1

Do you need to add priming sugar when moving beer to a keg? Will the CO2 from the system be enough to carbonate it?

0

2 Answers 2

1

When you want to carbonate in the keg, you have both options: priming and force carbonation.

Priming is much as you would do it in the bottle. Just figure out how much carbonation you already have, how much you want and add the appropriate amount of priming sugar. The downside is that the secondary fermentation initiated by priming can take weeks to achieve proper results. Here's a good introduction to priming in kegs.

Force carbonation relies on the solubility of CO2 gas you're already using to dispense to achieve carbonation. Typically the beer would be transferred to the keg, chilled, then pressure applied. This method is very precise because the solubility of CO2 at any given temperature/pressure combination is well-known. Downside is that you pay for the CO2 you're injecting, rather than using (dirt-cheap) sugar to create it. Also, unless you agitate the beer while applying pressure, it can take many days for the gas to seep into the beer. This is why many brewers choose to use high pressure at cold temperatures for short periods of time while agitating the keg to speed up the process. This chart will give you an idea of the temperature/pressure relationship on the solubility of CO2

2
  • Is it possible to over carbonate with Forced Carbonation? How do you determine the ideal amount of carbonation or it is just personal preference? Mar 31, 2015 at 15:48
  • It's largely personal preference, but the style of beer can also dictate the carbonation. It will also depend on your serving setup, since during service the carbonation will eventually settle at the level determined by the temperature and pressure at which you serve. Mar 31, 2015 at 15:53
0

You can prime the legs if you want to and some do. Most don't however, since you have a tank of CO2 on hand anyway. Priming also causes a buildup of sediment in the bottom of your keg, which makes it troublesome of you have to move it.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.