Finishing in a Corny....

[kb2kir]

I used the search function but either the answer to my question was not there or I overlooked it.
I can usually find the answers I need.
I currently bottle 5 gallons at a time from beer kits.
I LOVE the fresh taste and lack of additives in my home made beer, and at this time I am quite satisfied, and do not care to take it to the next level. ( Mash, etc)
The whole bottling - sterilizing process, while it works, is tedious as I brew two batches at a time for 10 gallons. This equates to about 100 bottles or so. My question is this: Can I obtain two Corny kegs, prime as i would to bottle and close the lid on them?
Will I need some sort of pop-off vale set at a specific pressure to avoid having to pick shrapnel out of the closet walls?
Or will the kegs "stand up" to the pressure.
Any pointers would be appreciated.
Happy Easter,
Joe T

 

[Baja_Brewer]

Yes, you can buy cornies, add the same amount of priming sugar and close them up. It is recommended to use co2 at about 30psi to to seat the lid properly, and then give it a couple more blasts and purge the oxygen that is left in there.

There is no need to vent the co2 while it is carbing, building up the pressure is kind of the point in forcing the carbonation into the beer. These kegs are pressure rated up to 130psi, and the purge valve should vent any excess co2 if it manages to reach that point.

 

[yeasty]

ok i am a little confused on this one. i thought when you kegged you forced carbonated for use in a kegerator or other sort of "tap". after it is conditioned in the corny what do you do with it ? you will have all that sediment on the bottom (where the beer comes out) and you cant drink 5 gal at once.....how do you dispense it ???

 

[ChshreCat]

You dispense it the same way you would if you force carbed it. Hook it up, set it to serving pressure, etc.

The sediment would be treated the same as well. Trim your dip tube to leave it (and a little beer behind), or you get the yeast out in the first few pints.

 

[JuanKenobi]

I used to prime in my cornies. Just remember that you actually want to use LESS priming sugar than you would to bottle. The general rule is to use 2/3 of a cup in place of the usual 3/4. Of course, you are better off finding a calculator to figure out how much to use by weight. I know Beersmith will do it for you and I'm sure there's a web based priming calculator around with a "prime in corny" option.

When I primed in cornies I didn't pressure seal the lids and never had a problem. Just stand the keg up upside down after racking (carefully so as not to aerate) on a paper towel. If it doesn't leak, you're all set.

Most of the sediment should pull off in the first pint or two. Anything left usually will stay put until the kegs empty as long as you don't disturb it.

FWIW, I don't see the point in priming cornies anymore. If you're set up to dispense the beer then you're set up to force carb. Check out the Force Carbing Methods sticky in the bottling/kegging forum if you're interested.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

you cant drink 5 gal at once.....

Says who?

What ^^^ they said

 

[ifishsum]

FWIW, I don't see the point in priming cornies anymore. If you're set up to dispense the beer then you're set up to force carb. Check out the Force Carbing Methods sticky in the bottling/kegging forum if you're interested.

What if you just want to let them sit and condition for a few weeks before hooking them up? Is there any reason not to prime them so they're carbed and ready when it's time to put them into rotation?

 

[944play]

Is there any reason not to prime them so they're carbed and ready when it's time to put them into rotation?

I can only think of two small reasons:
Less yeast sediment
Easier to hit carbonation target with force

 

[Chips]

I "corny condition" every other batch or so and let it sit around for a month or so as I find the extra time allows the flavour to really develop nicely.

There is sometimes an issue with the seating the lid as low pressure co2 will slowly leak out thus preventing your beer from carbonating. You can do as khuygie88 and give it a quick blast with ~30psi of pressure to seal it up, or if you like you can put a little Vaseline around the rubber o-ring which will prevent any possibly slow leaks (although you do need to be careful not to dip your vaseline covered lid into the beer when closing it!).

CO2 is also hard to find (and very expensive) near my house so i like the 'free' CO2 that the yeast give my beer and prefer to save the more expensive store-bought stuff for low-pressure pushing of the beer out of the tap.

And it's true, after the first pint or two your beer will come out nice and clear!