Kegging first brew tonight. Very overwhelmed here

[Lodovico]

As always, HBT has a huge amount of really helpful information but I also find that there can be TOO much info when trying to do something for the first time.

I've found 100 opinions on how to keg your beer. I've read through the Kegging Stickys and FAQ's but now I'm confused on the best method.

- I've read to chill the keg first then keep connected to gas-

- I've read to just set your tank pressure and put in the fridge warm and let it cool as it gasses up
- I've read to agitate and shake the keg several times

- I've read that you don't need to do this


So I have a 5# tank, a pin-lock corny and a dual regulator. I'm kegging a Special Bitter.

Where is the most basic, sure fire method for kegging your first beer???

After your experience, how should I do it the first time to guarantee that I do it right?

I've also read about 10 opinions on the best way to bleed the oxygen from the tank.

Sorry, but sometimes you can have too much info to consider.

Simple suggestions??

 

[Reno_eNVy]

We just recently got into kegging and are on our third batch on tap. The first one we did, we put it in the keg and pressurized it (to ensure a good seal) and threw it in the fridge overnight to get it cold. Once chilled, we hooked it up to the tank again and set it to ~30 PSI and shook it for 20 seconds and repeated this 3 or 4 times.

With the second batch we kegged we had some time restraints to we just threw it in the fridge, hooked up the tank, set it to ~30 PSI and then let sit for 48 hours (don't go more than 48, you may over-carbonate.) After the 48 hours, we turned off the gas, bleed all/most of the pressure in the keg. Then, set the regulator to the proper PSI for the desired level of carbonation, turned the gas back on and let it do it's thing for a couple hours before pulling the first pint and enjoying.

Both ways resulted in a properly carbonated and delicious beer. It's really up to your preferences! Good luck!

 

[Yooper]

I'm not a shaker, and if I'm not in a huge hurry, I do the "set it and forget it" method.

I keg the beer, give it a shot of co2 at 30 psi and spray the top with some star-san solution to check for leaks. Then, purge it by pulling the pressure relief valve and give it another shot (to purge the O2 out). Put it in the kegerator overnight to chill. Next day, pull the pressure relief valve and hook it up to the gas at 11 psi. Come back in 10 days and drink.

If I'm in a big hurry, I keg and and place it on 30 psi for a day then purge it and set at 11 psi. It's carbed up in a day or two that way, but still better after about 10 days.

There isn't any "right" way to do it. I think the set it and forget method is the easiest, but it takes the longest.

 

[samc]

+1 on Yooper's method just to make life easy for you. I am closer to 8 psi @ 37F for the carb level I prefer. Don't like the shake method either, prefer anything that has settled at the bottom to stay at the bottom of the keg.

 

[Lodovico]

So, just to summarize how I do this. Please let me know if I'm understanding this correctly. I know nothing about CO2 or kegging at all


- I'm going to clean and sanitize the keg and fittings

- Run cleaner and no rinse sanitizer through the lines by putting a little gas in the keg and pouring it through the tap.

- Get beer into the keg

- Turn on the gas to 30 PSI and check for leaks. Then open the valve on top of the keg a few times to let out the oxygen.

- Then turn the PSI to the level I want the beer at eventually (15 in this case) and then with the tank turned on and set to 15 PSI, I put the tank and keg in the fridge and just wait.

10 days from tonight, check it and see where it's at. Am I missing anything here or should I do anything different??

Thanks for listening to these basic kegging questions.

 

[Bobby_M]

That's it. When you pressurize to run sanitizer out, you only need about a gallon in there. Shake the keg to coat the walls the flip it upside down and press the gas poppet so you shoot some out there. Then put it right side up and dispense the rest of the sanitizer through the serving line.

After 10 days, you'll have some carbonation but it won't be fully there yet. That takes about 16-18 days.

 

[samc]

Better to chill the keg down first before leaving it at 15psi. Do the 30psi purge then chill keg. Or if you do it your method keep checking the psi as it can change drastically as the keg cools down.

I would shoot a bit of CO2 into the keg prior to putting any beer in and then check for leaks if you have never used those kegs. Best to find out if you have a problem before you put the beer in and start panic mode. Then after you have the beer in you are going to want to check the lid again for leaks, the posts should be ok from the first check but does not hurt to do a quick check on those as well.

 

[fartingdog]

After 10 days, you'll have some carbonation but it won't be fully there yet. That takes about 16-18 days.

I'd disagree on that- Mine are perfectly carbed in 7 days at 12-13 psi ~40-ishº.

Of course I'm an impatient bastard, so i usually start drinking it at 5 days, but at 7 days it's peaked.

 

[Lodovico]

"After 10 days, you'll have some carbonation but it won't be fully there yet. That takes about 16-18 days"

Really? Wow. I was under the impression that most beers will be fully carbed in 10 or so days when kegging. That's part of why I wanted to start kegging but 16-18 days isn't that much quicker than bottle carbing. Hmm.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I start drinking mine at 1 week, at two weeks they are fully carbed.

