Do you refrigerate the keg when naturally carbonating?

[RyanSweeney]

Hey guys...I am new to kegging. I forced carb'd my first batch, but I want to naturally carb the second batch. I've found out how to do it, with respect to how much corn sugar to add, how to seal the keg, etc......but I can't find out whether you're supposed to chuck the keg into the kegerator now or wait until it is sufficiently carbonated.

Anybody know? Thanks.

 

[Tombstone0]

You can't refrigerate the keg until after it's carbonated if you're naturally carbonating. The yeast will go dormant at refrigerator temperatures. Let the keg sit at 70 degrees for at least 3 weeks to allow for proper carbonation and conditioning.

 

[Swib]

Hey guys...I am new to kegging. I forced carb'd my first batch, but I want to naturally carb the second batch. I've found out how to do it, with respect to how much corn sugar to add, how to seal the keg, etc......but I can't find out whether you're supposed to chuck the keg into the kegerator now or wait until it is sufficiently carbonated.

Anybody know? Thanks.

Do not chill the keg, leave at your normal fermentation temperature. Basically natural carbonation occurs because the yeast remaining in your beer eats the newly added sugar. If you chill it you'll make the yeast go dormant and they won't eat the sugar, which will leave you with flat, slightly sweeter beer.

 

[Ace_Club]

+1 to all the above.

One nice thing about naturally carbing in a keg as opposed to bottles is you don't have to worry about sunlight.

 

[devilishprune]

Treat it like a big bottle. Do as the above and leave it at 70 degrees F for 3 weeks then tap it.

 

[EarthBound]

+1 to all the above.

One nice thing about naturally carbing in a keg as opposed to bottles is you don't have to worry about sunlight.

Why would you worry about that? Keep it in a closet or something.

 

[Ace_Club]

Why would you worry about that? Keep it in a closet or something.

Ummm...that's my point. With bottles you have to keep them out of sunlight, with a keg you don't have to worry about it.