Purging slightly later than filling?.....

[RJSkypala]

Hello all,

I am finally assembling my kegging system...

I picked up a free 5 cu. ft. chest freezer yesterday, it fits 2 cornys on the bottom, and can fit another and the 10lb co2 tank I plan to buy on the hump once I build the collar.

My question is this....my brew location and serving location are about an hour away. This is because the apartment I live in is not large enough to brew AG in and I have access to a fairly large space only an hour away that I can use to brew in.

So how much of a problem would it be to fill the kegs at my brew location and purge them 1-3 hours later when I arrive where the keezer is going to be? If it is a problem I guess I will have to bring the tank with me when I rack to the kegs....not the biggest hassle.

Nonetheless I am very excited to get into kegging....the plan is to have 2 taps through the collar and a 3rd corny 'on deck' chilling in the keezer.

 

[pickles]

Oxidation takes much longer than a fews hours to occur. You could also get a small utility tank like many of us have or build the portable "kobalt" style that Edwort made (IIRC). You'll be fine.

 

[chefchris]

you could buy one of those small keg chargers that uses the tiny co2 cartridges. it would probably be cheaper in the long run to just watch craigslist and buy a 5lb co2 tank off of there. Or maybe get a 20 oz paintball tank with an adapter.

i've been drinking.

 

[RJSkypala]

so overall the 1-3 hours should have no noticeable effect provided I purge and seal upon arriving at my destination?

 

[jar1087]

I have no evidence to back it up, but I think that the dissolved oxygen from all of the sloshing due to carrying, driving with, etc. the keg could still cause problems when you get back. Just to be careful, one of the portable charger things would probably be a good idea.

 

[beerthirty]

None on your beer, it might have an effect on your cars carpeting.
Most cornies don't seal well until pressure is applied to them.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

Do you have room to store your fermentor at your apt? I think it's gonna be a pain to drive an hour each way to check on your fementation. If you brew offsite and put it into a primary to transport, then rack to a keg in your apt when finished it would save a LOT of running.

 

[chefchris]

oh, and it could leak (and possibly get infected) since there's no seal on it. I took a primary for a car ride one time and that's what happened.

 

[RJSkypala]

Do you have room to store your fermentor at your apt? I think it's gonna be a pain to drive an hour each way to check on your fementation. If you brew offsite and put it into a primary to transport, then rack to a keg in your apt when finished it would save a LOT of running.

That is interesting. However....for most beers I do 2 weeks in primary and 2 weeks in secondary. I go back to the brew location about every 2 weeks anyway, sometimes more frequently, as it is my parents house and I live in the city an hour away.

I am mostly concerned with oxidation, if that is not a threat then I will proceed as such....if not I will either bring my main Co2 back to keg or find another solution.

Would something like this work or will I just burn through cartridges?
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_40_271_275_273&products_id=12296

 

[Ohio-Ed]

oh, and it could leak (and possibly get infected) since there's no seal on it. I took a primary for a car ride one time and that's what happened.

WOW... sure hope you don't transport gasoline

I transport primaries all the time, never had a problem.

 

[chefchris]

WOW... sure hope you don't transport gasoline

I transport primaries all the time, never had a problem.

Well, it was across 3 states.

 

[Ohio-Ed]

That is interesting. However....for most beers I do 2 weeks in primary and 2 weeks in secondary. I go back to the brew location about every 2 weeks anyway, sometimes more frequently, as it is my parents house and I live in the city an hour away.

I am mostly concerned with oxidation, if that is not a threat then I will proceed as such....if not I will either bring my main Co2 back to keg or find another solution.

Would something like this work or will I just burn through cartridges?
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_40_271_275_273&products_id=12296

I don't think you will have any problem with oxidation in that time frame...

That will work for dispensing but not for force carbing. You will use about 2 cartridges to dispense a 5 gallon keg.

 

[beerthirty]

Yes that is what others have talked about as portable chagers. They do work and very well but the expense can get you in the long run. It really depends on how much you brew. If you brew often you would be better off opting for the paintball reg setup. check northern brewer for the basic parts.

 

[chefchris]

I suggested the charger just to purge the headspace in the keg till he could get to his tank.

 

[mordantly]

take the bottle with you.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I think oxidation COULD be a problem, since you will be mixing the oxygen INTO your beer as you slosh it home...then it will remain in the beer even after you purge, giving it plenty of time to oxidize.

I second (third?) the portable charger idea, (like the one you linked to). You will only need one cartridge for the keg. Hit it with CO2, purge, CO2, purge, then CO2 once more to seal.

Those chargers take around 3 cartridges to fully dispense a keg, so I think 1 cartridge will work just fine for your purposes.

Plus your kegs will be sealed this way, and won't leak all over the place.