First Time Corny Kegging

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

MrHadack

Crafty
Joined
Nov 21, 2010
Messages
343
Reaction score
92
Location
Boston
Hey all. I have a Munich Helles that has been lagering for months now, and I wanted to have it available for the first day of Spring. I am going to use my new corny keg for this occasion and it is the first time I have ever kegged. I think I have the basics down, but I want to make sure I don't ruin the beer in the process.

I don't have a kegerator yet, so this keg will be stored at somewhere between 60-65 degrees in the basement. I will use a cooling coil or some other method to make the beer cold out of the tap. Based on temperature and style, I figured I should set the regulator to 23psi to end up with 2.5 volumes of CO2.

I guess my questions are:
1. Are my calculations correct?
2. Is it okay to store the keg at that temperature? My thinking is that if it is sanitized and pressurized the entire time, it should last a few weeks. Is this accurate or am I making a mistake?

Any other advice people could lend regarding their experiences, dos and don'ts with keggin would be helpful.

Thanks!
 
Lastly: I may be able to modify an old refrigerator for use with corny kegs, though it will be kept in my garage. The temperature can fluctuate quite a bit out there, so I was wondering it is possible to keep the tank in the fridge with the kegs so that it does get too hot in the summer.
 
I am fairly new to legging also. I use a spare fridge for my kegs and have all the kegs in the fridge. I do keep the CO2 tank in the fridge and it works great. I can fit the tank with the dual regulator and 4 kegs in an emptied out freezer on top fridge. I just took out all the shelves except the bottom drawers. One major suggestion is to get a fridge thermometer and make sure the fridge is on a couple days before you start. To get an accurate carbonation level you need to know the temp of the fridge and also know that it will be somewhat consistent. Hope that helps.
 
Cool, thanks for the post. The fridge has been on for over a year, as it serves as my beer fridge in general. That's where the carboy with the Helles is currently lagering. :) The temperature is pretty consistent. This should make it really easy, then.
 
I keep my CO2 tank in the fridge as well. Just be aware that the temp change from warm to cool will make the high pressure gauge that reads the tank pressure drop drastically. Just so you don't freak and think you're out of CO2.
 
As far as the actual process goes, do I ever turn off the gas and disconnect the tank, or do I leave it hooked up with gas on for the entire time?
 
You will want to keep the co2 connected the whole time. The air is what pushes the beer out of the keg.
 
Back
Top