Rookie Kegging Questions

[jayjay]

Hi
I just bought my first kegging setup and have a few questions regarding the process.

Its a 2.5 gal corny keg and as most setups/descriptions use 5gal kegs i was wondering if there is any difference in the force carbonation process in regards to the time it takes, or the pressure applied?

Also, i usually dont secondary when fermenting, so is the beer transferred directly from the primary to the keg?

Futhermore, i am brewing in 5 gal. batches, however fridge only have room for 2.5 kegs so i will be bottling part of the batch. Should i just rack the top half of the beer to the keg, and the lower half to a bottling bucket, or is there a notable difference in the beer between the top half and the bottom half of the fermenter which would require me to rack it to a "bottling bucket" to mix it up a bit before racking to kegs and bottles?

Hope you can help and please let me know if i need to specify anything

Cheers

 

[McKnuckle]

There's no difference in the temperature and pressure laws based on volume. A smaller keg will carbonate a bit faster, though, because there's less beer in it to infuse with CO2.

Yes, transfer directly from primary to the keg. That's one of the biggest benefits of kegging. You can and should figure out how to do closed transfers, with practically no oxygen being exposed to the beer. Buckets are not ideal for this, but you've got to start somewhere, no worries.

If you must split up your beer as described, I would first do a closed transfer and fill up the keg. Then I would treat the remaining beer in the fermenter as if it were a normal batch that you are bottling. Definitely do not mix the beer up or anything like that; it would be bad from both an oxygen exposure and sediment disturbance perspective.

 

[jayjay]

Perfect Mcknucle thanks for the input!
So i completed the transfer according to your advice, however i didn't cold crash the beer before kegging.

Should i proceed to force carbonate the beer right away, or should i cool it in fridge before carbing?
and also - should i purge oxygen from the keg right away, or wait until the beer has cooled down?

Cheers

 

[pvpeacock]

Cold beer absorbs CO2 easier (under lower pressure), so you should cool the keg before or while you are carbonating it.

Purge the headspace of oxygen as soon as you have the keg full and sealed. No reason to wait for it to cool.

Do you only have one 2.5 gallon kegs or two? If you had two, you could force carbonate one keg while naturally carbonating the other (by adding sugar to the keg before sealing and letting it sit like bottles for a few weeks).

 

[jayjay]

Very well - so i can just as well hook the keg up to the co2 and start carbonating while it is cooling down?
Just purged the oxygen, 15 minutes after kegging, hoping this will do
I only have one 2.5 gal keg,but will by another in the near future - my regulator have 2 Co2 outputs so i would be able to carb 2 kegs simultaneously right?

 

[McKnuckle]

Just do it all at once. Transfer the beer, seal it up, purge the headspace a few times, fill the headspace back up with CO2, and leave the keg connected to the gas at serving pressure in the fridge. Wait 2 weeks minimum and serve. Of course you can cheat, and learn for yourself how it improves over time.

 

[IslandLizard]

What @McKnuckle and @pvpeacock said. ^

Definitely look into "100% liquid pre-purging" your keg(s) before filling with beer. Doing a closed transfer is best. From a bucket it would be a semi-closed transfer, unless you mod the bucket lid.

You could burst carbonate and enjoy your beer right away. Carbonation gets better with time, so everyday it's a notch up.

When you get your 2nd keg, you can put both on the same CO2 line, using a simple T-splitter.
Or force/burst carbonate one and let the other one get there slowly or naturally (by adding priming sugar). Now natural carbonation is done at low room temps, 62-66F, not in the fridge.

If space allows, you may want to consider using a dedicated fridge (or temp controlled freezer) for your beer. Most old-fashioned top freezer models can hold 6 5-gallon kegs. You can also keep bottles in it.
I use an upright freezer, holds 5 kegs, with ample space left above.