This has been discussed before i’m sure, but i couldn’t find the threads. I was reading a current issue of BYO, and in a kegging article they show different desired settings for co2 & temp. of different style beers. It states to keep as close as possible to those settings for a proper pour/flavor. Anyway, what do you guys set your dispenser at when tapping several different beers? I’ll be able to adjust pressure with separate gauges, but do you pick a happy medium for temp? Also, do the beer line lengths vary or pretty much the same for all styles? Sorry if these are redundant noobie questions! Thanks for any info.
It really depends on preference. I have a friend who’s keezer is set at 48 degrees (which I know is probably more ideal for perceiving aromas and flavors), but I find this to be a bit on the warm side. I think 40-42 is a good number for me. A lot easier to warm them up once poured than cool them down!
With my really ‘special’ (aka high gravity/alcohol) ales, I usually bottle them anyways, even if off the keg, in which case I will just remove the bottle from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
These are all good questions.
I definately move my temperature around once in a while depending on what I have in the cooler - when I was doing a lot of stuff on Nitro I would keep it a little warmer (though when I had it too war I had a mold issue).
Mostly though, the happy medium idea works best. Once you have that figured out, you can adjust your preasures and line lengths accordingly.
I’m not sure how different you are looking to go between beers. A nice pour is a nice pour on pretty much any beer style. Unless you are looking to have a very low carbonnated Bitter and a highly carbonnated Belgian on at the same time and kept perfectly within style, I’m not sure how exact you will need to be. Your seperate regulators will help a lot there.
Start with your desired temperature.
Set PSI according to deired style.
Balance the system if need be by adjusting line length
I pick the temperature that’s best for whichever beer’s my favorite at the moment and don’t worry about those other, lesser beers. That’s usually a British style of some sort, so it’s usually cellar temperature.
If I’ve got people coming over I might crank it down a bit, since most my friends like their beer colder than that.
[quote=“bunderbunder”]I pick the temperature that’s best for whichever beer’s my favorite at the moment and don’t worry about those other, lesser beers. That’s usually a British style of some sort, so it’s usually cellar temperature.
If I’ve got people coming over I might crank it down a bit, since most my friends like their beer colder than that.[/quote]
Yep, I hear that. Right now I’m into lagers of all types, so my temps are low. I probably won’t even bother with my nitro gear this winter. Next year the cycle with likely change. My British phase came and went earlier than usual this year - before I even had a chance to fill a tank with beer gas.
I keep my kegerator at 40-44F and regulator set at 10-11 psi. I don’t like my beer very cold at all.
Thanks for the tips. IPA/APA are my favorites for now so i’ll set to those styles. I’ll end up with 4 taps, so there may be a porter or stout in the mix. So am i safe to start with 6’-7’ of beer line and shorten if needed? Thanks again.
[quote=“Thirstyone”]Thanks for the tips. IPA/APA are my favorites for now so i’ll set to those styles. I’ll end up with 4 taps, so there may be a porter or stout in the mix. So am i safe to start with 6’-7’ of beer line and shorten if needed? Thanks again.[/quote]I think 6-7 feet is a bit short. Mine are all 9.5 feet. It’s only about 45 cents a foot if you buy a 100 foot roll.
It depends on the size of beer line. Lots of fun math here: http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/ke … raft-beer/
I’m using 5’ of 3/16" beverage line. With 1/4" lines they’d need to be a lot longer.
