Suggested serving pressure for Sanke Bud Light keg???

[elpresidente]

Hello All,

I am having a little get together at my house tonight and I was wondering what the suggested pressure for serving from a sanke bud light keg would be? (I know, I know....but its for the "other" drinkers ) You know I have bottles/cornys of homebrew available too!

I have always just used the pump tap but since I have an extra regulator/co2 tank now I might as well do it right. Especially since people like to pump the life out of those things...I figured I would make it easy on everybody.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brooklyn-Brewtality]

I am not sure what the serving pressure is... but i am almost 100% sure I was told that Bud Light kegs absolutely have to be kept inside the same closet as the hot water heater. Also, all people drinking said beer need to stay in said hot, dusty, small closet.

It's just the rules.

 

[boogyman]

I've served kegs like that before at around 10psi. You can always start at 10 and push it up a little if needed too. Just be sure to keep it cold (like in a large bucket of ice) otherwise it'll foam like crazy.

 

[Bobby_M]

Of course it has everything to do with what your serving line is. If you have 3 feet of 1/4" ID tubing on a picnic faucet, you'll need to run it at about 5psi and keep the keg really cold.

 

[bmckee56]

A good friend serves his Bud Light @ 10psi. He uses a small kegerator/songle faucet setup.

Salute!

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

yea, it really depends on the temp and line length of the picknick faucet. I would make sure to get it cold first, then just start at 5 psi and slowly increase it to the desired pressure that you want. You will know when its to high, nothing but foam will come out, to low and your flow will just be really low. On a std 6ft hose i would rock like 8psi, bud is overcarbed to it will foam real easy.

And to all you beer snobs, theres nothing wrong with a bud/budlight. Of course we all PREFER our homebrews and micros but beer is beer, plain and simple! Having friends that serve beer at their get togethers is amazing, even if its only bud!

 

[chuggs]

Here's the technique I use...

1) Let the keg settle a while, and get it nice and iced down.

2) Find a volunteer (never had a shortage of these at a kegger)

3) Now connect your Sankey Coupler and pull the split ring on the pressure relief valve...and let most all of the CO2 out...but not completely.

4) Set your regulator down to 0 psi...but have a screwdriver on it ready to go.

5) Now, give your volunteer a really big mug, or a pitcher and have them start pouring a beer.

6) Watch the flow, as you dial up the PSI on your CO2 regulator. When the pour flows smoothly...you're set.

7) Important!! When you're done serving...Be sure to dail up the CO2 pressure in the keg to 12-14 psi to keep your beer from going flat. Then disconnect the Sankey Coupler.


The pressure you use will vary depending on the resistance in the serving line...temperature of the beer, etc... So no one setting is going to work... Even if it did...your gauge may be a few psi off another guys gauge. Better to do it by the "That looks about right" or "TLAR" method.

Important note: If you start getting foam...dialing down your regulator is a good idea. IE A lower serving pressure...BUT, if you have a check valve (most of us do) it won't do anything to the pressure that's already in the keg. You'll need to pull on that little ring on the coupler again to bleed off the pressure there. Then your regulator can pump it back up to the lower serving pressure. A point which is easy to overlook.

Enjoy your kegger!

We're having one tomorrow night while we watch the UF GATORS play football... I run mine through a Jockey Box to serve it really cold, so that it won't be too hot by the time someone finishes drinking the Mug. Unfortunately, I'm out of Stella, I'm out of Guinness...looks like I might run by Total Wine and More and pick up a 1/4 bbl of Coor's Light (Nobody complains about free beer anyway)

 

[elpresidente]

OK, that all sounds great...so I am going to go for around a 10psi setting and adjust accordingly. I have about a 5 ft length of beer line so we will see. Thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate it.

Cheers everybody...oh and by the way, I will have some applewine and honey brown on tap as well as blonde ale and a dunkel bottled, so its on tonight!!!!

 

[20GT]

Cool...thanks CHUGGS... hey guys...can we have a thread or section on store bought beer kegs. I really had to search the forums to find this post picked one and got lucky. I know, I know everyone is bias to home brew. I had a kegerator 20 years ago and just rebuilt it. and was lost on how to tap it. <I know how to tap it, but adding the co2 is the hard part, i remembered something about 11psi>

I do plan on brewing beer but that's on the next upgrade.I Have to show that the rebuild was a good investment first.(she drinks BudLite)

Soooo 11psi is correct adjusting accordingly

 

[20GT]

Wait??
"7) Important!! When you're done serving...Be sure to dail up the CO2 pressure in the keg to 12-14 psi to keep your beer from going flat. Then disconnect the Sankey Coupler.

I don't have a sankey coupler and does this matter I just have a standered kegerator beer tap. so the pressures always on.
If i dial up the pressure... why am i adjusting it to a good beer flow? why not just set it at 12-14?

 

[TrainSafe]

Holy old thread, Batman.

The 12-14 psi suggestion was for storing the keg in between serving. I.e. for letting it sit a week with no use.