priming sugar in a keg

[iecplumbing]

hi all priming sugar in a keg or Co2 what is better if priming sugar how much?

 

[Rocker1986]

Neither is better really, it all comes down to personal preference.

For me, I use the CO2 cylinder to carbonate kegs. Having had a number of batches where I've had enough surplus beer to bottle it and naturally carb it, there is a difference in taste and I always prefer the kegged portion. I don't know if priming a keg would result in the same difference or not but I'm happy how they're turning out with the cylinder so no real desire to prime one.

Others prefer to prime their kegs, presumably for similar reasons.

 

[Brewman_]

I do both.

I prefer dextrose in most kegs. That way I can have kegs carbing up in the garage and not in my fridge. But I don't do that for beers I want to drink fresh, wheats / IPA's.

General guide for me is 120g of dextrose in a keg of Pale Ale. I drop that off to say 80 to 90 for beers where I want lower fizz.

Like Rocker said, personal preference.

But at Brewman I see many brewers that know only one way so this is a common topic of discussion.

 

[damoninja]

Define better

Uses less CO2 when you use sugar in the keg, takes little longer but also doesn't take up a position in a system... can't really check it along the way...

I just finished doing 2 kegs 1 forced 1 with sugar... the 1 with sugar is undercarbed and veeeeeery slightly cloudy (but it's ever so slight)... 1-2 pours it'll be clear.

So I'm gonna swap them for a few days and get the carbonation evened out then will make another assessment

 

[damoninja]

General guide for me is 120g of dextrose in a keg of Pale Ale. I drop that off to say 80 to 90 for beers where I want lower fizz.

I went with the alleged rule of halving the amount you'd use if bottling, sounds like you haven't though. Do they come out OK or bit fizzy and need a good burp?

 

[damoninja]

I went with the alleged rule of halving the amount you'd use if bottling, sounds like you haven't though. Do they come out OK or bit fizzy and need a good burp?

Yeah so I just swapped these kegs over and the natural carbed one is basically certainly undercarbed. Also checked a ginger beer I did this way, SEEMS carbed because I pushed some out from a party tap with head space still under pressure but once it settled nup pretty flatty too.

Whoever came up with the idea that you need to half the dex?

Edit: It's been 3 weeks at 22C in my ferm fridge, bottles are carbed up nicely so I don't think it's not ready.

 

[Brewman_]

I went with the alleged rule of halving the amount you'd use if bottling, sounds like you haven't though. Do they come out OK or bit fizzy and need a good burp?

They come out perfect. In my kegorator. I always burp them when they are completely chilled. then away I go.

I always take a keg to Bitter and twisted, and have learnt that that is too much fizz when on the rig we use there. In that case a Pale Ale would get say 80 to 90g of Dex. And at a show always better to be a little under carbed than over carbed.

This years keg is IPA and the hop is intense and I wanna keep it cold out of the fermenter. So I will use CO2 on it.

 

[damoninja]

This years keg is IPA and the hop is intense and I wanna keep it cold out of the fermenter. So I will use CO2 on it.

Well next time I'll give it a go with a bigger dose. I only used 60g and yeah I'd reckon I've got maybe 1.0-1.3 vols something like that.

 

[Brewman_]

Well next time I'll give it a go with a bigger dose. I only used 60g and yeah I'd reckon I've got maybe 1.0-1.3 vols something like that.

That sounds low to me, but how does it pour and taste?

Some of my customers tell me stories of only 25g and get fizzy beer. I suspect that the beer has been kegged pre maturely and has not fully attenuated.

That is the other thing when using sugar / Dex or what ever to carb kegs. If the ferment is not complete it will keep going in the keg and get very fizzy.

 

[damoninja]

That sounds low to me, but how does it pour and taste?

Some of my customers tell me stories of only 25g and get fizzy beer. I suspect that the beer has been kegged pre maturely and has not fully attenuated.

That is the other thing when using sugar / Dex or what ever to carb kegs. If the ferment is not complete it will keep going in the keg and get very fizzy.

Pours with no head and tastes like the other one that is fully carbonated with the exception that the feel's a little different, expresses less aroma but again no CO2 coming off of it. After moving it it was also yeasty but I poured the natural carbed one before swap, after swap and the forced carbed one before the swap.

 

[Brewman_]

Yep bump it up.

The good thing about being under carbed from Sugar / Dex priming is that you can always bump up the carb when it is in the serving fridge.

 

[Rocker1986]

Hm, all this discussion of different levels of dex to get the right carb level etc... another reason I'll just stick to carbing via the cylinder, since I have my process for it worked out properly now.

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

Thanks Brewman - so about 80 grams for a big stout or a Yorkie and up to 120 for an APA is pretty right for a Corny? I have a couple of 5 litre kegs coming soon that I don't want to be hooking up to my main gas lines so these should make great little test beds for the leftovers from my 24 litre batches.

 

[barls]

I'm going to say it completely dependent on system. mine is about 60-70g and that gives me 2.3 volumes when i naturally carbonate the kegs.

 

[damoninja]

I'm going to say it completely dependent on system. mine is about 60-70g and that gives me 2.3 volumes when i naturally carbonate the kegs.

Hmm... How does the system affect the amount of CO2 that's dissolved in the beer? If it's got X grams of CO2 dissolved, it's still X grams regardless how you're pushing it out...

 

[barls]

depends on your temp and pressure you use.
also if you purge the kegs after filling.

 

[damoninja]

depends on your temp and pressure you use.
also if you purge the kegs after filling.

Ah well yeah... But I mean, my kegs are at 2 degrees and flat as ****. I purged the head space a fraction immediately before hooking up but that's not gonna flatten the whole thing.

I dispense at same pressure I carb at, used to keep at 8 but got sick of it getting a little flat at the end so I carb at ~13 and dispense at ~13

Edit: lines lengthened accordingly

 

[barls]

mines 6 and about 60 pa