Wisdom. Lots and lots of wisdom. OP, Listen to @K1ngl1ves
Transitioning to kegging
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Wisdom. Lots and lots of wisdom. OP, Listen to @K1ngl1ves
Thanks for all the help I now have a full co2 tank that I bought from beverage elements online for 55 with shipping then I paid 14 for a fill so I saved 30 dollars compared to buying at NB.
I will be kegging my first all grain batch next weekend! Got my keg lube and beer line cleaner. I'm planning on just running star San through the keg using co2 to sanitize since all my stuff is new and should be clean.
Any additional tips for the first round. I plan on just putting it at serving pressure and carbonating over a week.
I've been looking at beer guns. What's the verdict on the blichmann vs the last straw from NB vs counter pressure?
I will be kegging my first all grain batch next weekend! Got my keg lube and beer line cleaner. I'm planning on just running star San through the keg using co2 to sanitize since all my stuff is new and should be clean.
Any additional tips for the first round. I plan on just putting it at serving pressure and carbonating over a week.
I've been looking at beer guns. What's the verdict on the blichmann vs the last straw from NB vs counter pressure?
Buy the Blichmann. In fact let me see if I have a spare...
Doesn't your growler filler push out of the faucet due to the counter pressure?
So I managed to keg my first ever all grain batch. It was the 3 gallon oatmeal cookie brown ale recipe from NB that I did BIAB with my wife.
The kegging process took me awhile, but went fairly smoothly. Now that I know how it goes I think next time will be very quick.
With this all grain batch I had a ton of trub, more than usual. So I ended up only transferring approx 2 gallon maybe 2.5 gallon to the keg I'd bet. And I wasn't able to measure the FG... I was planning on doing it at the end, but by then it was all contaminated with trub.
ANYWAYS I ended up purging the keg with CO2 like 4x at 20 PSI to get all the O2 out. I made sure all my connections were tight and I sprayed them with star san to see if there was foaming/leaks. I don't believe I have any leaks.
I lubed up all the o rings, even the little ones inside the poppets and the o ring that is on the dispensing tube.
My goal is to have this carbonated by next weekend when I brew a honeyweizen with my buddy. So I have a few questions.
1. Will leaving it at 15 PSI for 7 days have it carbonated nicely for next weekend? If not, any tips/suggestions?
2. When I sanitized my keg, I ran the star san through the tube by hooking it up to my picnic tap. The picnic tap now has star san bubbles. IS that okay? Can I just keep it in my keezer and use it when I'm read next weekend? Or what should I do about that?
3. I know they say don't fear the foam. I still irrationally don't like a ****load of foam. Anybody have tactics to make less foam?
4. Can I measure the FG of my beer after it's carbonated just for records sake? I don't see how that will have an impact, but just curious.
5. is 38F a good serving/carbonating temp?
6. When I go to dispense the beer will I need to reduce the PSI to limit foaming?
7. Best way to place temperature probe in the keezer? IE in water vs taped against keg?
Thanks everyone!
The kegging process took me awhile, but went fairly smoothly. Now that I know how it goes I think next time will be very quick.
With this all grain batch I had a ton of trub, more than usual. So I ended up only transferring approx 2 gallon maybe 2.5 gallon to the keg I'd bet. And I wasn't able to measure the FG... I was planning on doing it at the end, but by then it was all contaminated with trub.
ANYWAYS I ended up purging the keg with CO2 like 4x at 20 PSI to get all the O2 out. I made sure all my connections were tight and I sprayed them with star san to see if there was foaming/leaks. I don't believe I have any leaks.
I lubed up all the o rings, even the little ones inside the poppets and the o ring that is on the dispensing tube.
My goal is to have this carbonated by next weekend when I brew a honeyweizen with my buddy. So I have a few questions.
1. Will leaving it at 15 PSI for 7 days have it carbonated nicely for next weekend? If not, any tips/suggestions?
2. When I sanitized my keg, I ran the star san through the tube by hooking it up to my picnic tap. The picnic tap now has star san bubbles. IS that okay? Can I just keep it in my keezer and use it when I'm read next weekend? Or what should I do about that?
3. I know they say don't fear the foam. I still irrationally don't like a ****load of foam. Anybody have tactics to make less foam?
4. Can I measure the FG of my beer after it's carbonated just for records sake? I don't see how that will have an impact, but just curious.
5. is 38F a good serving/carbonating temp?
6. When I go to dispense the beer will I need to reduce the PSI to limit foaming?
7. Best way to place temperature probe in the keezer? IE in water vs taped against keg?
Thanks everyone!
I've never had that happen. I don't even turn my pressure down any more.
Never would my wife let me rack beer over carpet, especially light carpet. I wouldn't be alive by morning.
You got balls, son.
You got balls, son.
Never would my wife let me rack beer over carpet, especially light carpet. I wouldn't be alive by morning.
You got balls, son.
Got yelled at and I learned my lesson. She wasn't home when I got this started lol.
I noticed submerging my inkbird controller probe in water resulted in my compressor for my freezer turning on much less frequently then when monitoring ambient temp.
