How to keg?

[cubbies]

I have done a search on this site and I wasnt able to come up with what I was looking for. Can anyone point me to a link that gives a basic how to on kegging. I am 100% inexperienced...I dont own any kegs, no CO2, and have never done anything outside of bottling, so the more basic the better.

Thanks in advance.

 

[skou]

As a hint, try looking at the stickies at the top of this section.

steve

 

[cubbies]

Thanks for your help, but I already looked there and didnt find much. The only thing that I saw was the Wiki, that I already read. I guess I was looking for a little more.

Thanks anyway.

 

[EdWort]

Here you go.

How to keg home brew.

 

[cubbies]

Thanks a lot, that is more along the lines of what I was looking for.

 

[Buford]

Well, to get started with just the basics, you need a keg, a CO2 source, lines with QDs, and a tap. That's all you truly need to do it, but that would be a very rudimentary setup. You need some kind of way to chill the beer, a fridge being the easiest and most common method.

Kegs come in two common types - pin lock and ball lock. Either works, but quick disconnects for one kind won't work with the other kind. I personally have all ball-lock kegs.

Getting kegs - you can buy new, refurbished, or straight-out-the-scrapyard. I went the scrapyard keg method but they required a good deal of cleaning and parts replacement. For the trouble saved and money I'd recommend refurbished kegs. The important things regarding whatever kegs you get is that they hold pressure and that the seals are good, and that the kegs don't have any rusty spots inside. Generally refurbished kegs come with new seals and poppets, but if you chose to do it yourself you will need to get a set and invest in some Bar Keeper's Friend and a Scotchbrite pad - you will need it. You will also need a wrench to get the posts off the keg, but kegs vary on the types needed. Keg lids also vary on the types of pressure relief valves they use, and you often don't have a choice in what you end up with. Be wary as some pressure relief valve styles aren't manufactured anymore; most kegs seem to use the Corko pull-ring poppet type which are easy to find.

Beer line - if you don't have a kegerator or jockey box set up you can use a plastic picnic tap on the end of the beer line. You will want around 5 to 6 feet of 3/16" ID beverage line for this. You will need a liquid disconnect to attach to the keg, and I would greatly recommend getting one with a flare connector over the barbed type so you can remove it without damaging your beer line.

CO2 - For this you will need vinyl gas tubing (length doesn't matter), a regulator, a CO2 tank, and a gas quick disconnect for your keg type. Again I would recommend flare fittings over barbed for the QD. Size of the CO2 tank doesn't matter, but usually 5# ones are the biggest you can get in a small fridge kegerator. Keep in mind that larger tanks are cheaper to fill overall (you're paying more for the labor than the gas), so if space is not a concern go bigger. A regulator is used to adjust the pressure and can have one or two gauges. If it has two gauges, the high side gauge reading will only change with temperature and doesn't serve much purpose other than giving a little advance warning that your tank is going empty (it will rapidly start to drop after all of the liquid CO2 in the tank has been reduced to gas as it approaches empty). Both types of regulators will have a low-side gauge, and try to get one that goes to maybe 60 PSI at max so you can better fine-tune your serving pressure. With 5-6 ft of beer line you will want to serve around 11-12 PSI. Many times regulators don't come with check valves - I would definitely recommend adding one to your gas line if it doesn't so you don't accidentally screw up the regulator with beer backflow into it.

One thing to note about gas connections is that they must be TIGHT. if it's metal-on-metal connection be sure to either use a fiber or plastic washer that fits, or teflon tape on the threads, A small leak can empy a tank in no time... I've been there.

To prepare your keg for filling just take it completely apart and make sure it's good and clean. Sanitize it and all parts (this includes your beer line and tap, but not any gas hardware) with your favorite sanitizer (I use Star-san) and reassemble. Rack beer into the keg the same way you'd rack to a carboy, attach the lid, and hook it up to gas to seat the lid. You will want to pull the pressure release a couple times to vent the lighter atmospheric air out of the keg. Chill the keg and leave it on gas at serving pressure for a week to carbonate, or you can force carb a chilled keg quicker at higher pressure with agitation.

That's pretty much all there is to it. One you have it set up it's much easier than bottling.

 

[cubbies]

Wow, thanks a lot for all that. I didnt really expect someone to spend the time to spell it all out for me. I truly do appreciate it.

Unfortunately for me...I must be a little dense. Without being able to see all the stuff you are talking about (i.e flare connectors, barb), I have trouble grasping all of it. However, if I just picked up a basic kit, I could probably get the gist of it pretty quick.

How important is a fridge? The house I am currently at (and will be at for at least a few years) doesnt really allow me to have a fridge. The kitchen is kind of small, and therefore my indoor fridge is kind of small. I have a fridge in the garage but it is usually pretty full because of overflow from the small kitchen fridge, and it is very unlikely that I could get a fridge (unless it was small) into the basement. Would it be conceivable to keg my beer, carb at basement temp, and then keep it in a cooler of sorts for serving?

