The process of moving beer or wine into larger storage containers and sealing them for later consumption. Generally carbonated using CO2 or beer gas (70/30 Nitrogen/CO2).
14
votes
3answers
740 views
My keg is empty. Now what?
So I kicked my first Corny keg and need to get the keg and the system cleaned and ready for another batch, which might not be ready for some time. What's my process here?
14
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I avoid a lot of foam in the first pint from the keg?
Whenever I go to get a pint from the keg, the first pint is always foamy. I have to fill the glass up about 1/3 of the way and dump it out, just to the pour actual beer. I usually carbonate by ...
10
votes
3answers
495 views
Is there a way to use my kegging system to carbonate beer for bottling without a beer gun?
The only solutions I've found are expensive, and involved a pricey piece of equipment called a beer gun. Is there a way to carbonate my beer before bottling so I can ensure a good carbonation?
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Using a keg for secondary fermentation and natural carbonation?
I would like to transfer a beer that has been fermenting for about 3 weeks directly into a Cornelius keg for secondary fermentation AND carbonation.
I would like to add priming sugar and naturally ...
9
votes
6answers
244 views
What to look for in second-hand kegs?
In order to save some cash I'm thinking of buying some 2nd hand [19L/5G] kegs.
When visiting a seller, what kind of inspection should I do to ensure that the kegs will last? Are there any tell-tale ...
9
votes
1answer
498 views
How long does 5lb of C02 last you?
I can never get a grip on how often I'll need to refill my C02. Sometimes it seems to last forever other times it seems very quick.
In general, if you are just using C02 to pour, how many soda kegs ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
Will force-carbonated beer remain carbonated if poured into a bottle and capped?
If I pour kegged beer into bottles and immediately cap them to take with me for the evening, will it remain well-carbonated?
8
votes
3answers
595 views
Bottling vs. Kegging
I have been home brewing for along time now, but have never kegged my beer. I hear a lot of people saying how much easier and better it is, but my main concern is the cost and equipment needed. What ...
8
votes
2answers
198 views
Competitions & Kegging
I keg my beer but I would like to enter some of it into competitions. I've bottled directly out of the tap, but carbonation suffers.
What would you do in this situation?
8
votes
3answers
730 views
Is there a quicker way to carbonate a corny keg?
Currently, if I want my beer "today" I put the gas into the out tube at the desired target pressure. I then rest the keg on my lap and gently rock it for about 20 mins, until I don't hear any more ...
8
votes
2answers
5k views
Choosing a good refrigerator/freezer for kegerator conversion
Does anyone have experience and recommendations for a good fridge/freezer for conversion into a kegerator? I'm basically choosing between a full sized fridge, a mini-fridge and a chest freezer. I'll ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
How long will a keg keep?
We're brewing faster than we can drink. Right now I've got 3 kegs on tap, 1 (primed) keg sitting in the garage (very cold), and 9 carboys ready to be kegged. My question is this -- how long will a ...
8
votes
3answers
526 views
Is There A Way To Get Root Beer Taste/Smell Out Of Kegging Equipment?
I've since learned better, but when I first got my kegging setup, I put root beer on one of the lines. After that keg was empty, I decided to put soda water in instead. Unfortunately, the root beer ...
7
votes
5answers
2k views
What's causing the recent spike in the price of used Corny kegs?
Used corny kegs came from the soda industry, but stocks seem to be drying up pretty quickly. Prices have gone up from $20 per reconditioned keg about 4 years ago to around $50 today (some are asking ...
7
votes
2answers
666 views
How do I clean a 5 gallon root beer keg?
I was given a pair of Virgils kegs with root beer still in them, and I've been wanting to use them for homebrewing. I was at a brewery tour a little while ago and I was told that it's nearly ...
7
votes
1answer
367 views
What cleaners can I use for Kegs?
I'm new to kegging, but I was made aware that I shouldn't use sodium metabisulfite when cleaning a keg.
So what cleaners can I use?
More specifically, can I use OxyClean or Diversol?
7
votes
1answer
248 views
What is the minimum that I need to keg beer?
