Keg Question

[Onescalerguy]

I never intended to keg but i was just given 2 Corny's so i guess i'll give it a go.I got a 5# tank of CO2 and ordered the rest of what i needed from Northernbrewer.
Here's my question(probly 1 of many to come),do you still use corn sugar to prime or just CO2 it for carb.I don't know the process so any info would help.I could(should)research it for myself but i'm certain my HBT friends would love to help.Thanks in advance.
Cheers

 

[Brewsmith]

Some people do carb with corn sugar in the keg, but the straight CO2 method is the easiest and it's what I do. If you just hook up the keg at around 12 psi, it will be carbonated in a week. If you shake the keg, CO2 will go into solution faster and you can get it carbed up much sooner. You can also set the regulator higher, like 30 psi, and then turn it down before it's carbed up all the way so it coasts to proper carbonation, and you'll shave a couple days off the time.

 

[gnef]

i don't know. i hear that method all the time, and i read so many threads about people missing their desired volumes of co2, or pouring foam.

yes, you might be able to carbonate more quickly, but for what? i feel you should let it age at least as long as you would in bottles, to me it's only better for the beer.

i feel the best way to carb, is just to set your regulator to whatever psi you need for the proper volumes of co2 at the temp you are keeping the kegs at. leave it like this for 2-3 weeks. after that, it should be carbed just to where you want it, plus it will taste better after the additional aging.

the next best way to carb, would be to use a diffusion stone. this would be recommended for after allowing the beer to age well. the diffusion stone will carb the beer in a matter of hours to the correct level you want.

i feel all the other ways have too many unknowns and at the end, most of the time you don't know how well it is carbed, and usually will need to adjust it continually.

in my mind, save yourself the trouble, and just let it sit on pressure and wait for it to carb. less trouble, and you will know for sure that it is carbed to the level you desire.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

I try to follow this same rule:

Keep it Simple Stupid, and RDWHAH.

Why overcomplicate things?

 

[david_42]

There are five or six ways to carbonate a keg:

Add priming sugar.
Force carbonation at the beginning of the aging period.
" at the end
At serving pressure in the kegger
Not carbonating & calling it REAL ale

Combinations. All of these methods work and produce similar results (except for the flat ale).

I've never made a comparison and would be really surprised if anyone else has. If I'm doing a kit and they included priming sugar, I'll toss it in. If not, I don't bother. In both cases, I put a little pressure on the keg to seat the lid.

 

[KitrGy]

I was in the same boat as you, I got 2x 5 gal kegs given to me too. So I had to buy a little fridge. I just threw the keg in the fridge till it was cold and than put the co2 to it. I went a little higher on the pressure than the volumes chart said and did the shake method. you could hear the CO2 running in when you would shake it. I then set it to pressure on volumes chart and it seemed to work well I did pour off some mugs later that night and it was carbed ok. one thing I found after awhile was I was getting too high of pouring pressure causing foaming, but my hose was too short and to big of I.D. tubing. It seems you have to balance that a bit to get the proper pressure drop in the serving hose so you can have your 12 PSI in the keg, (or whatever) but less pressure at the tap. someone else that knows more than me may want to comment on that.
Cheers, You'll likely never bottle again.
good luck.

 

[Ol' Grog]

As others have said, aging/conditioning will be you biggest concern. I have learned that even though I'm kegging, it DOES NOT speed up aging which means that YOU CAN NOT drink the beer early. Now, you can carb condition it quicker, but if it's not ready, it's not ready and carbing will not speed that schedule up. It's better to let the brew age inside the keg after primary or secondary for a week or two before putting it in the kegerator on CO2. One thing about sugar priming a keg, your going to get a lot of sediment on the bottom of the keg. Be prepared to dump the first couple of mugs down the drain unless farting is something you can live with.