How Do You Keg?

[AussieJosh]

Hey guys!

Im kinda new to kegging, I have Keg three beers, two with the natural conditioning method (i used 1 third of a cup of sugar in the keg and left it for at least two weeks at room temp, then chilled it down for 24hrs and hooked it at at (75KPA) 1 of the two beers i have done this way seemed to be flat with very little carb.
The other way i have Kegged (1 time) is put the keg in the fridge for two days hooked up at 300kpa then after two days bring it down to 100 and drink This seemed to of worked well but....i was drinking beer three days out of the fermenter.....Coming from the land of bottling i was in the mind set that beer needs to be left at least two weeks if not longer.....

I have also read about the (Ross method)

Tomorrow i am looking at Kegging my 2nd AG (bottled my first) My 2nd is in the style of LCPA and i have spent a lot of time money and care on this brew and would really like to keg it with out any stuff ups.

So i would just like to know whats the kegging method you guys use? What do you find best? And do any of you have any issues drinking beer a few days out of the fermenter when force carbing?

Cheers for your help everyone!

Josh.

 

[outbreak]

I chill and leave at serving pressure and its usually carbed at around day 5. It works well for me

 

[adryargument]

I leave mine at 75-80 kpa for three weeks. They will eventually get there

 

[humulus]

Hey guys!

Im kinda new to kegging, I have Keg three beers, two with the natural conditioning method (i used 1 third of a cup of sugar in the keg and left it for at least two weeks at room temp, then chilled it down for 24hrs and hooked it at at (75KPA) 1 of the two beers i have done this way seemed to be flat with very little carb.
The other way i have Kegged (1 time) is put the keg in the fridge for two days hooked up at 300kpa then after two days bring it down to 100 and drink This seemed to of worked well but....i was drinking beer three days out of the fermenter.....Coming from the land of bottling i was in the mind set that beer needs to be left at least two weeks if not longer.....

I have also read about the (Ross method)

Tomorrow i am looking at Kegging my 2nd AG (bottled my first) My 2nd is in the style of LCPA and i have spent a lot of time money and care on this brew and would really like to keg it with out any stuff ups.

So i would just like to know whats the kegging method you guys use? What do you find best? And do any of you have any issues drinking beer a few days out of the fermenter when force carbing?

Cheers for your help everyone!

Josh.

G,day Josh im fairly new to A.G. only done 5 so far,after fermentation is finished checked with hydrometer,i rack mine off to a secondary vessel for 2 to 3 weeks longer if you can handle the wait,
at 12 to16deg then transfer to the keg and gas at 280/290 kpa for 24hrs.Bleed off to pouring pressure and enjoy!!
Havent had a problem yet
Kegs are the way to go...but i always try bottle a few out of each batch just to age them.
Im sure that there is wiser and more experienced people on this forum than me but thats my 2bobs worth!!!
Welcome to the world of kegs and AG beer
Humulus

 

[DU99]

i add 75grams of dextrose,and leave for a few weeks before drinking...works ok for me

 

[fasty73]

I add about 20-25 PSI then roll on the floor for about 5-7 minutes and it comes out fine. Although Carbination is better after 24 hours.

 

[NickB]

Just hook up at whatever pressure you're serving, and then shake/roll (ala the Ross Method). You will need to do this for 10-30 mins depending on the temperature, but the good thing is there is not chance of over-carbonation. In my experience, gets you about 90-95% carbonated, and can start drinking straight away.

Cheers

 

[Goofinder]

You're going to get as many different answers as you get responses to this question as everyone will do it differently.

The way I see it, there's a few different ways to do it depending on your situation:

1. I want to drink my beer now: Get it cold and use the 'Ross' method (or the Butters method if you can wait half an hour).
2. I've got beer on tap already, I'll drink this one in a while: Bung the keg in the fridge and hook it up at serving pressure. Once the other kegs are empty (or a week or so has gone past), start on this keg.
3. I don't have enough room in the keg fridge: Either drink faster, or naturally prime in the keg. You'll get a bit of extra sediment but once it's at serving temperature it will drop out and after a couple of glasses the beer will be clear (enough) anyway.

