Small batch, large keg?

[brownni5]

I'm beginning to think about kegging some beers. My new typical batch size is between 2.5 and 3 gallons, but 5 gallon kegs are much cheaper and offer the option to make a larger batch when desired. Is there a downside to putting a smaller batch in a 5 gallon keg?

 

[bigdawg86]

Do you plan on carbing and serving from said keg? I don't see any issue with it as long as you purge the keg with Co2 on transfer and also purge the headspace once in the keg. Even if just storing under pressure in the keg, as long as you purge and seal should be good to go.

 

[McKnuckle]

The headspace will much more easily lead to oxidation (staling) of the beer as it sits in the keg. If you are thorough about purging as noted above, you can mitigate that. But it certainly wastes CO2 to do so.

I also evolved to brew 2.5 gallon batches, and a while back I just caved and bought a few 2.5 gallon kegs, price be damned. It was the right product for my needs, and worth the brief moment of cognitive dissonance when making the purchase.

Now, you can actually ferment and serve from the same 5 gallon kegs if you use a floating dip tube like the Clear Beer Draught System or the similar product from William's Brewing. I am now doing this all the time, actually, and it's great.

 

[FatDragon]

Kegs don't shrink as you pour beer out of them. A five gallon batch in a five gallon keg will be filled less than halfway for half of its life. In that way, using a five gallon keg for 2.5 gallon batches is no problem.

On the other hand, you'll have a ton of headspace when you carbonate the batch, which presumably means you'll have to keep two and a half gallons of headspace at carbonating pressure until it's time to drop down to serving pressure. The extra CO2 usage is worth considering in the cost savings of buying the bigger kegs.

 

[Leezer]

Now, you can actually ferment and serve from the same 5 gallon kegs if you use a floating dip tube like the Clear Beer Draught System or the similar product from William's Brewing. I am now doing this all the time, actually, and it's great.

That does sound great. Do you just put in the CBDS at the same time you pour the wort into the keg to ferment?

 

[McKnuckle]

Yes, you can just attach it and pour your wort into the keg. I sometimes use a drill with a spinning attachment to aerate, so if I do that, I’ll attach it afterwards. Otherwise it’s dirt simple.

 

[Leezer]

Sounds good, thank you

 

[BobBailey]

On the positive side, it will carbonate faster than a full keg. On the negative side, it will waste some CO2. CO2 is cheap.