Hi All,

I'm new to kegging homebrew and I was wondering if there is a FAQ or any good sites with instruction on the process. I've got a cornelius keg and a keggerator with all of the items required (regulator, lines, tank etc.). I've got a batch of pilsner in the secondary fermeneter and I'm not sure where to go from here. Some specific questions I have are:

Do I need to use the corn sugar at all, or is it not neccessary. If I use it will I overcarbonate?
What is the best way to get the beer from the carboy to the keg?
I've read a few different methods of force carbonating the beer in the keg, but honestly they are all so different, I'm confused.

Any help would be appreciated.

Congrats on your new kegging system, I think you will love it. The way I do it is pretty simple. Siphone the beer into the keg, hook up 30 PSI, lay the keg on its side with the o2-in valve towards the ground and roll the keg back and forth (medium speed) for approximately 2 minutes. Unhook the o2, bleed off the pressure, reset the regulator for 10 PSI and hook it up. Hook up the out line and pour yourself a brewski. If it has enough cabonation for you, your good to go. If not, do the same process for another minute and check it again (it dosen't take much to get it cabonated.) I find that if the beer is cold it will carbonate faster. When I have a keg on stand-by, I will pressurize the keg at 30 psi, unhook the o2 and put it in the fridge. When I'm ready to tap it, I bleed off the pressure and hook it to 10 PSI. I will pour a tall one and see if it's good to go. Sometimes you will need to force carbonate it a for a minute or so to get it perfect. Very easy but be sure not to over do the cabonation, take it slow (a few minutes at a time.) Hope this helps..

John

John,

Yes, it is very helpful.. Thanks.

So you don't use the corn sugar to prime the beer at all, correct? Just the forced carbonation?

Rob

you can use the sugar to carb it if you would like but it is just like bottling, you have to let it sit and do it's thing for a couple of weeks. Them you can chill and drink. Force carbing is quick and easy.

Also, welcome to the group.

One thing I am noticing is there is a flavor differance when I force carb. Maybe it is because of the lack of the extra 2 weeks of conditioning in the bottle. Maybe on the next batch I will let it ferment an extra week to see if that helps because I really do like kegging and the convenience of the tap. Good luck

John,

Thanks for the great info and the welcome! Can't wait to try it out this weekend.

Do you have any recommendations for cleaning and sterilizing the keg? I've used BLC to clean it and an iodine based product (can't remember the name) for sterilizing.

Thanks again.
Rob

I did find another post with some great info on cleaning kegs, but I'd still be interetsed in people's opinion on specific products.

John, do you "purge" your kegs before racking? I read an article that recommended releasing some C02 into the tank to force any oxygyn out. Any thoughts on that?

I do but not all the time. I tend to forget. It makes sense though to get rid of it.

Hey Rob,
I use Oxyclean to clean the keg. For sterilizing I add a about a cap of Iodophor to the keg and fill it about halfway full. I put the lid on, slosh it around good, and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Flip the keg over and let it sit another 10 minutes. I dump the sanitizer in the sink and soak the lid, hoses, siphon tube, and anything else that might come in contact with the beer. I do purge out the oxygen with 02. When I filling the keg with 02 I pull the release valve for about 5 to 10 seconds and force the oxygen out of the keg. Hasn't done me wrong yet..
Take care,
John

Heavenlyfire wrote:One thing I am noticing is there is a flavor differance when I force carb.

Can you be more specific? Just curious.

I really don't know what to call it, just an off flavor. Now that it has been in the keg for a week that flavor is gone and everything tastes great. I think it was just the need for a little more conditioning.

This is my first post, be gentle!!! HAHA

I have not yet started kegging, but I plan to in the near future. In my quest for information i found an awesome PDF that's distributed by a local Homebrew store.

http://www.boomchugalug.com/kegging_instructions.htm

Go to that link, it will have a link to the PDF and a password you should use to open it.

It tells you:

How to clean the keg
What to replace o-rings on and older used keg
How to force carbonate your beer, and a chart to use when finding the right carbonation for your beer

This is a four page document with diagrams and everything. This makes kegging look very easy and manageable.

Hope this helps!!!

Awesome link.. Thanks.

Great info. I've been using the 30psi for 24 hours, 20psi for another 12, and then tapping. Seems to work well, but I will definitly try the quick method mentioned here. Thanks. Cheers.

Heavenlyfire wrote:One thing I am noticing is there is a flavor differance when I force carb. Maybe it is because of the lack of the extra 2 weeks of conditioning in the bottle. Maybe on the next batch I will let it ferment an extra week to see if that helps because I really do like kegging and the convenience of the tap. Good luck

I read somewhere that with bottle conditioning the changed flavour is due to the addition of extra fermentables (corn sugar, or cane sugar here is Aus) and the slight oxidisation from the air in there at the capping stage. I don't have a keg myself but friends of mine say that different styles of beer are better suited to either kegging or bottleing. Lager and pilsners in particular for kegging. I missed the last sale on kegging equipment at Brewcraft