 

[Cheesefood]

How important is a fridge? The house I am currently at (and will be at for at least a few years) doesnt really allow me to have a fridge. The kitchen is kind of small, and therefore my indoor fridge is kind of small. I have a fridge in the garage but it is usually pretty full because of overflow from the small kitchen fridge, and it is very unlikely that I could get a fridge (unless it was small) into the basement. Would it be conceivable to keg my beer, carb at basement temp, and then keep it in a cooler of sorts for serving?

The fridge is crucial, otherwise you're going to have all sorts of bizarre things happening to your brew as you cool it off, heat it up, cool it off. It'll be almost impossible to get the correct amount of head.

If you can't install a kegerator, that's a stopper IMHO.

 

[cubbies]

Thanks...I guess that does put an end to it then. It would be feasible to put a small kegerator in the basement; however, I dont really have the money to be doing something like that right now. Guess I will have to continue bottling.

Thanks again for the information everyone.

 

[krispy d]

I wouldn't say the fridge was vital. keeping the beer cool is not nearly as important as keeping the temperature constant. your beer can probably live just fine for quite a while at 60 degrees. The constant temperature fluctuations on the other hand will kill it quick. you could build an insulated box (like a fermentation box) and chill it with ice (or heat it with a waterbed heater) to keep the temp constant and then push your beer through a Jockey box.

Don't get me wrong I HIGHLY recomend a fridge but I would be willing to bet you could do just fine without it. You'll just have to be creative.

 

[Cheesefood]

I wouldn't say the fridge was vital. keeping the beer cool is not nearly as important as keeping the temperature constant. your beer can probably live just fine for quite a while at 60 degrees. The constant temperature fluctuations on the other hand will kill it quick. you could build an insulated box (like a fermentation box) and chill it with ice (or heat it with a waterbed heater) to keep the temp constant and then push your beer through a Jockey box.

Don't get me wrong I HIGHLY recomend a fridge but I would be willing to bet you could do just fine without it. You'll just have to be creative.

Jockey Boxes aren't cheap.

 

[krispy d]

yeah I know I'm just saying that it probably can be done.

 

[cubbies]

Well in an effort to not give up (I really dont like giving up), I have looked into a couple of things, and I wonder if I could get some tips/advice. When I initially looked at kegerators, I just did a quick search and everything was coming back $650+ for a kegerator, plus I would have to buy keg equipment, shipping for the kegerator etc etc, and it was getting to be over $1000, which I am really not looking to spend that kind of money right now. However, upon doing these searches I also ran across conversion kits which I am sure you guys are much more familiar with than I am. Considering I could get a new, small fridge from a hardware store for around $150; or a used one from garage sale/ebay/craigslist for even cheaper, plus a conversion kit for lets say another $150 and all of a sudden it starts to look a lot more affordable.

I have two main questions on this...the first and most important is how skilled would one have to be to install one of these conversion kits? I am pretty handy, but if you are talking about welding or something like that, then I would have to avoid that. Secondly, how big of a fridge would you think I would need? 4.6 cu ft enough?

Again, thanks to everyone that is helping me out.

 

[olllllo]

Whatever you do. Do not get a cheap faucet.
Buy a Perlick or Shirron.

 

[olllllo]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/for/321796567.html

 

[the_bird]

You don't need a kegerator, per se, but you really need a fridge. Lots of people just use picnic taps, that's my plan for the foreseeable future (got almost all the gear, just nothing hooked up yet). Search craigslist for a cheap one (although honestly, I just dropped $350 on a brand new, full-sized fridge from Home Depot; nothing really very good for much less than that on Craigslist around here).

 

[cubbies]

I think that is probably going to be the route I go. I have to be careful because as I have described I have no room in my kitchen or garage, and the steps going down to my basement are kind of funny (tight fit). There is no way I would be able to get a full size fridge down there, but if I could get a small fridge that would hold a keg or two, then I could just use the picnic line, unless I find out that the conversion kit is doable for me. Either way, I dont think I want to bottle for very much longer.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'm sure you can find enough room in the garage fridge for one lonely little corny keg. I mean, if you really have to, you can stick to a 2.5 gallon keg. You can even get away with a portable canister style CO2 charger to dispense if you don't mind priming with sugar. Keeping the keg cold all the time is the only practical way if you like to randomly pull pints throughout the week. Can you imagine throwing ice into a jockey box everytime you want a beer. That's BS.

 

[homebrewer_99]

OK, I got my Hefe Weizen gassed up over 25 psi for 5 days. What's next?

When I dispense all I get is a glass of foam...when it subsides there are no bubbles...

One story I received said I should turn the psi down to 7 and de-gas whatever's in the keg then pour. Bubbles are present, but the head is still about 3". Should I reduce it by one? Two?

