New keg stuff

So I literally just unboxed a 5 gal torpedo ball lock keg with hoses, co2 tank, regulator, and all that other stuff. Is there anything other than the obvious assembling, cleaning and sanitizing that I should know before I throw in my first 5 gallons of beer into this thing?

Fill the tank:slight_smile:

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^^^ YUP ^^^^ :grimacing: Sneezles61

Yepā€¦ ditch the 5ā€™ hose and buy 10ā€™.

Right on! Well tomorrow is the day that foo is getting filled! Iā€™ll let you know how it goes :beers:

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I use the 5ā€™ hose that I received in the NB keg kit package. Once I was able to dial in my PSI @ 10, I have minimal foaming issues. If i have foam, itā€™s only the first beer after a while, and itā€™s about 50:50 beer and foam at the very worst. I do have a keg buddy that suggested a 10ā€™ line as well. He doesnā€™t homebrew, instead he uses a 10ā€™ line in his kegerator on commercial beer.

Aight. Well I just got finished kegging. These are the steps I took:
-Disasembled all the parts to the keg
-Gave everything a PBW bath and scrub
-Rinsed it all out and gave everything a starsan bath
-Transfered the beer into the keg and put the lid on
-Hooked up the CO2 tank and set it to 20 lbs
-Checked for leaks and let it sit
-Purged the valve at the top to get out any oxygen

I plan on leaving it for 3 days @20 lbs then dropping the pressure to 10 lbs and see where itā€™s at.

Anything I missed

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@23152 Are you placing the combo in the fridge or keezer? If you do, it will effect the rate of CO2 diffusion into your beer. Colder= Faster. I tried carbonating for days at that PSI (20lbs) only to realize that one of the lines was slightly loose so nothing carbonated. The beer would just shoot out the line with little carbonation. After I tightened the line, I forced carbā€™d the chilled beer by rocking it on the floor for 5 minutes at 30 psi. Well this ended up WAY over-carbonating the beer. Had to release pressure for a couple days with the regulator set at 5-8 psi until the beer equalized. Then I set the regulator at 10-11 psi and just waited for 2 days and was set. Patience is a virtue. :grimacing:

@23152 hit the empty keg with CO2 in the ā€œoutā€ before you fill it. Will it push out all the O2? No. but it will push out most and place a layer of CO2/O2 mix that will push out as you fill the keg.

It takes CO2 about 2 weeks to hydrate and produce the head that you want. If the CO2 is not hydrated it will produce big bubbles and dissipate quickly. Therefore, I use the ā€˜set it and forget it method.ā€™ Of course if you want to drink it earlier this wonā€™t work. Word to the wise: put it in your kegerator at the correct volumes of CO2 you want and forget about it for a couple weeks. Use that time to brew a couple more batches to get ready to keg/carb. Thatā€™s the key.
Itā€™s like this: you might be able to handle this solo but does that give you the best tactical advantage? Sometimes itā€™s better to have assistance.

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So the " Force Carbonating" method isnā€™t preferred? I have it set at 20 psi in my fridge (36DF) which I was planning on leaving it at for a few days. I was then going to drop it back down to 10-12 psi and see where it stood. So basically you think (Or know) that Iā€™m going to sacrifice head retention at first?

It will be carbonated but it will dissipate quickly. CO2 needs to hydrate before it provides ā€œthatā€ head and flavor your aiming for. Itā€™s like fountain Sosa that is instantly carbonated.

Force carbonating is simply using CO2 for diffusion. There are multiple ways to force carb. Thereā€™s setting the regulator at the desired volumes of CO2 at a specific temp and then thereā€™s what you are doing. Both will work, and youā€™ll get carbonated beer in a week but it will be better carbed at 2 weeks, no matter if you hit it with high CO2 level or steady CO2 levels.

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Awesome man good to know thanks!!

Loopie is right on the money. I still force carb me kegs, cold, but not with as much CO2 pressure. I will use 10 PSI and while its on, put the gas side down, on its side and shake it back and forth. This allows to gas to go through the beer whilst it force carbs, then when the gas wonā€™t push anymore in, stand it up and put it in the fridge. You maybe pull a pint a day sooner, Sneezles61

After trying many ways to carb in kegs I have got it down to two. Set it at 12lbs, in a fridge and forget it for two weeks. Prime it and leave it warm. The second is not always fool proof but gives me the ability to carb four kegs at once.

You will love not having to deal with bottling. Just be careful as there wonā€™t be any empties to count to see how many you have had. :smile:

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So a continuation from this convoā€¦ dry hopsā€¦

Yesterday I bled the pressure and dropped in a mesh bag of 1.5oz of Summit pellet hopsā€¦ :confused: Turning the pressure back to 12psi. Now I already know Iā€™m going against what I know about carbing your beer by already taking samples of it (3 days in), but I took a sample today and it was definitely a hoppier beer(Almost too much), but it was very cloudy. At any point will it clear up or do you always get cloudiness when you dryhop in the keg?

Only sample for testing purposes. It will be cloudy and ful of hop and yeast materials as it ages these will settle out and clear at about two weeks. Try to limit your tasting. I use a small 4 oz taster for such occasions. Itā€™s a dirty job but someone needs to do it. Donā€™t worry about the co2 it will be replaced as you sample.The only reason to limit your tasting is to make sure you donā€™t drink it all before itā€™s time but then again itā€™s your beer drink up

Right on thanks. You ever added gelatin to your keg after itā€™s already been carbinated?

Iā€™ve done that, and it works. Usually best to rack off the yeast and into the keg, chill, then put in gelatin mixture. This is were I like to force carbing. Sneezles61

Christmas starting a little early :slight_smile: taking my brand spankinā€™ new co2 tank in for its first fill. Already checked and this place will fill your tank while you wait (not exchange for a beat up older tank. )

Just curious what it costs to fill one of these? Ballpark(10 lB.)

For a five I pay 18 for exchange 15 for filling

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