Anyone have any input to any of the questions I had in my previous post? Especially concerning carbonation.
Thanks!
Anyone have any input to any of the questions I had in my previous post? Especially concerning carbonation.
Thanks!
Tape it to a full keg with something to insulate it.
Find a nice carbonation chart and look at it frequently.
38° is a good spot for most beers.
Don't bother trying to use a hydrometer in carbonated beer.
If your beer lines are long enough, you should have no issues with dispensing. That is unless the lines are warm. Then it's volcano action.
DON'T FEAR THE FOAM!
Starsan and picnic taps are fine.
Thanks for the info.
I found a pretty good article/experiment discussing temp probe placement:
http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2014/10/temperature-probe-place-to-immerse-or-not-to-immerse.html
Thanks for the tip about always using cold lines. The length of my lines at this time are a constant. They are just picnic taps at the time so we'll see.
From personal experience would you say that 15 PSI for a 1 week will be a decent amount of carbonation? I'm trying to make sure my beer is carbed to share this weekend. I could always try the shake method etc so that's why I'm asking.
Thanks as always.
What temp are you carbing? What volume of co2 are you looking for, particularly what type of beer? Everyone's keg setup is different. Standard setup is usually around 10-12 psi at 38-40°. But again, it varies. A lot. Lol!
Try this. Chill your keg to 38°. Attach your gas to the keg at 10 psi. Shake the living bajeezus out of it until there's no more "gas sound". Put it back in the fridge/kegerator with the gas on and let it sit for an hour. Pull a sample. Need more carb? Do it again at 12psi and go through the same process. Don't be surprised if you end up with a carbonic bite. Good things come to the patient... carbonic acid goes to the rest.
As for that experiment. Forget it. This idea has been talked about forever it seems.
Get some sort of insulation. I use a green, flat, foam type thingy that you find in mailing packaging. Works great. Hell! Even a yellow sponge would work pretty good! Tape the sensor to the keg. Place the insulating item over it and tape that to the keg too. (I use long velcro straps 'cus they're reusable.) You want to keep the sensor away from the ambient air temp, because that temp fluctuates a lot. Liquid slowly warms/cools. That's what you want. Trust me. It's the best, cheap way and works great. It will save your compressor.
I'm carbing at 38F the chart that I read said that'll give me 2.7 volumes of CO2. The charts don't say how long until that occurs though.
It's for an oatmeal brown ale. I'll shake my keg like you suggested tonight.
Thanks!
It's for an oatmeal brown ale. I'll shake my keg like you suggested tonight.
Thanks!
Do you leave your tank open? If so, it shouldn't drop that much, although a bit of pressure creep can occur until it's all stablized. Also a cold system will read a bit lower than warm, but not 5 psi. Keep an eye on it.
Make sure that tank valve is fully open or fully closed. No in betweens or it can leak through the stem packing.
I have a similar (dual) regulator, with the dial knobs, and it's working flawlessly. I spray a little teflon lubricant on the dial threads from time to time, when turning them becomes rough.
Thanks for the info!
I do leave the tank completely open because it's in the process of carbonating. I stuck it in the keezer warm at 15 PSI on Sunday. And I noticed that it was slowly creeping down to 10 PSI today. So I twisted it more and got it back to 15 PSI and it's been sitting at that for awhile now.
Also my keg is only 1/2 full if that affects. I'm wondering if the CO2 is just equalizing and that's what's causing the PSI drop? I'm pretty sure I don't have a leak. I searched hard for one by spraying everything with star san and looking for bubbles.
As long as gas is being supplied it should all stabilize to the same pressure from the regulator down. Now a higher pressure may temporarily exist on the keg side of your check valve when you're force carbonating. Again, that will all equalize after you pull the PRV valve when carbonation is completed at the level you desire. Or when you pull a few pints, which will spurt out with lots of foam if the pressure is too high. Watch that carpeting!
On a new system always keep checking for leaks. Here's an easy way to check for leaks from cylinder down to the gas QDs. Remove the gas QDs from the kegs, dial the regulator to 30 psi, then shut the valve on the cylinder. The pressure should stay the same during 24 hours or longer.
Make sure there is one of those white plastic "fish eye" washers on all metal to metal flare connections. They're not needed between the QD MFLs since they have their own seal built in, the plastic tippy on top of the threads.
Another thing you may want to do next time when filling a keg and definitely when only partially. Do a 100% Starsan purge. That way it only costs you 5 gallons of CO2 and your keg is 100% filled with CO2. Then rack your beer through the liquid out post. Do a search if you want the details.
Please don't rack or handle other beer mechanics on that beautiful carpet!
Speaking of, how's your beer?
As long as gas is being supplied it should all stabilize to the same pressure from the regulator down. Now a higher pressure may temporarily exist on the keg side of your check valve when you're force carbonating. Again, that will all equalize after you pull the PRV valve when carbonation is completed at the level you desire. Or when you pull a few pints, which will spurt out with lots of foam if the pressure is too high. Watch that carpeting!
