I'm pumped. Picking up 4 19 L kegs and fridge with built-in tap, 6kg CO2 cylinder and everything required for kegging (supposedly) this Wednesday. God bless eBay. Been bottling for a while and know that ales improve with bottle conditioning. How does it work with kegging? After primary ferment can you just keg and drink? Do you have to wait? What do people do?
New to kegging.
- Thread starter sudsey
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I like to give it a minimum of a week. After a week it will be carbonated but if you can manage to wait another 2 weeks it will be almost perfect. But do what you like. I usually sample a glass every couple of days to check on it.
Usually, even if you "burst carb" quickly, the beer may take a while to be at its best. Often, adding co2 and shaking the keg works to carb up the beer but it can have a "bite" from the co2 (carbonic acid) and usually results in foamy beer.
My method of choice is to force carb, and to "set it and forget it". You keg the beer. Give it a blast of co2 and then pull the pressure relief valve and do that again. That purges the keg of oxygen. Then give it another blast to check the seal on the lid. I spray some star san around the lid and posts and look for bubbles. If no leaks, I put it in the kegerator at 12 psi and it will be carbed up in 7-14 days.
If the beer is completely ready to drink and I"m in a huge hurry, I'll do the some procedure but set the keg in the kegerator at 30 psi for 36 hours, then purge it and reset for 12 psi. It's ready in 3 days that way, but it's still better a week or so later.
Keep in mind that if a beer needs conditioning, kegging doesn't change that. A keg really is just a big bottle. The only difference with kegging is that you don't have to wait three weeks for it to carb up. It doesn't change any aging requirements if a beer is poorly made and not given enough time in the fermenter.
the post above is only talking about force carbing
after your fermentaion and you have racked to kegs (I primary 1 week & secondary for about 2 weeks)
you would force carbonate it (I have drank it after 3 days at a push)
but as in post above it gets better with time
I usually force carb at about 25 - 30 psi at about 67 degrees
as I only have room for 2 kegs in kegerator. usually for a week or 2
then put it in the kegertaor for a day or 2 to chill and absorb the co2 levels before adding co2 at aprox 8psi for serving
after your fermentaion and you have racked to kegs (I primary 1 week & secondary for about 2 weeks)
you would force carbonate it (I have drank it after 3 days at a push)
but as in post above it gets better with time
I usually force carb at about 25 - 30 psi at about 67 degrees
as I only have room for 2 kegs in kegerator. usually for a week or 2
then put it in the kegertaor for a day or 2 to chill and absorb the co2 levels before adding co2 at aprox 8psi for serving
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