Short term fix for Kegging

[Catnip_X07]

Got a little bit of a dilemma coming up next week. Situation: have 2 kegs, one CO2 tank/line, and I'm a noob. One keg is full of last week's homebrew and hooked up to the CO2. I'm waiting on new regulator and splitter, which won't get to me for another 2 weeks. Next batch of homebrew is due to be kegged in a few days. What should I do?

I've heard of cold crashing, where I transfer the new batch to the keg, then crash for 2 days in the fridge (helps with clarity?, which I don't care about now as I'm going for taste,etc). Should I cold crash, hook up the second keg briefly to the CO2 and pressurize it at high PSI? Then take it off and let it sit for a few days until my regulator and splitter arrive?

Just looking at options here and what would be best for this situation. Or, should this be done in all situations for proper carbing?

 

[mosquitocontrol]

If I'm reading this right you have an empty keg but no line to have it continually hooked up to.

Just prime with table sugar (a little less then half a cup). Purge the keg of co2 and seal the top. Then rehook the co2 to the keg you want on tap. Keep the primed one at room temp for about 2 weeks to carb. Then hook up to the kegerator when you have space.

 

[Hammy71]

Just use your current set up to purge the keg. You can let it sit for months at room temperature. When your new splitter comes, then hook it up. Your beer will actually taste better if you let it condition longer.

 

[Catnip_X07]

To clarify, I have a homebrew that will be transferred to a keg in a few days. This keg will not have a dedicated CO2 line (yet). If I am interpreting the "purge the keg" correctly, I should transfer to keg, blast with CO2, use pressure relief to remove possible oxygen, store keg at room temp until the splitter arrives?

 

[bmckee56]

To clarify, I have a homebrew that will be transferred to a keg in a few days. This keg will not have a dedicated CO2 line (yet). If I am interpreting the "purge the keg" correctly, I should transfer to keg, blast with CO2, use pressure relief to remove possible oxygen, store keg at room temp until the splitter arrives?

That's pretty much it. I would be certain the keg holds pressure though. Allowing the brew to condition will not hurt the final product.

Salute!

 

[Hammy71]

To clarify, I have a homebrew that will be transferred to a keg in a few days. This keg will not have a dedicated CO2 line (yet). If I am interpreting the "purge the keg" correctly, I should transfer to keg, blast with CO2, use pressure relief to remove possible oxygen, store keg at room temp until the splitter arrives?

Zactly......

 

[Catnip_X07]

So...here is what I did and the result. I shot the keg with pressure and purged. Pressurized more and purged a little. Stored it in my kegerator for 2.5 days. When I installed the new regulator and splitter, I released the pressure valve on the keg...only there was no pressure. I connected the keg with CO2 and could hear the gas entering the keg, and didn't spot any leaks on the lid, pressure valve, or connector. I used soapy water, no bubbles. I shut off the CO2 and will check again in a few hours to see if the keg is maintaining pressure.

My question is, that since there could have been a lapse of CO2 when it was being stored (leak?), should I expect a lot of oxidation? What should I do going forward?

 

[shelly_belly]

You should be fine. When you chill the beer it will really suck up the CO2. If in the future you put a keg in the kegerator and don't hook it up to CO2, you will need to replenish the CO2 at least daily, as it will be absorbed by the beer. Good advise was given as to condition the beer at room temp for a couple of weeks, but if it's your first keg or two or three, I can understand your haste!

 

[apo09283]

So...here is what I did and the result. I shot the keg with pressure and purged. Pressurized more and purged a little. Stored it in my kegerator for 2.5 days. When I installed the new regulator and splitter, I released the pressure valve on the keg...only there was no pressure.

My question is, that since there could have been a lapse of CO2 when it was being stored (leak?), should I expect a lot of oxidation? What should I do going forward?

Putting it straight into the kegerator did not allow the priming sugar to ferment and naturally carb the beer at all. What little CO2 you did inject probably dissolved into the beer. Purging it as you did probably drove off enough oxygen so you should be ok as far as that goes.

As others mentioned, prime the beer then allow it to sit at room temp for a couple of weeks. The beer will benefit from this maturation period and the flavor should change/improve over time. I make a Bitter and a Porter that taste pretty bad a week or so after bottling/kegging but improve tremendously after six weeks of conditioning.

As I read in a sig here: When you do good, you get beer. When you do bad, you get beer.
Bill