Pipeline Building

[Stuntman]

I have Cornelius kegs. I have room for 2 in my kegerator, and 2 in a roll around insulated garbage can cooler. I am going to get more Cornelius kegs and get a REAL pipeline, as 4 is not big enough to let my recipes mature well enough.

I am wondering what sort of methods are the best? Can I purge with CO2 and let them mature before carbonation? Can anyone direct me to a thread that is dealing with good, sound ways to build up a pipeline that has several kegs in the ready for a party that might pop up suddenly?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[CDbrews]

brew like hell, carb in the keg... thats about all i can think of

 

[mordantly]

i always wonder if a keg can maintain a positive seal if there is not a co2 head pressure. even if you put 30psi on it, then remove the dcon, as the temp drops, it'll absorb the headspace.

 

[Stuntman]

Already have Mordantly on the problem! Thanks, if you haven't seen a thread on this subject, I might have to build a keezer for my problem, I am down to the last 2 and a half gallons of the 2 in kegerator, they get better every day! I just need a way to get to this point BEFORE I start drinking.

Temperature controlled fermenting area, another CO2 manifold/valve set up and tank is the only thing I can think of thus far in this search.

Keezer with locks on it....I might make a million bucks on this one! Guest come over and see the unlock date for the next batch.

 

[mordantly]

you also have to brew, brew, brew. my mentor at any one time has up to 8 ale pails, 8 carboys, and about 12 kegs in rotation. but he brews 20 gallons every other week.

 

[Stuntman]

you also have to brew, brew, brew. my mentor at any one time has up to 8 ale pails, 8 carboys, and about 12 kegs in rotation. but he brews 20 gallons every other week.

How is he keeping so many in rotation? Must have CO2 setup and a refrigerator that is to sell a SWMBO for.

 

[mordantly]

oh yeah, i didn't get to that. 4 in fridge on gas, and a 6-way that rotates the rest of the kegs at some interval (maybe these a week, those a week) i do know he keeps them from flat-lining.


once i get a keezer setup, my goal is to brew 20 gallons a month.

 

[Stuntman]

Man, I sure would like to figure out a way (inexpensive)... h*ll forget it, a tried and true way to get me 4 cornelius kegs sitting, waiting, ready to kick your flipping @$$ ale.

Maybe I should start brewing Lager, I been brewing several years. A change is always good. I wanted to learn yeast farming to save money, but I am about to die (49 this year) so quality is better than saving a buck at this point. A Lager setup will have a temp to age a fermenter, that maybe low enough to carb/age a keg to be trained and ready for said @$$ kicking, immediately after being hooked up to a faucet.

I AM old, but the newbious newb youngster might have the answer. Throw it on me!

 

[mordantly]

back the truck up a minute. your ain't old! your just half-way there! you could lager in your keg fridge. you gotta brew faster turn around ales or more of them. what is you new castle secret?

 

[eriktlupus]

stuntman,, i run a 4 keg setup with 2 spares in conditioning/carbing phase. this is where using secondary comes in handy as i have a ipa sitting in secondary waiting for a keg to kick(prolly this weekend, the apfelwien is about done and i'll bottle the rest with my bmbf to free it up). i also have a keg of beach blonde(lemon zested) ready to go into the kegger.

but your real q is that if you carb a keg at any temp and hold it at that same temmp you will maintain a seal on your kegs. it;s when your temps drop that you'll have problems.

 

[Stuntman]

back the truck up a minute. your ain't old! your just half-way there! you could lager in your keg fridge. you gotta brew faster turn around ales or more of them. what is you new castle secret?

Kegerator needs to have two faucets running all of the time. I could lager in garbage can cooler (need to post a thread on building it, got pictures) it needs constant attention, is 2 - 5 gallon cornelius' with ice in a garbage can.

New Castle Secret, I have none...I did find a great clone to New Castle, almost spot on! Pip Pip, and Cherry Oh!

 

[mordantly]

4 kegs won't fit in your fridge?

 

[Stuntman]

stuntman,, i run a 4 keg setup with 2 spares in conditioning/carbing phase. this is where using secondary comes in handy as i have a ipa sitting in secondary waiting for a keg to kick(prolly this weekend, the apfelwien is about done and i'll bottle the rest with my bmbf to free it up). i also have a keg of beach blonde(lemon zested) ready to go into the kegger.

but your real q is that if you carb a keg at any temp and hold it at that same temmp you will maintain a seal on your kegs. it;s when your temps drop that you'll have problems.

Ok, both of you agree....I have to get ALL kegs to CO2, ever so often, and pop at least ten pounds to keep seal intact?

I just want it to age so that I get the green off of it.

Later I can carb it in about 4 days.

Will this work?

 

[mordantly]

yes, it should lead to beerstacy

 

[Stuntman]

4 kegs won't fit in your fridge?