Another said to dispense using 2-3 psi. I did this, but all I got was a trickle then nothing.

Am I getting in the ballpark?

Thanks.

 

[cubbies]

Can you imagine throwing ice into a jockey box everytime you want a beer. That's BS.

Yeah that certainly wouldnt work for me. Like you said, I will drink a beer here and a beer there throughout the week and it would be a hassle to keep a keg cold in anything other than a fridge.

The reason I would not be able to fit the keg in my garage fridge is that I would have to take a shelf out in order to stand the keg up, and then likely we wouldnt have room for the other stuff we keep out there. As long as I can convince SWMBO to let me get a small fridge I can keep in the basement, I will just use that with a picnic spout. Eventually down the line, I would like to convert it to have the spout on top and all that fun stuff, but to get me going I could spend less than $300 and get everything that I actually need to keg.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Yeah that certainly wouldnt work for me. Like you said, I will drink a beer here and a beer there throughout the week and it would be a hassle to keep a keg cold in anything other than a fridge.

The reason I would not be able to fit the keg in my garage fridge is that I would have to take a shelf out in order to stand the keg up, and then likely we wouldnt have room for the other stuff we keep out there. As long as I can convince SWMBO to let me get a small fridge I can keep in the basement, I will just use that with a picnic spout. Eventually down the line, I would like to convert it to have the spout on top and all that fun stuff, but to get me going I could spend less than $300 and get everything that I actually need to keg.

You could build shelving out of plywood to accommodate both in the fridge.

 

[Cheesefood]

OK, I got my Hefe Weizen gassed up over 25 psi for 5 days. What's next?

When I dispense all I get is a glass of foam...when it subsides there are no bubbles...

One story I received said I should turn the psi down to 7 and de-gas whatever's in the keg then pour. Bubbles are present, but the head is still about 3". Should I reduce it by one? Two?

Another said to dispense using 2-3 psi. I did this, but all I got was a trickle then nothing.

Am I getting in the ballpark?

Thanks.

25 is high, drop to 15 and keep it cold. You need at least a week. I've said this before about speedy force-carbing: the bubbles aren't *infused* into the beer, they're simply in the beer. 10 days+ and you'll notice a big difference.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Thanks, Cheese.

 

[jar]

25 PSI doesn't sound out of line for a hefeweizen, depending on fridge temperature. The trick is with that kind of pressure you're going to need a long beer line to drop it before the faucet. Do some searching on 'draft system balancing', and you should be able to find a formula for length and diameter of beer line needed.

 

[Cheesefood]

25 PSI doesn't sound out of line for a hefeweizen, depending on fridge temperature. The trick is with that kind of pressure you're going to need a long beer line to drop it before the faucet. Do some searching on 'draft system balancing', and you should be able to find a formula for length and diameter of beer line needed.

I've ran two delicious kegs of hefe at 15psi. I upped it a little when it got below 30, then adjusted. Now that I'm using a fridge, I lock and load at ~15psi.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

25 PSI doesn't sound out of line for a hefeweizen, depending on fridge temperature. The trick is with that kind of pressure you're going to need a long beer line to drop it before the faucet. Do some searching on 'draft system balancing', and you should be able to find a formula for length and diameter of beer line needed.

Or buy 10 feet of that 3/8ths stuff and cut six inches off at a time until you get it right.

It's actually pretty simple, but not being good with numbers, those draft balancing charts get me confused. If you're the same, try my method.

 

[jfrizzell]

Or buy 10 feet of that 3/8ths stuff and cut six inches off at a time until you get it right.

It's actually pretty simple, but not being good with numbers, those draft balancing charts get me confused. If you're the same, try my method.

Uh, I think you mean 3/16". 3/8" beer line would have almost no pressure drop.

 

[Kevin Dean]

get me going I could spend less than $300 and get everything that I actually need to keg.

Sometimes thinking outside of the box is useful. Look at Craigslist a few times a day, covering area as far out as you're willing to go and within a week you may find a KILLER deal on kegging stuff.

At the VERY worst case scenario, you'll probably be able to find a fridge for under $50.

To the "buy a good faucet" I'd agree, don't spend $30 on a crappy faucet when the good once are $45, but CERTAINLY spend $5 to get a picnic tap vs bottling, I htink. I'd rather keg sub-optimally than bottle well.

 

[skou]

Yep, just got a used cornie keg, from the boss. Now, all I need is to put the whole rig together.

Reefer, free, from landlord.

20 pound (Coca-cola) Co2 bottle, from non-LHBS boss, $7.00.

Dual stage, 3 gauge regulator, shanks, faucets, QDs, and tubing, $20.00 from LHBS boss.

Single-handle cornie, $20.00 from LHBS boss.

Drill bit to cut hole in reefer door, already had it from another project.

$47.00 so far.

steve