I currently only bottle beer, but I would like to have the flexibility of kegging beer to bring to a party from time to time. I do not want to commit to a kegerator. I will be happy to try to keep ...
6
votes
1answer
307 views
Best way to store empty kegs
After using, then cleaning a keg with PBW, what is the best way to store the cleaned keg? I may not use the keg for a while, and I would like to avoid mold growing in any residual water (for ...
6
votes
3answers
765 views
How do you degas an empty Sanke Keg?
When folks legally acquire Sanke kegs for conversion to kettles, mash tuns or HLTs, the first step is often to relieve the pressure inside the keg before dismantling the spear and valve.
How best is ...
6
votes
1answer
83 views
What equipment is needed for a faucet? What's a shank?
I've bought a kegging system which came with a "Camping Style" faucet, essentially just some tubing with a ball lock disconnect on one end and a tiny plastic faucet on the other end.
I'm looking for ...
6
votes
2answers
589 views
Kegging home brew
I have a Cornelius system and I'm wanting to keg my home brew.
I'm curious if you need to prime the beer to help with carbonation or if you just add wort to keg and carbonate from co2?
If you do ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How to tell the difference between corny keg posts?
I got the liquid (black) connector very stuck on to my keg, to the point where the plastic broke when trying to pull it off. I'm guessing it's because I mixed up the little posts after removing them ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Re-use the mini kegs that are used in 'Krups Beer Tender' for home brewing?
For me, these 5 liter kegs seem like the perfect device for storage as well as remaining fresh when making beer.
I understand there is a way to remove the top piece of the mini keg with some type ...
6
votes
3answers
204 views
What to look for in a fridge to be used for kegging?
I'm sick of the hassle of bottling, so I want to get a fridge and keg setup. Obviously it needs to be able to fit the kegs, but is there any other things I should look for in a fridge? I don't mind ...
5
votes
2answers
340 views
Keg/CO2 question as I think about moving to kegging
This is probably a foolish one, but...
So you can force carbonate with a keg (or sugar carbonate, but of course why would you), and then serve from the keg with the CO2 to help dispense.
But, if ...
5
votes
1answer
112 views
Kegging and less-than-keg-sized batches
What are the drawbacks (if any) of using a 4-gallon batch with a 5-gallon kegging system? And what if the batch is only two gallons?
5
votes
1answer
236 views
Any need to stop yeast before kegging?
I'm brewing to keg for the first time, finally. I am planning to force carbonate and was wondering: Are there was any steps I need to take to stop any active yeast before putting it in the keg and ...
5
votes
2answers
156 views
Dispensing beers at two different pressures?
I'm working on getting a dual-tap kegerator. Is it worth it to pay the extra to dispense two beers at two different pressures? I can see dispensing a low-carbonation ESB and a high-carbonation ...
5
votes
1answer
622 views
CO2 Bottle inside or outside Keezer?
I'm building a keezer and am not sure what to do with the CO2 bottle. Most folks seem to put it inside the freezer but this troubles my over beer'ed mind. Wouldn't the regulator give a different ...
5
votes
3answers
808 views
Cleaning out beer lines
How often do you need to clean out your beer lines when using a home draft system?
What type of cleaner do you use?
Can I leave sanitizer in the tubing when a line isn't in use?
5
votes
2answers
587 views
Copper versus Stainless for Jockey Box
Not having room or budget for a kegerator at the moment, I am considering building a jockey box for kegging homebrew. There are a lot of plans on the internet for building your own, including ...
5
votes
1answer
117 views
Small Space & Apartment Brewing: Packaging
Given the limited space of an apartment, how do you bottle & keg?
Do not consider budget to be a factor.
This is the seventh question in a series of discussions about small-space brewing. ...
5
votes
1answer
111 views
How do I clean a sankey pump?
What is the best way to clean a sankey pump it after I use it so it doesn't get moldy inside?
4
votes
5answers
8k views
How long do I need to carbonate a keg?
I've recently inherited a keg system from a friend moving interstate and have just dropped my first batch into the keg.