Sounds like you understand the mechanics of all the methods, it's just a matter of working out what you want. I fit into the second category as I tend to brew more than I drink.

 

[barls]

i naturally carb, i figure out how much id normally bulk prime with then halve it. add to keg, fill and leave for about 2 months on average, i have a few kegs.
then chill burp and serve.

 

[Bribie G]

I have a 3 keg system. I had two nearly empty kegs and one full keg that had a nasty "nail polish" twang from an out of control primary fermentation, so I tipped it. I had a couple of beers waiting in line in the lagering fridge in cubes ready to go, so I kegged an APA, put it in place of the tipped keg, removed the gas quick disconnects from the others and cranked the gas up to 200 kpa, and the temperature down to 2

To my surprise it was perfect after 36 hours. Normally at serving pressure (around 60) it does take four or five days as posted by others here. I'll be doing this from now on.

 

[Jeff Margrie]

You're going to get as many different answers as you get responses to this question as everyone will do it differently.

The way I see it, there's a few different ways to do it depending on your situation:

1. I want to drink my beer now: Get it cold and use the 'Ross' method (or the Butters method if you can wait half an hour).
2. I've got beer on tap already, I'll drink this one in a while: Bung the keg in the fridge and hook it up at serving pressure. Once the other kegs are empty (or a week or so has gone past), start on this keg.
3. I don't have enough room in the keg fridge: Either drink faster, or naturally prime in the keg. You'll get a bit of extra sediment but once it's at serving temperature it will drop out and after a couple of glasses the beer will be clear (enough) anyway.

Sounds like you understand the mechanics of all the methods, it's just a matter of working out what you want. I fit into the second category as I tend to brew more than I drink.

Exactly

Number 2 is the go in my bar as I always make sure there are plently of kegs with beer. I have seperate fridges for serving & storage. So the storage fridge is always at serving pressure. So when a keg blows, you just go around the corner get another full keg. When you hook it up, it's ready to go. Cold & Carbed up.

Cheers WoolBrew :icon_cheers:

 

[schooey]

Sometimes I carb naturally by priming with dex and fitting a PRV on the gas disconnect, other times I spund with the same PRV and other times I refrigerate and leave at serving pressure for a week.

Force carbed beer never tastes as good IMHO...

 

[Cocko]

What do you find best? And do any of you have any issues drinking beer a few days out of the fermenter when force carbing?

Josh.

I force carb, have it down to a fine art but it took a keg or 2 to get it right. That said I can be confident that my Ross like method will have me drinking a kegged beer in an hour or 2.

That said - I filter and filtering makes up for some mistakes apparently:

Goes like this:

Ferment in primary for 12-15 days.

Keg from primary. Then chill kegged beer, 24 hours.

Filter kegged beer from one keg to another.

CRYSTAL clear beer.

Its cold, so 'Ross' method carb - serving in about 1.75 hours!

Do I taste a difference? possibly the filter plays a part but NO, 2 hours from fermenter to gullet is easily a convenience and not an 'taste' issue..

Again, maybe its the filter.

Anyway 2c.

 

[Trusty1]

I have tried all three methods the quick force, normal force and natural carb and have had probs with:

Normal force - I am scared witless of a leak (I'm on my 3rd bloody 6kg CO2 bottle after only 5 kegs - and no I don;t have more money than sense, I just might not have much of either :wacko: ).

Natural Carb - Without the knowledge I now possess my natural carb attempt resulted in a full batch of draught on the grass, after i added the normal amount of priming sugar as I would if bottling (yes I know I am a dill! Thanks for confirming this ). MY most recent keg is a great summer ale which I can barely drink because all I get (I know how stupid this sounds coming from a man) is head! I have tried everything (i think) from de/re gassing to smaller ID/longer beer line and a temp check. So.....sorry Josh, but :icon_offtopic: anyone got any other ideas??? I even took the tap apart thinking it might not be opening up all the way - you how you get foam if not fully open?, but is all good as far as i can tell.

I have a keg of Coopers black naturally conditioning at ATM done simply as Josh has described, 1/3 cup of plain old white sugar. has been in the keg 2 weeks. Would you guys hook it up and have a crack, or leave it another couple of days/weeks? I have a pretty good supply so that's not a determining factor.

Thanks.

 

[bignath]

Normal force - I am scared witless of a leak (I'm on my 3rd bloody 6kg CO2 bottle after only 5 kegs

Holy Shit!

I'd be pretty fuckin' scared too if i was doing that much gas to keg.

I'm on my second ever gas bottle (9kg) and i've been kegging for around 2 and a bit years. Lost count of how many kegs i've been through in that time, but it's a hell of a lot more than that. I brew probably every second week. The odd bottled batch, but usually kegged. The first bottle didn't run out either, i took it to get it swapped because i had a 40th to cater, and i didn't want to run out half way through. As it turns out, there was still a kilo of gas left in it.

You gotta have a leak somewhere fella.....

 

[Nevalicious]

Holy Shit!

I'd be pretty fuckin' scared too if i was doing that much gas to keg.

I'm on my second ever gas bottle (9kg) and i've been kegging for around 2 and a bit years. Lost count of how many kegs i've been through in that time, but it's a hell of a lot more than that. I brew probably every second week. The odd bottled batch, but usually kegged. The first bottle didn't run out either, i took it to get it swapped because i had a 40th to cater, and i didn't want to run out half way through. As it turns out, there was still a kilo of gas left in it.

You gotta have a leak somewhere fella.....

Spot on! Have you done all of the usual checks with soapy water and the like...

Have you tried using Keg Lube?? Helps with a positive seal around o-ring etc

Man, I'd be gutted if I had used that much gas over the course of 5 brews...

Back OT, Josh, unfortunately if you've run out of beer to drink and require the beer to be ready poste haste, the Ross Method is for you! A bit of trial and error but my first ever kegged beer was carbed this way. Not ideal and I dont really recommend it, but it works. Actually, I do use that method with Soda Water though...

What Goofinder posted though, re: letting it sit a serving temp and pressure for ATLEAST a week, will result in great carbonation every time

2c

Nev

 

[Nick JD]

 

[AussieJosh]

Thanks for all the info from everyone! Its been a great help!

For this brew i think i will try natural conditioning method again cause i will not be drinking it for about three weeks, but i will do a few things diffrent this time....

Before i just used 1 third of a cup of sugar in the keg and left it for at least two weeks at room temp, then chilled it down for 24hrs and hooked it at at 75KPA.

This time i will Use Dex at the rate of 4g per litre, then i will Seal the keg and "purge the headspace with CO2" then give it a shake (i take it this means just hook the Co2 up and pump a little in to the keg?) Then i will just let it sit in our wine celler at around 22c for three weeks while i drink my other beers and go to Sydney to watch the UFC 127 and drink my way around Sydneys craft brew pubs and microbreweries :beerbang:

I will be kegging a kit pils with lots of extra sazz added in about a week, Ill try one of the other kegging methods mentioned by you guys for that!

Cheers :icon_cheers:

and thanks everyone for there help!

 

[AussieJosh]

hey guys just one more real quick question!..........

I have just finished sanitising my keg and now i am rinsing it with boiling hot water from the kettle, have placed the lid on the keg and given the keg a good shake to rince the inside of it, before taking of the lid to empty the hot rince water i have noticed air and bubbles escaping from the lids seal, the black o ring looks new...i took the lid off and and put the lid back on and after shaking again i can hear it and see bubbels escaping...,...is this just because it hot water? Do you think it will be ok to keg my beer? Just asking cause i have not noticed my other two kegs doing this.....

Cheers for anyones help!

Josh.

 

[michael_aussie]

i have noticed air and bubbles escaping from the lids seal, the black o ring looks new...i took the lid off and and put the lid back on and after shaking again i can hear it and see bubbels escaping...,...is this just because it hot water?

your lid seal is leaking.
You may find when you put the beer in and put a shot of pressure, it all seats fine.
You may find that it still leaks.

I've found the best way to get a good lid seal is to use a lube - I've only used KY, and never had a "taste" problem.
....also I pump the keg up to 400kPa when I first fill it to lock the seals in.