Natural Carbonation in kegs....

[Shoemaker]

OK I realize there are other posts on the subject but I have only gathered bits and pieces of information.

If I want to naturally carbonate in a keg, how do I go about it? Approx. how much corn sugar do I use? Can I just throw it in the keg with the beer or should I dissolve it in water? Should I seal the keg up with some CO2 and if so, how much? How long and at what temperature should I let the keg sit at?

Anything else I need to know? Thanks, I've been force carbonating for a long time but know nothing about natural carbonation.

 

[mordantly]

you always need to purge the headspace/seal the lid with ~30psi. asside from that, i can't help you. i've read instead of the "3/4oz" rule you use "1/2oz" but i've never nat carb'd anything.

 

[waldoar15]

1/2 the sugar of bottling, dissolved, purge with CO2 and leave it sit where you leave your bottles sit for the same amount of time. Works like a champ.

 

[Nurmey]

Use half the amount you would for bottling, generally 2.5 ounces. Boil it up with some water and pour in sanitized keg. Rack your beer into keg and seat lid. Put your CO2 on at 30 psi or so and purge air. Set keg aside for about three weeks at room temperature, chill, serve.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

After thinking about this, wouldn't you want to undershoot the priming sugar rather than overshoot it. If you don't put enough priming sugar in as soon as you hook it up to the CO2 line for serving it's going to start carbonating at whatever pressure you want it at anyways. Although it will take a little while to get there it will naturally correct itself to the set pressure.

Am I thinking about this wrong? Granted its obviously easiest to put in the right amount of priming sugar.

 

[wildwest450]

After thinking about this, wouldn't you want to undershoot the priming sugar rather than overshoot it. If you don't put enough priming sugar in as soon as you hook it up to the CO2 line for serving it's going to start carbonating at whatever pressure you want it at anyways. Although it will take a little while to get there it will naturally correct itself to the set pressure.

Am I thinking about this wrong? Granted its obviously easiest to put in the right amount of priming sugar.

Umm, read the post above yours.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Umm, read the post above yours.

I understand that most people say to use less priming sugar but nobody EVER gave a reason why. I still don't know why you use less but perhaps my reasoning is the answer.