I found this chart from a link here that shows CO2 units by pressure & ...
4
votes
3answers
609 views
How Long Will a Keg Hold Carbonation if Disconnected from the CO2 Tank?
How long will a keg hold carbonation if it is disconnected from the CO2 tank?
Does the type of keg matter?
4
votes
3answers
643 views
Can I bottle ale after 2 weeks in keg?
I've primary fermented my Woodfordes Admiral Reserve for 4 days, kegged with 3oz if sugar and it's now it's been in there a week. I don't want sediment in my beer. Can I bottle it after 2 weeks in the ...
4
votes
1answer
899 views
Help! My homebrew keg froze, I brought it in, and now the beer is all foam.
I had my twin corny-keg setup in the garage in a refrigerator. The fridge kept it about 34 F degrees all summer, and I had the CO2 dialed just right.
Well, it dropped down to about -5 F and my beer ...
4
votes
2answers
334 views
Off-flavors from bottle conditioning, but not kegging
I have brewed some 20l batches where I have kegged half in a 9l corny keg, and bottled the rest with sugar for priming (plain white sucrose). In a couple of these batches the kegged beer has been ...
4
votes
2answers
125 views
Transfer flat bottled beer into a keg
Quick rundown. I was in a rush to bottle an IPA and I forgot to add my priming sugar. I remembered after already bottling about three beers and went ahead and got my priming solution going and added ...
4
votes
3answers
514 views
How do I identify the type of poppet I need for a corny keg?
I just got my first kegs - a couple used, reconditioned corny kegs from beveragefactory.com, still smelling like soda (yay). I've been reading up on the process and it seems like it's a best practice ...
4
votes
1answer
119 views
Gas line : does it need to be sterilized?
I'm reading websites and I'm viewing videos where people show how to wash kegs, but they never wash their gas line. I was wondering if it's necessary to do so?
I'm asking this because I would like to ...
4
votes
1answer
413 views
Aging a naturally carbonated ale that was bottled from a keg
Okay, let's see if I can keep this question brief--I have a lot of followup questions that go with this so it may be difficult.
Background: Last year I decided to start doing an annual Birthday Brew ...
3
votes
2answers
451 views
Dry hopped pellets in a keg without bag
First off, I'm new to kegging.
I made a mistake and added my dry hop pellets straight into the keg (I should have used a bag or something, I know)
So, I believe the problem is that the pellets have ...
3
votes
2answers
490 views
Backflow into gas line
I just started kegging. I have a beer in a 5 gal ball lock keg. I connected the regulator, set pressure to 15 psi and connected the gas line to the keg.
When I connected the liquid line (standard ...
3
votes
2answers
175 views
Got first 2 kegs and need advice
I just bought two 15.5 gallon kegs yesterday from a local brewery that is closing its doors. They asked for $15 each so there was no way I could pass them up. They are in great condition.
I would ...
3
votes
2answers
917 views
Dangers of Sanke Kegs
I recently told some other brewers how I have used a Sanke keg and they tried to convince me that they were dangerous.
They had heard of the ball being shot up out of the keg when trying to clean ...
3
votes
1answer
168 views
What's the difference between casking and kegging?
So this is how my last beer went:
After about three weeks I threw it straight into a keg. It didn't taste great, but I figured it was still young and just needed more time to condition. A few weeks ...
3
votes
2answers
150 views
(Should) my keg floweth over?
So, I kegged my first time (straight from a 3.5wk primary vs 2wk, which I recommend). I tried a little bit of the "force carb", i.e. set to 25-30psi and agitate the keg until I didn't hear any more ...
3
votes
2answers
379 views
Letting the gas out of a keg
I'm new to this homebrewing, made a mistake and wondering the consequences of my actions.
I have just completed the first week of fermentation and now have moved over to a plastic keg supplied with ...
3
votes
1answer
205 views
force carbonating a scotch heavy ale
I am brewing a scotch ale currently and haven't been able to determine how many volumes of co2 that it should have? also, what pressure should I put the beer under to carbonate to that many volumes. ...
