New To Kegging

[govorko1974]

Gidday all,

have just purchased a kegging system and fridge with tap and am wanting advice/links to teach me the best way to keg my homebrew. Have been bottling it for the last 3 years and have read a bit on the net about kegging but am looking for expert homebrewers advice on what is the best way that they use. need advice from getting beer into keg, carbing it and how to best store it if a am not drinking it straight away.

cheers

 

[govorko1974]

also as it is 2nd hand and I don't know how well it was last cleaned was is the best cleaning stuff to clean kegs out and also flush the line to the tap

 

[Grainer]

try pwb..o clean followed by starsan ....can't think of it drinking too many swap and lotto beers

 

[Edak]

Keep rubbing it in Grainer! I agree PBW then starsan.

 

[Cube]

Clean a new aquired keg by dropping in a cap of non scented nappy san and filling it with cold water to overflowing. Throw the lid on and store upright for a night then upside down for another. Just add a little gas to make sure the seal....seals.

Drain the keg saving a bucket of nappy san and pull off the posts and remove the poppets. Very easy to do with a spanner. Literally unscrew them. Soak posts, poppets and lid with no seal on in nappy san. Kettle some hot water into keg and slosh it around to clean off nappy san then rinse with water for good measure. Same for posts/poppets. Install posts back on with new little seals on both dip tube and gas in tube. Renew the lid seal x 1 and post seals x 2. 5 seals in total. Use keg lube or good old KY Jelly on the new seals. The old seals will be impregnated with soda taste and can taint your beer.

Then make one of these: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/75530-keg-linetap-cleaner-diy/#entry1083831 to clean out the kergeraor disconnect lines and taps in one hit with no wastage of water and gas.

To clean the keg after you had beer in it just wash it out then pour boiling water in there and close it up. Shake the shit out of it and throw a spare beer out disconnect on and watch steam do its work pushing the hot water up the dip tube and out the disconnect. HAVE a bucket handy and position it over the disconnect as you press it on to catch the hot water before you spray yourself or your family in the face with boiling hot water until it is emptied the water or run out of steam pressure. For sterilising it after that you will need to put a little gas in to pump the cleaner/steraliser up the dip tube.

 

[Edak]

Clean a new aquired keg by dropping in a cap of non scented nappy san and filling it with cold water to overflowing. Throw the lid on and store upright for a night then upside down for another. Just add a little gas to make sure the seal....seals.

Drain the keg saving a bucket of nappy san and pull off the posts and remove the poppets. Very easy to do with a spanner. Literally unscrew them. Soak posts, poppets and lid with no seal on in nappy san. Kettle some hot water into keg and slosh it around to clean off nappy san then rinse with water for good measure. Same for posts/poppets. Install posts back on with new little seals on both dip tube and gas in tube. Renew the lid seal x 1 and post seals x 2. 5 seals in total. Use keg lube or good old KY Jelly on the new seals. The old seals will be impregnated with soda taste and can taint your beer.

Then make one of these: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/75530-keg-linetap-cleaner-diy/#entry1083831 to clean out the kergeraor disconnect lines and taps in one hit with no wastage of water and gas.

To clean the keg after you had beer in it just wash it out then pour boiling water in there and close it up. Shake the shit out of it and throw a spare beer out disconnect on and watch steam do its work pushing the hot water up the dip tube and out the disconnect. HAVE a bucket handy and position it over the disconnect as you press it on to catch the hot water before you spray yourself or your family in the face with boiling hot water until it is emptied the water or run out of steam pressure. For sterilising it after that you will need to put a little gas in to pump the cleaner/steraliser up the dip tube.

That little invention you created is very nice! I might have to make one myself..
May I ask everyone how much you run through the taps/lines to clean them? also how often do you clean them? I typically wait until I finish a keg, then clean the keg with PBW and run a couple of litres of it through the tap (using the power of heat/steam) then starsan through the line/tap to sanitise them.

How often do you take apart the posts and poppets for separate cleaning?

 

[Cube]

That little invention you created is very nice! I might have to make one myself..
May I ask everyone how much you run through the taps/lines to clean them? also how often do you clean them? I typically wait until I finish a keg, then clean the keg with PBW and run a couple of litres of it through the tap (using the power of heat/steam) then starsan through the line/tap to sanitise them.

How often do you take apart the posts and poppets for separate cleaning?

I pump through a full spray bottle of whatever I am using in the sprayer. Stop half way through and let it soak in there for 10 minutes.
My spray bottle is small as per my link above.

Posts and poppets not that often because of the way I clean the keg after every use. 6 months maybe.

 

[govorko1974]

thanks for the advice guys. was wanting to know.. how long do I need to mature the beer in the keg. with my bottling I leave it 2-3 months before I drink it. also how do I mature it in the keg. do I carb it first or just leave it sitting in keg uncarbed

 

[JDOGG2]

I have the same question re kegging.. I'm about 2 weeks off but was wondering how to best prepare the keg with co2? Do I refrigerate for a week whilst pumping co2 into it?

 

[Maheel]

I have the same question re kegging.. I'm about 2 weeks off but was wondering how to best prepare the keg with co2? Do I refrigerate for a week whilst pumping co2 into it?

if you mean carbing the beer then you could also look at "the Ross method" of force carbing

many use it (i do)
link
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/10667-guide-to-keg-forced-carbonation/?hl=%20ross%20%20method

or link
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/8535-ross-method-of-forced-carbonation-of-kegs/

 

[beer-head]

Ive been kegging for about 5 months and the following works for me.

I brew my beer for a week in the fermenter, then move the fermenter into my kegerator at about 1-2 degrees for 3 days to clear the beer. Then I transfer the beer to the keg, pump 40psi of CO2 into in for 36-48 hours. After that I reduce the pressure to serving and drink! So the process takes me about 2 weeks from fermenting to drinking.

 

[Donske]

Ive been kegging for about 5 months and the following works for me.

I brew my beer for a week in the fermenter, then move the fermenter into my kegerator at about 1-2 degrees for 3 days to clear the beer. Then I transfer the beer to the keg, pump 40psi of CO2 into in for 36-48 hours. After that I reduce the pressure to serving and drink! So the process takes me about 2 weeks from fermenting to drinking.

I'm currently working on a 9 day grain to brain schedule for pale ales as the damn kegs never last long in my place.

Ferment for 5 days @ 18, dry hop and start crash chilling on the 6th day, keg on the 8th day, leave overnight @ 40PSI then drink.

Works everytime.

 

[Tropico]

After a couple of years of kegging, I have settled on this method, as it works for me;

From the fermenter I get 1 keg and few bottles, all of which are naturally conditioned with sugar.

Two weeks or more for the keg in the house, then into the fridge at serving pressure for at least a week, 10 days or more is better (to let temp and carbonation to settle down).

I condition the keg with 100gm white sugar which does overcarb it a little, but this rectifies over the 10 days in the fridge.

Running the 2 kegs from a single CO2 reg, they are always at serving pressure and I don't have to change the setting on the regulator at all. As one keg empties, I just change to the next keg, and then replace the empty with the next keg that has finished conditioning.

Sometimes the cycle is shorter, sometimes its longer, sometimes I have two half empty kegs (or two full ones) in the fridge. with some bottles on hand if I run short. Works for me.

 

[Bribie G]

Draught beer is a different animal to bottled. If it's clear and it's gassed then it's good to drink.

 

[ash2]

What size hose do u old keggers use & if their are no leaks does size matter