Traveling and keeping Keg Cold for 2 wks

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rgarry

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Traveling in July in Florida and its obviously very hot. Not sure I will be able to keep the keg in a frig (won't know till I get there). Was trying to figure out the easiest way to keep it cold for 2 wks without running to get ice everyday. I have a keg blanket but that is only a short term solution for traveling etc. Was thinking about using a bin fill with water and adding frozen ice packs to it. Figure the water would hold the temperature better and I could just rotate ice packs and keep it cold. Anyone have some better ideas.
Thanks
 
Start drinking 2-liter bottles of soda. Rinse and make those into ice packs. That's what I use for my swamp cooler.
 
How would I figure out the carbonation if the keg is at room temperature. Obviously, just carbonate to a lower level but not sure there is a good conversion.
 
How would I figure out the carbonation if the keg is at room temperature. Obviously, just carbonate to a lower level but not sure there is a good conversion.

I'm not sure I follow completely. If you carb your keg at say 37°F to 11 PSI (which would get you around 2.5 vols), then let it free rise to room temp (disconnected from the gas), you'll find that the pressure will eventually equilibriate to the correct psi for 2.5 vols at whatever that temp is (which would be around 30psi for a 67°F room).

In other words, when you get to your destination and hook up the keg to the jockey box, you'd hook the gas up to the keg according to the CO2 chart for the temp it is at and the vols you originally carbed to. In the example above, you'd have the gas set to about 30 psi. The only way you'd need to adjust the pressure is if the temp swings more than 5 degrees in either direction for an extended period.

Just as a side note in case I'm not being clear, if you originally carb a keg to 2.5 vols and then disconnect the gas, the beer will always stay carbed at that level, regardless of the temperature. The pressure in the keg will increase with the temperature, but the carbination level will remain constant. 11PSI @ 37°F === 30PSI @ 67°F === 2.5 vols. As long as you know your ambient temperature and your beer's carbination level, you can look at the chart to determine the PSI to set the gas to to ensure the beer stays properly carbed while serving.
 
Thanks that's as clear as it get. This looks like a great solution for my Fourth of July party. I brew at my home that has a frig as a kegarator where I carbonate. Was going to pick it up in am and bring it to our rental home. Was going to just put it on ice and deal with the cloudiness. I think your idea is better. Thanks
 
I'm not sure I follow completely. If you carb your keg at say 37°F to 11 PSI (which would get you around 2.5 vols), then let it free rise to room temp (disconnected from the gas), you'll find that the pressure will eventually equilibriate to the correct psi for 2.5 vols at whatever that temp is (which would be around 30psi for a 67°F room).

In other words, when you get to your destination and hook up the keg to the jockey box, you'd hook the gas up to the keg according to the CO2 chart for the temp it is at and the vols you originally carbed to. In the example above, you'd have the gas set to about 30 psi. The only way you'd need to adjust the pressure is if the temp swings more than 5 degrees in either direction for an extended period.

Just as a side note in case I'm not being clear, if you originally carb a keg to 2.5 vols and then disconnect the gas, the beer will always stay carbed at that level, regardless of the temperature. The pressure in the keg will increase with the temperature, but the carbination level will remain constant. 11PSI @ 37°F === 30PSI @ 67°F === 2.5 vols. As long as you know your ambient temperature and your beer's carbination level, you can look at the chart to determine the PSI to set the gas to to ensure the beer stays properly carbed while serving.

The above is all correct.

What you need to watch out for is serving pressure. If your keg at 2.5 volumes warms up to ambient, the pressure would likely be in the 30 - 35 psi range. You are likely to shoot foam & beer all over the place trying to serve at that pressure. If you can't cool the keg before serving, then vent & reset the pressure to something that gives you a good pour. When you are done serving for the session, turn the pressure back up to whatever is needed to keep your carbonation level where you had it based on the current temperature of the beer.

Brew on :mug:
 
Indirectly related - if you don't fine / filter, let the keg sit and settle once you get to the rental home (or see if you can steel a corner of the fridge to crash for 24 hours. Yeast gets shook up something awful on a road trip.
 
Thanks. Ended up getting a smaller kegarator for my rental house. Will likely take that with me. If its too big to take, then I will make a jockey box. I was worried that with the jockey box the pressure over two weeks would over carbonate the beer. Seems like a great solution for long weekend but probably not ideal for 2 wks. Only issue is I'm doing a Rye beer which are one of my favorites but not well received by Bud drinkers.
 
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