keg as secondary instead of carboy

[williec30]

hello all...

i have a two sided question about using a keg during secondary. one, can i age the beer in the keg un-refrigerated? or should the beer be chilled right after put in the keg?

second... how long can the beer go without carbonating it? i only have enough space for 3 corny kegs in the fridge and would like to delay as much as possible.

given that i only have 3 gas hookups, i understand that self carbonation might be an option for me as well... my main question revolves around refrigeration and how important it is to the process.

thanks in advance!

 

[McKBrew]

You can easily use a keg for a secondary and store at room temperature. Just add a quick shot of CO2 from your kegging system and place the beer in a cool place. Depending on the OG of the beer, you'll be good for months.

 

[Moonpile]

Kegs are great for storage, refrigerated or not. You should at least use your CO2 to add some pressure to set the lid. You can carb it at room temperature or in your fridge, or you can leave it uncarbonated until you're ready to carb it. Carbing it is a bit safer, since you know that you have postive pressure inside your keg.

You'll want to refrigerate for at least 24 hours and preferably much more than that before serving.

 

[jbodkin]

I am also interested in doing this ... So you just Rack from your Primary (after ferm stops) ... then hit with 30lbs of CO2 to seal the lid and let it ride? So it does not need to have an AirLock to allow gas to escape like when you use a carboy? ... Sorry for the stupid question

 

[Pivzavod]

I cant wait to get a kegerator with 3 cornies, 2 on tap and one lagering with 2 more cornies at room temp as secondaries.

 

[carnevoodoo]

I am also interested in doing this ... So you just Rack from your Primary (after ferm stops) ... then hit with 30lbs of CO2 to seal the lid and let it ride? So it does not need to have an AirLock to allow gas to escape like when you use a carboy? ... Sorry for the stupid question

No airlock is needed. Those kegs are good up to a pressure way higher than you're capable of getting if your primary fermentation is complete. I always primary and go straight into kegs. I release some of the co2 as I am filling it to make sure I purge any potential O2 that might be in there.

 

[williec30]

many thanks for the replies...

so what about priming for self carbonation if i want to age the keg... anyone doing this? or is it better to carb with straight co2?

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

I can fit six cornies in my kegerator.

If I have a better bottle in there, I can only fit four cornies. I am going to try using a cornie for a lager secondary, I can fit more in that way.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Short answer. yes. But you want to seal the keg, bleed out any O2. Then it depends on what your goal is.
Long answer:
Priming with sugar is an option with conditioning in a keg, but it will add to the gunk that builds up on top.
You can cut an little off of the dip tube to sit above it, or bend it a little more. But just like racking the lighter "stuff" will float up into it. Not a big deal unless you are shooting for that super clear, ultimate look.
I use kegs as bright tanks all the time. Primary, then once it is somewhat clear I go to secondary (one to three weeks). I let the beer condition in the secondary depending on the style. If it is a "big" beer, mead, or cider I crash cool it, then rack again into a keg, seal it with 20-30 lbs C02, purge the air, then let it sit until I need the keg for the next big thing.
Then I bottle, or I rack to another keg to serve from the keggerator.

 

[williec30]

i learned something new tonight... someone please check my math on this.

when using my keg as a secondary, i DO NOT want to leave co2 pressure in the keg. i was told that if there is too much pressure in the keg, the fermentation process will stop. so if i want to let the keg sit for a while to age (weeks), i should purge all the gas after racking.

is that right?

 

[WBC]

You can have pressure on the keg but not too high. I always ferment in the primary 2 to 3 weeks and then keg. I always put pressure on the keg to seat the o'rings and check for leaks. If none are detected I let it sit at 70 F to condition for 2 to 4 weeks and then carbonate in the fridge at 36 F for 7 days. Now I am ready to drink my beer at any time. I have no need to hurry because I keep enough beer in the pipeline. I have 9 Corny's.

 

[williec30]

thanks wbc... i will give that a shot.