On a new system always keep checking for leaks. Here's an easy way to check for leaks from cylinder down to the gas QDs. Remove the gas QDs from the kegs, dial the regulator to 30 psi, then shut the valve on the cylinder. The pressure should stay the same during 24 hours or longer.
Make sure there is one of those white plastic "fish eye" washers on all metal to metal flare connections. They're not needed between the QD MFLs since they have their own seal built in, the plastic tippy on top of the threads.
Another thing you may want to do next time when filling a keg and definitely when only partially. Do a 100% Starsan purge. That way it only costs you 5 gallons of CO2 and your keg is 100% filled with CO2. Then rack your beer through the liquid out post. Do a search if you want the details.
Please don't rack or handle other beer mechanics on that beautiful carpet!
Speaking of, how's your beer?
Thanks for the tip regarding the starsan purge.
I did put a fish eye washer between the CO2 tank and the the gas QD on the CO2 tank side, not on the QD side. I don't really see how a leak would be causing the keg to lose pressure. Wouldn't that cause me to lose all my CO2? The gauge measuring cylinder pressure is still normal/full. I'm perplexed by this. I have never pulled the PRV yet because it's only 3 days into carbonation. I will try your trick. ASAP, but my beer is still carbonating and I'd like it to be done by Sunday so I don't want to pull it for 24 hour.
So after 7 day at 15 PSI do I just turn off the CO2 and the keg will maintain the right amount of pressure? Or do I keep it hooked up to CO2 until the keg is all gone? I was under the assumption the keg is always under CO2, and I just reduce it to serving pressure.
So I'm thinking I'm experiencing the phenomenon that you're describing. You're question about the beer has prompted me to attempt my first pour. I will report back with a photo.
Here it is. My first all grain brew. Oatmeal brown ale. Appears to be well carbonated!
Taste isn't as great as I hoped. Probably due to my bad mash temp maintenance. It tastes grainy and nutty kind of. But very drinkable. Pretty cloudy right now. I hope it clears up with future pours.
Quick question - do I leave my picnic tap on for the next few weeks until the keg is gone?
Taste isn't as great as I hoped. Probably due to my bad mash temp maintenance. It tastes grainy and nutty kind of. But very drinkable. Pretty cloudy right now. I hope it clears up with future pours.
Quick question - do I leave my picnic tap on for the next few weeks until the keg is gone?
You've got new kegs and everything, so you don't have the typical leak problems we encounter using old beaten up repurposed cornies with odd lids and the occasional bent or misfit post.
Yes, if there's any leak it will drain your gas tank, usually silently, and always when you're not looking. Be careful with picnic taps, they have a tendency to lodge themselves somewhere engaging the handle. Maybe fit a little hook or so to hang them on? Watch out for the lid too, don't let it close down on them.
The high pressure gauge will stay on full or a bit below until your tank is almost empty. Not a very useful indicator. But weight is.
Just let it carbonate. When done, set to serving pressure, pull the PRV to let off the excess and it will equalize.
That beer looks great! Nice head too. Time to brew the next, and build a pipeline, that keg won't last long.
Yes, if there's any leak it will drain your gas tank, usually silently, and always when you're not looking. Be careful with picnic taps, they have a tendency to lodge themselves somewhere engaging the handle. Maybe fit a little hook or so to hang them on? Watch out for the lid too, don't let it close down on them.
The high pressure gauge will stay on full or a bit below until your tank is almost empty. Not a very useful indicator. But weight is.
Just let it carbonate. When done, set to serving pressure, pull the PRV to let off the excess and it will equalize.
That beer looks great! Nice head too. Time to brew the next, and build a pipeline, that keg won't last long.
You've got new kegs and everything, so you don't have the typical leak problems we encounter using old beaten up repurposed cornies with odd lids and the occasional bent or misfit post.
Yes, if there's any leak it will drain your gas tank, usually silently, and always when you're not looking. Be careful with picnic taps, they have a tendency to lodge themselves somewhere engaging the handle. Maybe fit a little hook or so to hang them on? Watch out for the lid too, don't let it close down on them.
The high pressure gauge will stay on full or a bit below until your tank is almost empty. Not a very useful indicator. But weight is.
Just let it carbonate. When done, set to serving pressure, pull the PRV to let off the excess and it will equalize.
That beer looks great! Nice head too. Time to brew the next, and build a pipeline, that keg won't last long.
Thanks for all the info! Just to make sure I fully understand. When you say pull PRV are you saying on the KEG or on the regulator?
I googled my problem and found this post: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226759
This guy had my same issue.
People helped and said the following: If this is the first time the regulator has been chilled down, the spring inside contracts and lowers the set pressure. It should stabilize after a couple days.
So unless I'm having a super tiny leak and lose all my CO2... I'm hoping it's just my regulator getting settled in based on that post.
Just an update - my regulator has stopped acting oddly. I'm assuming it was dropping PSI on the keg side due to the "breaking in" period described in previous posts.
Something to do with keeping it in the cold and the springs needing to adjust.
Something to do with keeping it in the cold and the springs needing to adjust.
