Sugar priming sanke kegs...

[StumpyJohnson]

So, I recently bought some new equipment and the seller threw in some 5 gallon sanke kegs cause he didn't know what to do with them.

I know how to dissasemble/reassemble them...

I have 5 gallons ready to bottle but all my bottles are full (sweet!)...

From what I've read, albeit not a preferred method, I can just rack from the fermentor to the sanke keg(after I clean it thouroughly), prime the beer, reinstall the sanke guts, and let it carbonate like it was in a bottle...right?

Then, I can slap a regular hand pump tap on it to dispense the beer right?

I know this is not a common method, but this time of year is rough on a carpenter and I'm a bit tapped if you will.

 

[lamarguy]

This should answer all of your questions.

Closed-system pressurized fermentation

Closed-system pressurized fermentation technique!

 

[TXCrash]

Yes you can sugar prime a keg.

Yes you can use a hand pump for the keg.

Yes the beer will be all kinds of oxidized if you use the hand pump and don't drink the beer within a day or two of tapping the beer.

To dispense from the sankey you really need a CO2 setup. Free bottles aren't that hard to come by.

In short: Either come up with a CO2 system to dispense the beer or come up with bottles.

 

[StumpyJohnson]

Blargh...that's what I figured. Guess the brew sits in primary for another week or two.

Well wait...I won't be broke forever...

If I rack to the sanke and prime it, let it sit till whenever I get my co2 system going, all will be well right? Or will I not be able to properly displace any o2 in the system and thus oxidization would still occur?

 

[3 Dog Brew]

If I rack to the sanke and prime it, let it sit till whenever I get my co2 system going, all will be well right? Or will I not be able to properly displace any o2 in the system and thus oxidization would still occur?

CO2 is heavier than air so if you let it sit quietly while it primes for a few weeks it will be fine. I just let a sugar primed keg sit for 4 weeks while I was busy. I just let it chill in the cooler for at least a week before I tap it. Remeber the first couple of ounces is yeasty so chuck it you don't want gas (methane type) contaminating your breathing air.

Also, if you don't tap it until you have a CO2 system, and you are worried about oxydation, just bleed off some "air" from the pressure in connector onthe keg. The CO2 should displace the air. Then repressurize your keg and RDWHAHB

I also use a pressure guage like Lamarguy to determine when the keg is done priming. I have let it build up 20 psi before chilling it on occasion, usually I can't wait that long.