2 in kegerator at this point (what I am drinking).

I could put two in garbage can cooler to lager or such.


Here is bottom line. I make beer, never been carbed. Can I put 20 lbs pressure (room temp) and rotate to make sure, said 20psi is always there. Then when ready, I put in kegerator, 4 days later (after carbing) I am drinking AGED non green beer?

 

[eriktlupus]

i hit mine with about 30psi to seat the seals. then let it set for a day or so before hitting it again to make sure it;s still seated. when the seal remains seated i let em sit till needed. then i hook em up to 30 psi at room temp for a week when they are ready to drink

 

[Stuntman]

i hit mine with about 30psi to seat the seals. then let it set for a day or so before hitting it again to make sure it;s still seated. when the seal remains seated i let em sit till needed. then i hook em up to 30 psi at room temp for a week when they are ready to drink

I thought 30 psi at a refrigerated temp was needed to introduce carbonation.

And when you say "when the seal remains seated" you mean that you might have to hit it every day for a week?

 

[eriktlupus]

I thought 30 psi at a refrigerated temp was needed to introduce carbonation.

And when you say "when the seal remains seated" you mean that you might have to hit it every day for a week?

serving pressures are also carbonation pressures under refrigeration. as temp warms you need higher pressures to carb too the same levels. maybe, i'm just checking to make sure the seals are not leaking since i know that it's gonna lose pressure into the beer, just want the seals tight yaknow?

 

[lady_brewer]

Silly thought... but you could bottle some of your batches... (kinda fun to post that at a kegging person )

I would say that longer conditioning before the beers hit the keg might help as well.

But you were looking for a reason to buy more equipment... so yeah, you need more stuff. I vote building a bar/ pool hall to keep it all in too. That is what the hubby and I plan to do.

 

[shortyjacobs]

Carbonate in keg with priming sugar.

 

[wrestler63]

I have 4 rotating kegs. I keep at least 15g in different stages of secondarys for 4 weeks minimum for ales. As I keg more I brew more. Keeps the pipeline full. If I get extra brew days I bottle some. Doing 10g batches, I can keep up real well.
Cheers

 

[Baja_Brewer]

When I had a decent pipeline going I was brewing like a madman, that was also because I know that I would be having to take a break, and now I havent brewed in months... but I was brewing 10 gallons a week for about 9 weeks straight. Ended up getting a little sloppy and one got infected and another turned out like $hit, but it was an interesting challenge. That was also the closest I've ever gotten to filling all 20 of my Corny kegs... I want to get rolling again, but I also think some of my first batches will be strong beers (double chocolate stout, barleywine, RIS) once I get back in the swing of things, and I'll bottle those up.

Basically brew like a madman, but make sure that every other one you make is SWMBO's "favorite" so she can't complain

 

[Stuntman]

Silly thought... but you could bottle some of your batches... (kinda fun to post that at a kegging person )

Carbonate in keg with priming sugar.

Tried that, I like the clear no hastle CO2 now.

Basically brew like a madman, but make sure that every other one you make is SWMBO's "favorite" so she can't complain

You right on that one my friend, SWMBO hates brew day, but she drinks the beer...

I appreciate all the help from all.

 

[Stuntman]

serving pressures are also carbonation pressures under refrigeration. as temp warms you need higher pressures to carb too the same levels. maybe, i'm just checking to make sure the seals are not leaking since i know that it's gonna lose pressure into the beer, just want the seals tight yaknow?

This is the way to go, about 4 more cornies, and I will have 4 on hold, with two dispensing all the time. That will be plenty for me and always have an aged keg or two for a party if I stay on top of it, thanks!

 

[Saccharomyces]

Step 1. Shell out a *&@# ton of money and buy 20 kegs.
Step 2. Brew like hell until they are all full.
Step 3. Keep brewing like a mad man until you run out of fermenters.
Step 4. Buy more fermenters while you wait for kegs to kick so you have something to put all that *&@# beer in to age.
Step 5. Drink more beer so you can float kegs faster.
Step 6. Make more friends to help drink the beer so your kegs will float faster.
Step 7. Decide you need to brew more session beers in your pipeline so you and your friends aren't every night trying to empty kegs.

I purge with CO2, rack, purge the headspace (hopefully not giving myself a beer shower...), charge the keg up to 20 PSI, and stick it in the closet until it's ready to go on. Every now and then a keg will have the seal break in storage and will go flat but I have never had any oxidation problems.

 

[Stuntman]

charge the keg up to 20 PSI, and stick it in the closet until it's ready to go on. Every now and then a keg will have the seal break in storage and will go flat but I have never had any oxidation problems.

I like the seven steps, clever. The last paragraph is what I am going to do, also will add, to repressurize tanks (every two or three days) that are in the aging process.

Thanks for all the help guys!