Keg newbie question

Couple of quick questions:

  1. If I presently have a beer in a keg in the fridge with the CO2 hooked up, but have a second batch ready to package, is there any problem with just putting that second beer into a second keg and just leave it in the fridge uncarbonated until I finish the first keg? Is there any way to carbonate the second keg and switch back and forth with which one I drink even though my CO2 regulator is designed for only one keg?

  2. I’m still a little confused about carbonating procedure. My last batch was my first kegging experience and I set it at the desired PSI (around 15), the beer was prechilled, I rolled the keg on the ground a bunch, but after a couple of days it was still very lightly carbonated. Unfortunately all the beer was drank at a party three days after kegging so I didn’t get to see if it got better, but my assumption is that it would have balanced out after about a week. Now my question is that I’ve seen a lot of brewers, including Strong, say they carb at 30 PSI. That seems really high. Is this a technique to hasten the carbonation process? It seems like it may be possible to ramp up the PSI and get the beer to the desired level in less time. Is this true?

  3. And finally, serving pressure. I’m supposed to turn the pressure down to just a couple PSI after it carbs, correct?

Thanks so much.

[quote=“MikeMiller”]Couple of quick questions:

  1. If I presently have a beer in a keg in the fridge with the CO2 hooked up, but have a second batch ready to package, is there any problem with just putting that second beer into a second keg and just leave it in the fridge uncarbonated until I finish the first keg? Is there any way to carbonate the second keg and switch back and forth with which one I drink even though my CO2 regulator is designed for only one keg?

  2. I’m still a little confused about carbonating procedure. My last batch was my first kegging experience and I set it at the desired PSI (around 15), the beer was prechilled, I rolled the keg on the ground a bunch, but after a couple of days it was still very lightly carbonated. Unfortunately all the beer was drank at a party three days after kegging so I didn’t get to see if it got better, but my assumption is that it would have balanced out after about a week. Now my question is that I’ve seen a lot of brewers, including Strong, say they carb at 30 PSI. That seems really high. Is this a technique to hasten the carbonation process? It seems like it may be possible to ramp up the PSI and get the beer to the desired level in less time. Is this true?

  3. And finally, serving pressure. I’m supposed to turn the pressure down to just a couple PSI after it carbs, correct?

Thanks so much.[/quote]

Yes, No and Maybe:

  1. For your second keg, make sure you hit it with 30 psi to seal all the fittings, check for leaks and then chill. Then carbonate when ready. It can stay for a long time in that state, chilled or unchilled.

  2. Try to get a pipeline going so you don’t have to roll your kegs around all the time to carbonate. Buy a splitter for your regulator and you can be carbing your second keg while drinking your first. Most foolproof way is to “set and forget” which means, set your regulator to 10-12 psi, hook up to keg (chilled) and leave it for at least a week to 10 days. Don’t touch it other than taking a sample after a week or so to make sure it is progressing. An alternative, which works for me, is to chill the keg, set psi to about 30 and leave for about 48 hours. Then release pressure and continue carbing a 10-12 psi for 2-3 more days and it always comes out good. Lots of people swear by rolling the keg on the floor however.

  3. Serving pressure - what you WANT is to serve at the same pressure that you are maintaining proper carbonation levels. Generally 10-12 psi. So you need to balance your system by having the proper resistance on the beer line and type of tap to allow a good pour without having to change the regulator. Once you get to multiple taps, having to mess with the regulator each time you want a beer would be a major PIA. Most people require at least a 10’ beer line (3/16") to get a good pour. Lots of other tricks people use to accomplish the same thing.

The below .pdf should answer all of your questions and then some.

  1. Get a “Y” splitter or a manifold to carb/serve more kegs at a time. Another option (more costly) is to buy a double body regulator that will allow you to carb two beers at different pressures. I have a four-way manifold that allows me to carb/serve four kegs at a time. Other options are to use sugar to carbonate the waiting keg like you would bottles, I think 1/3 of the sugar per 5 gallon batch though. If you leave the keg sitting, be sure to hit it with pressure and purge the headspace 3-4 times to release the O2 from it.

  2. Setting the pressure to 30 PSI is facilitating a faster carbonation. But it’s easier to overcarb this way. What I do is set pressure to 30 psi, hook the gas up and lay it on the floor with the gas line at the bottom, closest to the floor and roll it back and forth saying “1 2 3 4, 2 2 3 4, 3 2 3 4…” Each count is a roll away and I roll back before the next count. I go to 100, so about 400 rolls. I’ve found this gets my beer perfectly carbed and ready to drink in a couple of hours (to let everything settle).

  3. Find the pressure that balances PSI with CO2 vols and temperature. You’ll need a long enough beer line for the pressure also. I’ve got a 10 ft line at 40*F set at 12 psi for about 2.5vols CO2. If your line is too short, you’ll need to turn the pressure down, vent off excess pressure and serve to avoid foamy beer. If you turn down the pressure after the beer has carbed, the system will balance to that lower pressure, resulting in a undercarbonated beer.

I have a lot of friends that invite themselves over for a beer - frequently. They are ALWAYS thirsty. They NEVER bring beer.

WHAT you mean that the homebrew fairies don’t restock your kegs :shock: