Kegs

[Hashie]

G'day fellas,
Firstly let me apologise if I have posted this in the wrong place, or if it has been discussed elsewhere that I have missed.

I have been brewing for around 11 years without dramas (hangovers excluded) and am about to move into kegging. I have read a fair bit about it, but would be good to get some first hand advice on which method of carbonation is better and why.

I am leaning toward natural conditioning in the keg, as this would give me a beer almost identical as to that which I am drinking from the bottle. But I have noticed that most who post here force carbonate with Co2.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[GMK]

if you naturally cabonate in the keg - u will need to take an inch or 2 off the liquid dip tube - otherwise with the first six pints u will be sucking up yeast trub.
Also, will need to periodically vent the keg as it naturally carbonates.
U will still need some co2 to push the beer thru - espaecially as the liquid level drops.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[Hashie]

I fully intend on having gas to draught the beer, fridge for the kegs etc.

So the only fifference between the 2 methods is some cloudy beer?

 

[pint of lager]

I naturally carbonate my kegs by using dextrose.

Dissolve the require amount of dextrose in water in a saucepan, heat on a stove till boiling to sanitise, cool and add to keg. Rack the beer onto the dextrose solution, purge the headspace a few times, wait a week while it carbonates at the correct fermentation temperature, chill, and serve.

I don't cut anything off my diptubes, but the first few schooners do pour cloudy.

As to which is best, that is personal preference.

Force carbonated is quicker to consumption. I feel the natural carbonation tastes smoother.

If you naturally carbonate, you will need more kegs as the process takes longer than the keg, force carbonate and drink method.

 

[Hashie]

Thanks for the advice.

I will be running with 9 kegs, so ageing wont be an issue.

Does it make a great deal of difference between using white sugar or dextrose for the secondary fermentation. I use dextrose to brew, but sugar for the secondary in the bottles/kegs.