/primarynews/ct_carbonation_chart.htm.

2'nd question about filling your bottles. A lot of people around here use a contraption called the Biermuncher Bottle Filler described/made in the thread here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun-24678/. Now with that said, if I'm in a pinch, I'll bottle a 6 pack straight from my perlicks after sanitizing both the bottles and the taps.

If you have any more questions, just let me know,
Jacob

 

[DancingBull]

thanks everyone, as always!