Getting The Beer From Fermenter To Keg

[jkeysers]

I have recently gotten myself a keg system, and after a disappointing first batch outta the keg, I have been trying to make a better beer. I refined my brewing procedure, and hope that I have brewed a better beer (I'm still on K+Ks tho). Anyway, fermentation is pretty much done, and another area where I have been going wrong I'm told is getting the beer from the fermenter to the keg. Last time (my first) I put the beer in the keg, I just poured it straight in from the tap, which I now realise is a no-no. Too much splashing etc. So, people are saying to run it through a hose or siphon.

Now, my question, do I actually need a specific type of siphon or hose? My funds are low at the moment, so any way I could get my beer from point A to point B with little or no cost would be perfect. I was considering cutting a metre off my garden hose and easing it in with that but thought it might contaminate it. So i'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[Juddy]

Hey i_like_chicken,
Bunnings sell blue food grade hose by the metre! Quite cheap from memory. Thats what I've always used with no problems!
Juddy

 

[drsmurto]

1-2 metres of food grade hose from your local HB store. Should cost less than $5.

 

[jkeysers]

Thanks guys. All seems so obvious now. I will pick some up tonight from Bunnings more than likely!

Cheers.

 

[mikem108]

Gently, gently when putting beer into the keg, squirt some CO2 into it just before you transfer if you can, helps keep the O2 out.

 

[Jazzafish]

Gently, gently when putting beer into the keg, squirt some CO2 into it just before you transfer if you can, helps keep the O2 out.

I usually run my keg cleaner ang rinse cycle through my beer lines instead of pouring it out. Gives them a clean at the same time and leaves CO2 in the keg to rack onto.

 

[jkeysers]

mikem108 - not sure I follow. So I should take my gas line off, open the gas reg and spray some gas into my empty keg before I put the beer in?

Jazzafish - I was planning on putting some keg cleaner/water solution in the keg and gassing it up to pour through the lines. Cheers.

So would the best way to go about this to be to clean the keg just before I transfer the brew? So,
- Pour in keg cleaner/hot(?) water solution.
- Shake, swish and swirl it around as much as possible.
- Gas it up.
- Run it all through the lines.
- Put more hot water in to rinse.
- Gas it up & run it water through the lines again.
- Open keg and pour beer in through hose as quickly as I can. (So there will be traces of gas still in the keg to hose the beer onto)

Does this sound about right? Or am I using too much gas this way by gassing it up twice?

I guess my next question would be, when do I gas the full keg up? Ive been told I should chill the keg first, but Im not sure how long for.

 

[crozdog]

mikem108 - not sure I follow. So I should take my gas line off, open the gas reg and spray some gas into my empty keg before I put the beer in?

Once you have a cleaned sanitised keg that you want to fill, simply hook up the gas to the gas post on the keg & give it a squirt into the empty keg. Thay way you end up with a layer of CO2 in the bottom (C02's heavier than air) so when you put your tube/hows from your fermenter tap / racking cane into the bottom of the keg, the beer will contact CO@ & not air.

So would the best way to go about this to be to clean the keg just before I transfer the brew? So,
- Pour in keg cleaner/hot(?) water solution.
- Shake, swish and swirl it around as much as possible.
- Gas it up.
- Run it all through the lines.
- Put more hot water in to rinse.
- Gas it up & run it water through the lines again.
- Open keg and pour beer in through hose as quickly as I can. (So there will be traces of gas still in the keg to hose the beer onto)

Does this sound about right? Or am I using too much gas this way by gassing it up twice?

I guess my next question would be, when do I gas the full keg up? Ive been told I should chill the keg first, but Im not sure how long for.

You will find that using CO2 to assist with your line cleaning uses stuff all gas. You don't need to "gas it up" like you carbonate a keg, just apply pressure. The techniques in the links below can be adapted to incorporate cleaning of your lines. Do what works for you.

Some people clean their lines after each keg, others not so often.

Your procedure above doesn't include a sanitise step. Get some Iodorphor or similar "no rinse" sanitiser to make life easier & establish a good sanitation regime (brewery not personal h34r: ).

Here are a couple of links to threads which you'll find useful:

Intro to kegging

keg cleaning
keg cleaning link 2

In relation to carbonating a keg, do a search on the "Ross Method".

Hope that helps

Crozdog

 

[jkeysers]

Your procedure above doesn't include a sanitise step. Get some Iodorphor or similar "no rinse" sanitiser to make life easier & establish a good sanitation regime (brewery not personal h34r: ).

So I still need this? Even with all this disinfecting and what not? I know cleanliness is very important, but why do I need to this as well?

It seems like overkill. Is it because the rinse water can have impurities in it?

 

[albrews]

So I still need this? Even with all this disinfecting and what not? I know cleanliness is very important, but why do I need to this as well?

It seems like overkill. Is it because the rinse water can have impurities in it?

hi, even the 2 m of garden hose would be o.k. using a sanitiser rinse through the bore of the hose. sodium metabisulphite is an o.k. sanitiser . this is the sought of thing i use and i have had no probs.

cheers

 

[crozdog]

Is it because the rinse water can have impurities in it?

Exactly! Why go to the extent of cleaning stuff, then dirtying it again? There are (arguably) 3 things that'll help you make better beer & 2 of em are sanitation, the 3rd is temp control. Get into the habit of good sanitation practices now & once youre brewing advances you won't even think twice about your sanitation - apart from remembering to do it.

I use sodium percarbonate (napisan) for a soak then, rinse with fresh water, then splash Iodophor over everything. Easy & cheap. FWIW, The same process is used for hoses, fermenters & kegs its just technique & quantity that varies.

Beers

Crozdog