Natural Priming Keg

[stowaway]

My mate bought a keg setup similar to mine except he skimped on the CO2 bottle and is using bulbs using naturally primed kegs.

He claims it'll be a better tasting beer, (he claims to have read it)

What does everybody think?

If its that much better i might put a keg away to naturally prime..

ps- someone said Keep it simple in one of the other hundred posts i have posted over the last 48hours. Im doing that too.. but also expirementing with lots of other things at the same time.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

The problem with priming the keg is that you have to wait for it to carb up and then again for the yeast to settle out

So you have to wait for it to condition again

That being said there is nothing wrong with naturally carbing - given time

One of the advantages of kegging (as I see it) is being able to drinking a beer in very little time (and not washing bottles!)

Hence the term "grain to brain"

Cheers

 

[stowaway]

Yes but my mate is goign to natural prime his keg. (he is aware it takes longer)

so there is no bottles. And then he uses soda bulbs to get it out. (aprox 4 soda bulbs per keg.. no regulator)


It is claimed that it tastes better..

 

[Cracka]

You don't have the option for NO, it is not better. Only because its more of a pain in the arse then its worth.

 

[stowaway]

1 person has voted yes its way better.

i would like to hear from someone with this opinion?

 

[pint of lager]

Yes, bulk priming does work. Many people use it, myself included, but I have lots of kegs and don't need to rush the time taken from fermenter to keg to fridge.

The keg doesn't need to be cold to bulk prime.

You end up with lots of yeast sediment on the bottom. If you move the keg, this layer is stirred up.

Dissolved carbon dioxide is dissolved carbon dioxide.

Get your mate to do some maths and cost the CO2 out. Ross sells the bulbs for $20 for 5. So if you use 4 bulbs to push a keg out, that's $16. How many kegs a year is he going to consume? 20? That's $320 a year in CO2 bulbs.

Go and price a cylinder rental and refill.

With a full size cylinder you can also pressure test kegs, force carbonate, blow kegs out, push cleaning solution through lines plus other jobs keggers use gas for.

Keep the bulb dispenser for picnics.

 

[lokpikn]

I voted yes as well but only that yes was good but not to great was an option

If you have the room and time to let kegs sit and carbonate and age i think is always good but i have 14 or 16 kegs so i have the time. I still use a big co2 bottle to carb and push beer out as well it all comes down to how i feel on the day. I think the beer taste about the same and as already said its a bit dirty on the first few and if you move it around but so are my forced carbed kegs. Its up to you mate there is no real difference.

I pay $110 per year in hire fee and about 30 or 40 to refill a co2 bottle lasts for 2 years and its easy.

It can be done but all comes back to your mate its all good.

 

[SJW]

If u got a co2 bottle, I can understand why u would bother with priming kegs any other way. But thats just me.

Steve

 

[lokpikn]

Sometimes it nice to know i have a aged keg in storge in the back off the fridge and if i think gee wizz i might like to use that tonight at bobs piss up all i got to do is chill it and alls good.

Mainly as i force carb at 1 bar it takes a few weeks to carb up this way so thats why i have both.

 

[bindi]

I 'keg condition' [as I call it] all the time, only because I have the kegs, space and time, but it depends on the beer.
Did not vote in the poll. B)

 

[Rurik]

I have done both. I have never noticed a taste difference. My thoughts comes down to the only difference is that they are different.

 

[Tony]

Mainly as i force carb at 1 bar it takes a few weeks to carb up this way so thats why i have both.

I chill beer in prinary or secondary firmenter.......... doesnt matter as long as its cleared out.

Rack it to the keg, seal it up and put the gas in the beer out tube at 250kpa for 48 hrs. No shaking required.

Change the gas back to the gas in point adter the 2 days and run it back to pouring pressure.

bobs your uncle.

i didnt vote because there is no NO option............ tried it and hate the yeast it produces in the keg and the posibility of infection after sitting there for ages.

cheers

 

[gundaroo]

yes for me,
i use 10 teaspoons of white sugar for my cornies,and 20 teaspoons for my 50s,
i fill and roll,purge headspace with a little co2,and leave.when i need to use them ,i move them carefully into the fridge and start drinking,first jug a little cloudy sometimes.
have tried force carbing,but the natural way seems easier for me,no real taste differance.

 

[dicko]

I have tried it and for most instances I find force carbonation to be satisfactory.

I will say though, that if you want to create an almost exact copy of a Coopers Pale Ale keg then natural carbonating in the keg is the way to go.
When I do this I usually give the keg a bit of a roll to mix the yeast well into the beer and then serve.
I have noticed that pubs that know how to serve CPA really well, store the kegs upside down and then turn them up the correct way when hooking up the keg to mix the yeast evenly thorought the beer.

Cheers

edit: spelling