help with kegging.. what to do next?

[kickflip_mj]

i have a porter that i just put into a corney after it hit FG in the Primary. what do i do now? i own a keggerator but never used it and i am trying to figure out how to get the beer in the keg drinkable.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

1. Hook up the gas to the gas-in pin on your keg.
2. Hook up the tap to the other pin.
3. Turn CO2 tank on so it's at around 10-15psi (this depends on your kegerator temp.)
4. Wait about 3-4 days and try it. It should be drinkable at this point.

 

[Shooter]

I really don't know much about kegging...yet, but did you prime this batch or are you force carbonating? I'm guessing, again no experience here, that might dictate your next step.

 

[kickflip_mj]

do i try to cold crash the keg? i dont even know how to do it.

 

[rsmith179]

You'll be chilling the beer in the kegerator, right? If so, no real need to cold crash unless you want to drop out some suspended crap in your brew. Wait until the beer clears naturally and then transfer to the keg. Throw the full keg in the fridge and apply the approriate amount of CO2 for carbing your beer.

 

[Shooter]

Are you cold crashing to drop out yeast?? Is there ANY pressure in the keg at this point, even enough to seat the lid? Again, I'm kind of the wrong person to be answering here, but, it seems like more information is needed. So, you transferred the porter into the keg and then what? Are you asking how to carbonate it? What do you mean by "get the beer in the keg drinkable"?

 

[kickflip_mj]

what happens if its not 100% clear and there still gets some trub on the bottom of the keg? i know people use cornies as secondaries some times how do they clear their beer?

 

[wildwest450]

what happens if its not 100% clear and there still gets some trub on the bottom of the keg? i know people use cornies as secondaries some times how do they clear their beer?

Only time will clear your beer, it's a porter don't sweat it. Throw it in the kegerator, set your psi (use the chart in my sig) and walk away for at least a week, at LEAST! Your beer will only benefit from some aging.

 

[BeardedSquash]

Some small sediment won't matter, it will get pulled in the first few draws. Set your psi to 15 and you'll be ready to roll in a few days. BUT remember to drop the psi and bleed the excess off before serving. A good rule of thumb is around 2 psi per foot of line. If your line is short, that 15 psi will foam the hell out of you.

 

[wildwest450]

Some small sediment won't matter, it will get pulled in the first few draws. Set your psi to 15 and you'll be ready to roll in a few days. BUT remember to drop the psi and bleed the excess off before serving. A good rule of thumb is around 2 psi per foot of line. If your line is short, that 15 psi will foam the hell out of you.

Actually your psi should be set to your desired carbonation and your temps. You should never set psi to accommodate line length.

 

[BeardedSquash]

That's what I read when I started kegging, but I'll take your chart over some forum post, (as should kickflip mj). I've always used my 3 foot line with around 5 psi, and aside from some recent troubles, I've been fine. Do you accommodate length of line to the needed psi then?

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

That's what I read when I started kegging, but I'll take your chart over some forum post, (as should kickflip mj). I've always used my 3 foot line with around 5 psi, and aside from some recent troubles, I've been fine. Do you accommodate length of line to the needed psi then?

How fast do you drink your kegs? I did the same thing for awhile, until one of my kegs took longer than a month to finish. Toward the end, the beer started getting very flat. I now keep my beer at carbonating pressure at all times. I carbonate from 12-15psi and haven't had a problem since. My lines are about 6ft. though (as most peoples should be) to cut down on foam.

 

[wildwest450]

That's what I read when I started kegging, but I'll take your chart over some forum post, (as should kickflip mj). I've always used my 3 foot line with around 5 psi, and aside from some recent troubles, I've been fine. Do you accommodate length of line to the needed psi then?

Yes. You would certainly benefit from some longer line. I would would start with at least 6 feet, or longer, you can cut it down to speed up flow. Most people do adjust psi to match their setup, but that's just a band aid. If you run a low psi to prevent foaming your co2 will break out of solution causing a loss of carbonation.

Here is a good resource for getting the basics down. Keep in mind this site caters to commercially kegged beers, so their temp suggestions are a bit low.
Keg Draft Beer Questions

 

[BeardedSquash]

How fast do you drink your kegs? I did the same thing for awhile, until one of my kegs took longer than a month to finish. Toward the end, the beer started getting very flat. I now keep my beer at carbonating pressure at all times. I carbonate from 12-15psi and haven't had a problem since. My lines are about 6ft. though (as most peoples should be) to cut down on foam.

I have a lot of thirsty friends and only one keg, so it rarely lasts more than 2 weeks in my house. I could definitely see the problem with longer lasting kegs, though.

 

[kickflip_mj]

so i am going to fill the tank and put that baby under some pressure.... next thing is i have an oktoberfest in the primary and its fermenting away... 2 weeks now( crazy fermentation) and when do i decide to lager it or put it in a secondary carboy? or a corney?