A bit of a continuation from my last keg related post:
I have two kegs that I am carbonating. Set to 20PSI for the next 2-3 days, then will set down to 12PSI until properly carbonated.
Here’s the catch: I am traveling 12 hours from Charlotte, NC to the Gulf coast of Florida for a beach house. I will be leaving this Thursday (9/5). What is the best way to handle the kegs? I will probably need to travel with them in the bed of my truck, there won’t be room in the cab of the truck. I know they will get kicked up a bit, but that’s nothing a couple days in a cold fridge won’t fix. I’m just not sure what to do with the kegs and the CO2. Should I disconnect the CO2 and reconnect once at the house or leave it connected the entire time?
I did this exact same thing this summer with 2 kegs. Disconnected the gas and had them in the car from NYC to Maine for ~6 hours. Cooled them when I got there and reconnected gas. All was good. They were at about 12PSI the whole time.
Leave the gas connected. The sloshing of the beer will aid in CO2 absorption. Tricky part is determining at what PSI. Wrap them in blankets to keep them cold and you should be fine with 1-3psi over your serving pressure.
This is true, but if you do this make sure your CO2 tank is upright so you are not pushing liquid CO2 into the tank, and the regulator is protected vs. damage. High pressure tanks can be dangerous if they are bounced around.
This is true, but if you do this make sure your CO2 tank is upright so you are not pushing liquid CO2 into the tank, and the regulator is protected vs. damage. High pressure tanks can be dangerous if they are bounced around.[/quote]
I’ll go against the grain here and say to travel with the kegs disconnected. Maybe hit them hard with CO2 starting now and disconnect when it’s time to leave. Number one is less chance of damage to the kegs, regulator and tank. It’s be a bit easier to handle disconnected.
Keep everything well padded and insulated in transit, and hook back up when you get there. At that point you should be able to set the reg at serving pressure so once things are cooled and settled you’re ready to go.
jaygter, I’m not sure what damage can come to the kegs? I travel with them laying down. If I am carbonating them or not.
The CO2 tank is easily placed in a pail or small (bathroom/bedroom) garbage can. Held in place with a a couple towels or blankets.
It’s very easy to place the kegs in the trunk, then hook up the CO2 lines.
If the kegs are carbonated, sure, travel with them disconnected. But if you are under carbonated, they will slosh around and get carbonated by time you arrive at your destination.
I’d definitely keep them disconnected, the pressure isn’t going to go anywhere. I just don’t see the benefit of keeping them connected if they are fully carbed to the correct pressure, just the problems if the tank falls or shifts and pulled at the disconnect.
Also, to help with the sediment, is transferring the beer under pressure to another keg (stopping as soon as you see sediment come through) an option? That way no matter how much they get sloshed around, there will be minimal sediment to get mixed back in.
BTW, I used to make the same trip with some friends down to go scalloping every August at a beach house in Steinhache, FL. Great times!! Scallops, crabs, Homebrew!!!
+1 to disconnected. I do it all the time on long drives, but if you can, keep the kegs cold during the drive. This will ensure the CO2 stays dissolved in solution.
[quote=“Nighthawk”]jaygter, I’m not sure what damage can come to the kegs? I travel with them laying down. If I am carbonating them or not.
.[/quote]
My point was that if things are shifting around, which easily could happen, seeing that the OP mentioned them all travelling in the bed of his truck, it could run into things. The keg itself I’m not concerned with; another dent or 2 isn’t a big deal, but if the hoses get snagged or the posts hit something, it could do damage to those posts or top. Likewise the tank, could fall over and damage the regulator or valves.
Regardless of how well things are packed, it will fall over. I’ve seen it over and over, no matter how well secured, things happen.
If he disconnects everything, there is less chance of damaging the rig since if say the keg falls over, it won’t yank on the hoses and tank, knocking them over and into things.
You can build a cradle out of 2x4’s to keep the kegs from rolling around in the bed of the truck.
Build it correctly and it will be wedged in the bed, in front of the wheel wells. And you can attach a box to hold the CO2 tank. Making the only way things will move/shift is if you roll the truck.
Just got back from a 11 hour trek for a wedding with two kegs. I kept them nice and cold with the aid of Kegloves and iced them on arrival. I also purchased an adapter and used my regulator with a paint ball tank to push the beer. Seconds after setting up the kegs at the hall the seal blew on the adapter and I lost most of my co2 before repair. The co2 crapped out halfway through the kegs and we relied on siphon action to finish them off. Somewhere between the CO2 McGuyver work and cutting the hose to siphon into pitchers, I realized I should have just rigged up a keg pump to push the beer since it would all be consumed that night. Even with all the stress it was a thrill seeing a hall full of people enjoying my beer. The only thing that got to me is when I saw the hipster pouring tomato juice into my APA!
