i have everything but co2 tank

[HoboBrewery]

i have everything i need to keg- a good regulator, clean new beer and gas lines, a fridge... but no co2 tank yet.

last weekend i kegged my brooklyn lager clone (didn't intend for it to be a clone but damn it tastes exactly like it) with a brand new (used) corny. NB ships it purged with co2 to show you it holds pressure so i know it'll hold.

what i didn't take into account is that the co2 tank's pressure also acts as a way to force the top shut on the corny.

anyway, sidetracked...

i see people saying all the time on the forums, "You can naturally carbonate a keg." but then they say, "but you should probably purge the headspace with co2 from your tank."

i wish i had the luxury of a tank but i don't. so, take the purging out of the picture. ok ill probably get some oxidation. it is what it is.

what i'm looking for are testimonies of people that are (or were) in the same boat as me- someone that kegged a batch WITHOUT a co2 tank at any point. and how it turned out.

what should i be expecting? is the beer going to be carbonated or is it going to be flat since the co2 might be able to escape? should i just bottle it via the keg? i know people say you should put less sugar in, but since I don't have co2 tank, i put 5 ozs of corn sugar in it in hopes it'll overcarbonate, will tightly seal the corny lid, and will still have co2 by the time it's about to be finished.

i'm going to drink this all in one night with friends so no worries about it sitting in there too long after pouring a beer. i'm going to gravity pour- call it a broke ass cask (complete with oak chips).

 

[pjj2ba]

With natural carbing, you will get a bunch of yeast in the bottom of the keg. The first 3-4 pints will be loaded with yeast (fart food). You will want to be as gentle as possible when moving the keg around. When serving without CO2, you eventually won't have enough pressure to push more beer out.

Ideally it is nice to hit a just filled keg with a shot of CO2 to make sure everything seats and seals properly. It isn't required though. I have had a few kegs leak though and fail to carb properly. Give a quick lift of the pressure relief valve if you hear any hiss, you should be good. If deafeningly silent, you may need to add more sugar and re-seat the lid

What I would do, is lay the keg on it's side and serve it out of the gas in post. Probably even have the keg tipped down a bit with the gas in post at the lowest point. I'd also put it in this position NOW so the yeast will settle where it will be the least disturbed when hooking it up to serve. Once the pressure drops after serving a few beers, you need to rig up a vent through the normal beer out post to prevent pulling a vacuum. This can be a simple as sticking a disconnect on it (maybe with a short length of hose to make sure it is above the beer line inside.

Now to that missing CO2 tank. If you have the space, buy a 20 lb tank. I started out with a 5 lb tank. It costs me about $14 to get it filled. I just bought a 20 lb tank. It cost ~$35 more compared to the 5 lb tank. However, it only costs me $18 to get it filled (labor it the biggest cost). So using the 5 lb tank, going through 20 lbs of CO2 would cost $48. With one filling of the 20 lb tank, by the time it runs out, it has paid for the extra initial expense, plus not having to make 3 additional trips to the gas supplier.

 

[DubBrew]

If you have the space, buy a 20 lb tank. I started out with a 5 lb tank. It costs me about $14 to get it filled. I just bought a 20 lb tank. It cost ~$35 more compared to the 5 lb tank. However, it only costs me $18 to get it filled (labor it the biggest cost). So using the 5 lb tank, going through 20 lbs of CO2 would cost $48. With one filling of the 20 lb tank, by the time it runs out, it has paid for the extra initial expense, plus not having to make 3 additional trips to the gas supplier.

+1

I had a five pound but I found a twenty on craigslist for cheap and in one fill it will pay for itself. The gas store is far from me and has bad hours so the less often I have to go the better. I still use the five but only if I'm going somewhere.

 

[HoboBrewery]

thanks guys. obviously a whole lot of people have never been in this predicament and i don't blame them. to be safe, i'm going to give it a few more days. my first attempt to pull the relief valve was silent. if, by brew day this weekend, i still have nothing, i'm just going to bottle these up so i don't lose any hope.

as for the tank, i'll probably get one in a couple weeks. i agree on the size- i'd never get a 5 lb considering it's 30 more for a 20 lb.

one thing's for sure- kegging takes ALL the work out of bottling.

 

[P-J]

Just go to a paintball shop in your area and pick up a 20 oz tank. While you are there you will need to pick up this:

Smart Parts On-Off Valve Adapter

This will alow you to use it with a standard regulator that you already have. The PB shops refill those tanks for real cheap.

 

[Duckfoot]

Don't poo poo a 5lb CO2 tank... They are great when you have been "volunteered" to provide beer for a party, hootenanny, shindig, etc etc etc, and you need to take it to someone else's house... Who wants to haul a 20lb tank for that?

I am considering getting a 100lb-er here soon... Force carbing 6 kegs for a Super Bowl party takes its toll on a 20lb-er....

 

[HoboBrewery]

while i agree not too poo poo a volunteer beer drinking session, i'm not going to spend 100 right now plus gas fill to get my friends drunk when i can get them drunk @ 5 cents a bottle for empties from the local beer distributer.

.05 per bottle x 48 bottles= $2.40 per 5 gal batch

$100 + fill= at least $120

118 dollars saved= bottle time

 

[P-J]

Don't poo poo a 5lb CO2 tank... They are great when you have been "volunteered" to provide beer for a party, hootenanny, shindig, etc etc etc, and you need to take it to someone else's house... Who wants to haul a 20lb tank for that?

I am considering getting a 100lb-er here soon... Force carbing 6 kegs for a Super Bowl party takes its toll on a 20lb-er....

Ha.! If you go with the 100lb-er, get it fitted with a dip tube extended to the bottom of the tank. This way you can use it to refill your smaller tanks.

I have my 20lb-er fitted that way and use it to refill PB tanks and my 2-1/2lb tanks.

 

[pjj2ba]

Don't poo poo a 5lb CO2 tank... They are great when you have been "volunteered" to provide beer for a party, hootenanny, shindig, etc etc etc, and you need to take it to someone else's house... Who wants to haul a 20lb tank for that?

I am considering getting a 100lb-er here soon... Force carbing 6 kegs for a Super Bowl party takes its toll on a 20lb-er....

I'm not poo pooing them. I started with a 5 lb, then bought a 10 lb, then a friend gave me a 20lb, which unfortunately, failed it's re-certification, hence buying a new 20 lb-er. I use the 10 lb tank to serve, the 20 lb to carbonate, and use the 5 lb tank to purge carboys, kegs, push beer from carboy to carboy, or keg, and for parties outside the home.

 

[Duckfoot]

while i agree not too poo poo a volunteer beer drinking session, i'm not going to spend 100 right now plus gas fill to get my friends drunk when i can get them drunk @ 5 cents a bottle for empties from the local beer distributer.

.05 per bottle x 48 bottles= $2.40 per 5 gal batch

$100 + fill= at least $120

118 dollars saved= bottle time

While I understand your predicament, I look at it as an investment in your future brewing...

Absolutely, you can naturally carb your kegged brews... I have never done that... I assume that it will work, as many have done it before, however I prefer a force carb for my needs at the moment....

I don't understand where you get "$100 + fill = at least $120"... I bought my new 5lb tank from Micormatic - 5bl Tank and with a fill, was around $80... Maybe fills and shipping up the price for you?..

I would suggest trolling your local Craigslist for CO2 tanks... I was lucky enough to find a full 20lb tank for $75... The trade in for a full replacement at the local (and expensive industrial gas place) was $35...

Good luck!