Do I Need To Add Sugar When Kegging?

[mateostojic]

Ok so i am doing my first brew, but instead if bottling, i am kegging.
The K&K instructions say to add sugar to bottles for second fermentation stage.
Now do i skip that step or do i add sugar to my keg?
Also, can my beer mature in the keg at room temp?
Also, should i pressurise the keg for maturing stage?

Also, on a side note. I keep my fermentor in the closet of my bedroom.
I have since discovered that the sound of beer fermenting is the most satisfying sound to fall asleep to.


Big fan.

 

[Bribie G]

bloop bloop like counting sheep.

You can certainly add sugar to your keg to carb up the beer and save paying $$$ to BOC for some gas. Just be aware that when you eventually start to pour there will be a fair bit of yeast coming out for the first few glasses / jugs. I usually add just 90g sugar per keg.

If you skip the sugar you can leave the keg in the fridge under gas but it will take a week or so to fizz up. Or you can put the COLD keg on the floor under about 150kp pressure and roll it back and forwards with your feet for ten minutes. (Search forum for the Ross Method)

If sugar priming, store at ambient, just as if it's a big oversized bottle

If sugar priming, with a cornie it is best to firmly seat the rubber ring by giving the keg a shot of gas through the gas quick-disconnect, first up, to jam the rubber up against the seal around the top of the opening. Otherwise despite the gas being given off during the secondary fermentation from the sugar you have put in the keg, it may not be vigorous enough to do the seal thing and on shaking the keg you may get a bit of fizzing through the top cover. I've got one like that at the moment, and will give it a zoom tomorrow (no harm done as there is still a blanket of CO2 over the beer)

:icon_cheers:

 

[avaneyk]

There are two ways you can carbonate your beer - either treat the keg like a giant bottle or force carb using bottled C02.

To treat your keg like a bottle, you just add the right amount of sugar for your style (eg 6g/L of beer) to your keg (I normally boil the sugar in a little water before adding to the keg to make sure everything is sanitary) then rack your finished beer on top. Then you seal the keg, apply a small amount of pressure from your gas bottle (say 5psi) and burp the keg (use the kegs pressure relief valve to let gas out a few times - this will purge any 02 from the keg). Don't over pressure the keg or the yeast will have more trouble turning the sugar into bubbles. Then you just put it aside for a week or two at room temp.

The other way is to force carb your keg. First burp the keg like above. Then chill the beer and apply C02 pressure from your gas bottle. The pressure and temp will determine how bubbly your beer gets. It will take a few days to carb up fully (depending on the pressure you use) There's a good article on this site that describes this a lot better. It in the articles area. To speed up force carbing, shake and roll the keg of cold beer with gas pressure applied.

Mature the beer at room temp if using natural carbonation (sugar) but store cold if using forced carb.

Just noticed that BribieG beat me to it...oh well

Hope this is helpful,
Andrew.

 

[Bribie G]

Andrew I think we got the OP in the traditional pincer movement :icon_cheers:

He'll be right

Cheers

Michael

 

[Wisey]

You fella's find if you put sugar in your kegs it takes longer for them to start pouring clear beer?

 

[mateostojic]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated

I reckon i will carb with CO2 bottle this time and sugar the next.

Cheers

 

[Effect]

as I started to keg my beer before I had a regulator and gas bottle, I just chucked in a little bit of sugar, not enough to get it to the carbonisation level I want, but so it would create enough CO2 so I could push out the oxygen in the top of the keg.

I pretty sure I am going to transfer the beer to another keg (once the reg and gas bottle arrive) so I don't have to worry about the yeast settling at the bottom of the kegs...wouldn't be mush of a problem if I was just going to let them sit, but I am sure they are going to get moved around a little bit...

Cheers
Phil