Any tips on kegging for the first time?

[Jeepinctbrewer]

I will be Kegging my first beer in a few weeks, it will be In a 3 gallon corny keg. And I will bottle the rest. I also have a 5 gallon Firestone keg I will be using down the road. The beer I will be Kegging is the Texas blonde ale from Austin homebrew. How would you guys go about carbonating this stuff? Thanks !

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

I just kegged my first batches. It is WAY easier than I anticipated. I QUICKLY force carbonated the beer, was drinking it within 20 minutes of getting it into the keg lol. It was OK but it is really good now. Since this will be your first kegged brew I will assume that you will be as impatient as I was so read the sticky on force carbing.

 

[scrambledegg81]

It might sound a little intimidating, but once you have the basics down, it goes 5,000 times faster than bottling (and your back will thank you later on!):

1) Clean & sanitize the keg lid & transfer equipment, and make sure the keg is pressure ready (i.e. does it seal correctly & hold CO2?).

2) Clean the keg by filling it 1/2 way with PBW & water, seal the lid, shake to your hearts' content, empty. Repeat the same process with sanitizer, but attach your CO2 & beer lines and pump some of the sanitizer solution through the dispenser. That way, you're ensuring that nothing nasty will be waiting in your beer line to sabotage your brew.

3) Fill the keg by holding the line from your primary against the inside wall of the keg (in other words, avoid splashing or any movement that might mix oxygen with the beer).

4) Seal the lid & set it at the correct PSI. (Here's a handy guide for figuring that out.)

5) Wait a day or two, and pop the pressure release valve a few times to release any oxygen left over in the keg. (O2 is lighter than CO2, so it gets pushed to the top of the keg when pressurized.)

6) Wait a week or 2.

7) Set your regulator at serving PSI, and enjoy.

Edit: Remember to pour out the first 1/2 to 3/4 glass of brew when all is said and done. A 50/50 mix of beer & sanitizer does not make for a happy stomach.

 

[Jeepinctbrewer]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Brendos]

Thanks for posting

 

[triangulum33]

It might sound a little intimidating, but once you have the basics down, it goes 5,000 times faster than bottling (and your back will thank you later on!):

1) Clean & sanitize the keg lid & transfer equipment, and make sure the keg is pressure ready (i.e. does it seal correctly & hold CO2?).

2) Clean the keg by filling it 1/2 way with PBW & water, seal the lid, shake to your hearts' content, empty. Repeat the same process with sanitizer, but attach your CO2 & beer lines and pump some of the sanitizer solution through the dispenser. That way, you're ensuring that nothing nasty will be waiting in your beer line to sabotage your brew.

3) Fill the keg by holding the line from your primary against the inside wall of the keg (in other words, avoid splashing or any movement that might mix oxygen with the beer).

4) Seal the lid & set it at the correct PSI. (Here's a handy guide for figuring that out.)

5) Wait a day or two, and pop the pressure release valve a few times to release any oxygen left over in the keg. (O2 is lighter than CO2, so it gets pushed to the top of the keg when pressurized.)

6) Wait a week or 2.

7) Set your regulator at serving PSI, and enjoy.

Edit: Remember to pour out the first 1/2 to 3/4 glass of brew when all is said and done. A 50/50 mix of beer & sanitizer does not make for a happy stomach.

4.5) Spray StarSan on your connections and disconnects to check for leaks. It really sucks checking on how your beer carbed up after a couple weeks and finding your CO2 bottle empty.

 

[jetmac]

It might sound a little intimidating, but once you have the basics down, it goes 5,000 times faster than bottling (and your back will thank you later on!):

1) Clean & sanitize the keg lid & transfer equipment, and make sure the keg is pressure ready (i.e. does it seal correctly & hold CO2?).

2) Clean the keg by filling it 1/2 way with PBW & water, seal the lid, shake to your hearts' content, empty. Repeat the same process with sanitizer, but attach your CO2 & beer lines and pump some of the sanitizer solution through the dispenser. That way, you're ensuring that nothing nasty will be waiting in your beer line to sabotage your brew.

3) Fill the keg by holding the line from your primary against the inside wall of the keg (in other words, avoid splashing or any movement that might mix oxygen with the beer).

4) Seal the lid & set it at the correct PSI. (Here's a handy guide for figuring that out.)

5) Wait a day or two, and pop the pressure release valve a few times to release any oxygen left over in the keg. (O2 is lighter than CO2, so it gets pushed to the top of the keg when pressurized.)

6) Wait a week or 2.

7) Set your regulator at serving PSI, and enjoy.

Edit: Remember to pour out the first 1/2 to 3/4 glass of brew when all is said and done. A 50/50 mix of beer & sanitizer does not make for a happy stomach.

4.1) Purge. Set pressure again. Purge. Set pressure again.

 

[WooHokie]

I'm new at kegging also, but my process is a bit different FWIW.

1) Follow all the cleaning and sanitizing steps above.
2) Attach the gas line to the keg and set pressure at around 25-30psi
3) Burp the keg a bit to let out any residual oxygen in the headspace
4) Leave at 30psi for 48 hours
5) After 48 hours, turn the gas line off and let all of the CO2 pressure out of the keg
6) Set the psi at 8-12psi (whatever you want to serve at)
7) Pour and enjoy

I haven't had any problems with this so far. Yes, it will get better the longer you let it sit and carbonate, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying a pint or two after you carb it up for 48 hours.

 

[bad67z]

I used these videos that Chris K. put together when I was getting started. They are quite well done and for a guy like me a visual aid is a better option that a set of written instructions. Good luck.

 

[Jeepinctbrewer]

Is it tyre you should get the keg cold for 24 ours before you hook up the co2

I think for the first 3 gallons of blonde ale I do, I will try the 2-3 day at 20 psi method, no shaking