kegging warm

[kevin1065]

I am interested in kegging my beer. I don't have a refrigerator to put the keg in. could I keep the keg in my basement fill a growler, put it in the frig. to chill it to drink? what would be the pros an cons? Thanks..Kevin

 

[Dan]

Welcome to HBT, Kevin

Are you going to naturally carbonate your beer or force carb with a CO2 tank?

 

[ghohn]

It'll take a day to chill it. Also, moving the keg will disturb anything on the bottom so you're more apt to get some bit and pieces in your first few pulls.

 

[kevin1065]

I am going to carb with a co2 tank

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I'd say its possible but far from optimal, the temperature in your basement likely isnt that constant, and carbing without going to high pressures requires low temperatures.

I guess it depends really on how cold your basement gets. If it can hold in the low 40's consistently it should work but if its fluctuating between 30-50+ then it will be quite a pain to deal with.

Figure out your temps, then use this chart to figure out what pressure you need to set your regulator to get into the green zone.
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

That said you really should get a freezer or fridge asap, this wont really be do-able come spring/summer. If you do go with a party tap to fill growlers, buy a bottling wand if you dont have one, they fit snug in the party taps and let you pour beer at the bottom of your growler rather than just pouring it from 3-5" up near the lid, or trying to do some stupid tilt thing to fill it down the side...trust me it doesnt work unless you want a growler 1/2 filled with foam and flat beer.

 

[kevin1065]

FuzzeWuzze. sounds like I would need a frig. thanks for your input..

 

[TexasWine]

FuzzeWuzze. sounds like I would need a frig. thanks for your input..

Actually, you don't need a fridge. Buy one of these:

https://www.cool-brewing.com

and you'll be set.

Cooling a keg down in one of these is more manual labor than a refrigerator, but if you're like me and only use your keg every few months, then it's a big money and space saver.

Plus it's portable! Take it to your next picnic, throw in your keg and fill it with ice.

 

[TexasWine]

FuzzeWuzze. sounds like I would need a frig. thanks for your input..

Forgot to mention, once I force carb I bottle from the keg so I'm not perpetually adding ice to the cool brewing bag.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Carbing a keg at basement temperatures will require higher pressure, and serving at higher pressure is more likely to foam when filling your bottles.

If I were to try this, I think you would need a very long serving line, like 10. -20 feet to serve the warm beer without excess foam.

All this said, there are many other advantages of storing beer cold, such as clearing and keeping nasties at bay.