When I went to kegs a while back I just hook up the CO2 to the keg and wait 2-3 weeks. A few guys at work are into brewing and one says he adds priming sugar to the keg first and pressurizes through the out side first.
Is one method better than the other?
Thanks,
Mike
I don’t like the extra sediment that comes from keg priming so I prefer set it and forget it.
I do some shaking to get a jump on it and then let it sit to finish carbonating.
Same here.
I shake my kegs to force carb. I’ve found that 50 psi and 45 seconds of shaking at 60-65 degrees gets the carb level just about right on a keg that has been filled all the way. Even less time shaking is needed if the keg is not filled all the way.
YMMV and be careful, shaking to carb in this manner can easily result in a keg full of beer that comes out as foam.
[quote=“Brewbeer22”]I shake my kegs to force carb. I’ve found that 50 psi and 45 seconds of shaking at 60-65 degrees gets the carb level just about right on a keg that has been filled all the way. Even less time shaking is needed if the keg is not filled all the way.
YMMV and be careful, shaking to carb in this manner can easily result in a keg full of beer that comes out as foam.[/quote]
Seriously? Less than a minute at room temps, chill it down and it is carbonated?
I like to do this… Keep it at 12-15 PSI @ 38 degrees (or whatever for your style) and each morning for the first few days I turn up the psi 10 half turns and then immediately down 10 half turns. I was able to get a decent carbonation on the beer in two days. Equalized in about three.
Yes. I carb through the gas in post, and have the keg up-side-down while shaking, so that the gas flowing into the keg bubbles through the beer to get to the “top”.
Be careful, tho, it is really easy to over-carb. I’ve been doing it this way for more than 10 years so I have a system down.
How long to shake is also affected by the amount of empty space remaining in the keg after filling. More space = less time needed shaking. a
I haven’t noticed a difference in sediment between kegs I’ve primed and ones I force carbed. Both result in the first pint being murky and then it is fine. Since it is easy to prime my kegs and they sit for a month or two before going on tap any ways I go that route.
I would say that the only benefit to priming with sugar would be if you didnt have room in your kegerator. Other then that i dont understand why someone would even bother with it. I just set mine to 30psi for two days turn it down to serving pressure and I start drinking it.
I do a quick force carb and am drinking beer in a few hours.
With the beer around 65*F i hook up the gas at 30psi and put the keg on the floor with the gas in post closest to the floor. I roll the keg back and forth for 100 seconds. I put the keg in the fridge and turn gas down to serving pressure (12 psi) and wait for it to get to serving temperature. Usually takes a few hours. I’ve did this with an Innkeeper and was able to drink a beer that was only 9 days old.
Don’t have independent regulators which means I can’t serve and carbonate at the same time, also while the cost is in the weeds 2 oz of sugar is cheaper than the CO2 required for force carbing. Lets me make less runs for refills too since only having a 5 lbs CO2 tank it means I can make a tank last 15+ kegs vs. only ~7 kegs when force carbing and serving.
I have a couple of keg lids with carbonation stones built in via second gas poppet and line to the bottom of the keg. I find this really improves the time it takes me to set and forget. Usually where I want it within a day.
This has been very helpful. I kegged the beer last Sunday and I’m bringing it to a work party on Dec. 14th and wanted to make sure it’s carb’d… Sounds like I will be fine.
Mike
On the 14th oh yeah you will be more then fine.
[quote=“mbg”]This has been very helpful. I kegged the beer last Sunday and I’m bringing it to a work party on Dec. 14th and wanted to make sure it’s carb’d… Sounds like I will be fine.
Mike[/quote]
You have time for the “set and forget” method, which is always the most reliable.
Get it cold, set regulator to 10-12 PSI and give it a week to 10 days. It should be perfect.
How are you going to keep it from stirring up when you transport to the office party?
I haven’t noticed a difference in sediment between kegs I’ve primed and ones I force carbed. Both result in the first pint being murky and then it is fine. Since it is easy to prime my kegs and they sit for a month or two before going on tap any ways I go that route.[/quote]
I have, I have noticed more yeasties in a brew that was carbed using natural. This was a high flocculant yeast.
[quote=“560sdl”][quote=“mbg”]This has been very helpful. I kegged the beer last Sunday and I’m bringing it to a work party on Dec. 14th and wanted to make sure it’s carb’d… Sounds like I will be fine.
Mike[/quote]
You have time for the “set and forget” method, which is always the most reliable.
Get it cold, set regulator to 10-12 PSI and give it a week to 10 days. It should be perfect.
How are you going to keep it from stirring up when you transport to the office party?[/quote]
Stirring up - do you mean the last bit of yeast/trub? I was worried about this too but the other two brewing for the party wern’t. I have plenty of empty kegs. Would it be possible to rack this into another keg without making a mess (maybe pressurize the second keg and fill by opening the relief valve).
Thanks
[quote=“mbg”]
Stirring up - do you mean the last bit of yeast/trub? I was worried about this too but the other two brewing for the party wern’t. I have plenty of empty kegs. Would it be possible to rack this into another keg without making a mess (maybe pressurize the second keg and fill by opening the relief valve).
Thanks[/quote]
That would work very well
Thanks