 

[david_42]

Ten days has always done it for me.

OP - you will never get ONE answer to anything on this board.

Not even for, "Is beer good?"

 

[Bobby_M]

I'd disagree on that- Mine are perfectly carbed in 7 days at 12-13 psi ~40-ishº.

Of course I'm an impatient bastard, so i usually start drinking it at 5 days, but at 7 days it's peaked.

You can disagree all day but you're not going to hit the chart pressure in 7 days. If the chart says 12psi at 40F will give you 2.47 volumes of CO2, you MIGHT be at 1.5 volumes in 7 days and you might think that's "perfectly carbed". This is the catalyst for most of the "bottle conditioned beer product finer bubbles" argument.

Here's a test for you. At day 7, remove the gas supply to the keg and put a 0-30psi gauge on the keg. It should read 12psi if that's what the regulator was set to. Come back in 24 hours. If you still have exactly 12psi, you're absolutely right. You were fully carbed, my bad.

 

[Bobby_M]

"After 10 days, you'll have some carbonation but it won't be fully there yet. That takes about 16-18 days"

Really? Wow. I was under the impression that most beers will be fully carbed in 10 or so days when kegging. That's part of why I wanted to start kegging but 16-18 days isn't that much quicker than bottle carbing. Hmm.

Your beer doesn't taste good in 10 days anyway. Maybe it does but it will be better a week later.

 

[Lodovico]

So the gas remains on at all times even once fully carbed, correct??

 

[chipsah]

So the gas remains on at all times even once fully carbed, correct??

Depending on what you call fully carbed. I agree with Bobby, and thus leave constant CO2 for at least two weeks. Depending on the situation, I will kill the CO2 after that, just turning it on for serving when needed. Again, to each his/her own. You have the basic idea down pretty well. Biggest thing, unless it is turning out dead wrong, don't get too bogged down in the minutia. Everyone here does it a little different and everyone's method is right for them. Find what works for you.

 

[Lodovico]

I think something might be wrong. I followed all of the steps last night and after filling the keg and then purging several times, I set it at 14 PSI and put everything in the fridge.

When I set it last night the left hand gauge read about 700 PSI in the tank and 14 PSI going to the keg.

This morning I opened the fridge and the left hand gauge is below 600 and the right hand side is at like 8 PSI.

What does this mean? Why am I losing pressure on both sides?? Did I get a bum tank or keg or is this normal??

 

[rcrabb22]

you might have a leak. Dumb question: are all the valves in the open position? (main tank and check valves)

Check all connections. Make sure you didn't over tighten any of the hose clamps to the point of cutting into the gas hose. If soapy water isn't revealing a leak, you can try water too. Remove the gas line disconnect from the keg and place it in a pail of water while under pressure, look for any bubbles. Use duct tape on outside of keg top to cover handles and gaps so it will hold water for a bit. Fill the top of the corney with water while under pressure and look for any bubbles. Check all hose connections from the regulator and also regulator to tank connection. Leaks can be hard to find, especially slow leaks.

 

[Lodovico]

It seems like I'm reading a lot of other posts about the pressure dropping when you first chill a CO2 tank. Could this be what's happening??

I guess I should just turn it back up to 14 PSI and wait to see if it stabilizes?

So do most fine that both gauges drop once the temperature goes down??

 

[Bobby_M]

The tank gauge dropped because you put the tank in the cold. No big deal. Also, you set the reg to 14 when it was warm, likely the regulator spring contracted a bit when it cooled off so it reset the pressure lower. Now that the temp is stabilized, you should be able to set it to your 14psi and it will hold there.

 

[rcrabb22]

Sorry, I missed the fact you put everything in the 'fridge. That would explain the drop in guage readings.

 

[IrregularPulse]

And about leaving the gas on or turning it off, if you have a balanced system with no leaks, there's no reason to ever turn the gas off.

 

[JesseRC]

Geez guys, just keep it simple . Set it and forget it . That's that best advice for a beginner. Down the road you can try other techniques. Otherwise every beginner will be troubleshooting there keggin system with there 1st keg, not the best experience. Set it and forget it at 10 psi, start drink after 7 days , and it gets better past 3 weeks.

 

[Lodovico]

Thanks for all of the advice. The regulators seemed to hold steady after dropping way down after going in the fridge.

My tank was just filled and the gauge on the left is just above the "Need Gas" line. Will this be ok as long as it doesn't go any lower???

Where should this gauge read on a recently filled 5# tank that is chilled? There must be a normal level for a full tank, right?

Also, I attached the serving line last night and when I attached it, some beer and sediment filled the line. I'm assuming that once you keg, the excess just sits in that serving line until you are done with the keg, right?

 

[Bobby_M]

The tank pressure is directly dictated by the temperature of the tank whether it's full of liquid CO2 or nearly empty. It will then drop further after there's no more liquid CO2 left and the gaseous CO2 starts moving into the regulator.

Yes, liquid is always in the serving line.