New to kegging and need help!

[GenIke]

I took the plunge and bought a freezer and keg setup a couple of weeks ago. I had planned on having the keezer completed by now but have changed plans and am making a fancy all oak top. I have all the equipment and gas. I'm basically ready to go, except the lid.

The problem is that I have a IPA that I need to get off of the dry hops. What should I do? I could keg it warm, I could keg it with priming sugar or I could rack to a secondary carboy.

Is there any reason I wouldnt want to keg it and carbonate warm? Do I want to keep it on the gas or just get it under pressure and then take it off and let it sit.

Somebody save me!!!

 

[jekeane]

I don't know how long you are planning your project to take but remember you are going to lose your hop aroma after awhile. Natural carb in keg or or just bottle the ipa may be best at this point.

 

[GenIke]

I don't know how long you are planning your project to take but remember you are going to lose your hop aroma after awhile. Natural carb in keg or or just bottle the ipa may be best at this point.

Probably just another week or two to finish the trim and get it stained and poly'd.

 

[DRonco]

You'll need it cold in order for the gas to absorb into the liquid. As suggested above, prime with table sugar or dextrose and carb at room temp for a couple weeks. That'll give you time to finish your project. Hop flavor and aroma aren't characteristics that age well so I'd say get going.

 

[GenIke]

So I cant carb room temperature beer with my co2 tank?

 

[day_trippr]

So I cant carb room temperature beer with my co2 tank?

Of course you can - and if anyone tells you otherwise, feel free to point at them and laugh.
It's simply a matter of using the appropriate CO2 pressure.
Our favorite carbonation table can help with that. Find your room temperature on the Y-axis, scan along that row to pick your desired level of carbonation (expressed as "volumes of CO2"), then run up that column to find the perfect CO2 pressure to hit that carbonation level - in two weeks plus a few days, give or take.

Hint: a common, all-purpose carbonation level is in the neighborhood of 2.4 volumes...

Cheers!

 

[GenIke]

Of course you can - and if anyone tells you otherwise, feel free to point at them and laugh.
It's simply a matter of using the appropriate CO2 pressure.
Our favorite carbonation table can help with that. Find your room temperature on the Y-axis, scan along that row to pick your desired level of carbonation (expressed as "volumes of CO2"), then run up that column to find the perfect CO2 pressure to hit that carbonation level - in two weeks plus a few days, give or take.

Hint: a common, all-purpose carbonation level is in the neighborhood of 2.4 volumes...

Cheers!

Thanks a lot, this is the hand holding I was hoping for.

What do I do when I end up cooling the beer down in week or two? Just adjust to the PSI for the new temp? I wont need to purge or anything like that, would I?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks a lot, this is the hand holding I was hoping for.

What do I do when I end up cooling the beer down in week or two? Just adjust to the PSI for the new temp? I wont need to purge or anything like that, would I?

Yes, you may want to purge. What can happen is that beer can back up into the regulator with pressure changes, unless you have a check valve installed.

I'd purge and just set it in the kegerator at 12 psi. It should stay carbed perfectly.