Thanks to Beerborg Forum and it’s members:
I’ve came a long way in home brewing. From a Plastic Fermenter to 3 Stainless Fermenters. From dropping sugar cubes into PET bottles to priming sugars into a bottling bucket and bottling. Now I’m into kegging my Homebrew.
I was given a nice kegerator and looking for advice on kegging my Homebrew. I’ve Kegged one 5 gallon batch so far but feel I’m missing out on something. Basically I racked 5 gallons of my "cold crashed" Homebrew from the fermenter into a CO2 purged Corny Keg. At the advice of my LHBS I refrigerated it at put 30 psi on it for 24 hours then set regulator to 10-12 psi and then ready to pour/serve. I feel like I’m missing out on some conditioning and mellowing time with such a short turn around.
I’ve read where some add priming sugar to the Keg then seal and let sit for 2 weeks…to racking the beer to keg and just adding some CO2 and let sit for 2 weeks…to…refrigerating and adding 30 psi CO2 for 24 hours then done.
I’ve made some great tasting bottled beers in the past that sat for 4-6 weeks carbing and mellowing. I’m looking for advice on the best procedures and getting the best tasting beer when pouring from my kegerator’s Tap.
Kegging is great and I have only been doing it for 3 years or so. I once said I would probably never keg because was happy with the beer I bottled, BUT I really like this so much better now. As far as your questions, I can only say I do the set and forget method (purge and leave at serving pressure) about one week and try one, not always a good carb yet, a few days more good carb but after a few weeks always better tasting and think that is in the condition time. I will try the force carb one of these times on a IPA and see how that works. I think time is always good if bottle or keg and usually my best tasting beers are close to the last of the batch.
Happy Hound Brewery
“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
― Thomas A. Edison
berryman wrote:Kegging is great and I have only been doing it for 3 years or so. I once said I would probably never keg because was happy with the beer I bottled, BUT I really like this so much better now. As far as your questions, I can only say I do the set and forget method (purge and leave at serving pressure) about one week and try one, not always a good carb yet, a few days more good carb but after a few weeks always better tasting and think that is in the condition time. I will try the force carb one of these times on a IPA and see how that works. I think time is always good if bottle or keg and usually my best tasting beers are close to the last of the batch.
Thanks… time seems to be the beers best friend for taste. Always enjoyed my beer in the bottles.
The force carbing worked great at 30 psi. I Thought about priming the keg with sugar like the bottles and letting it sit awhile but concerned about sediment forming around the dip tube. I’ve read so many different things online about kegging. Cheers !
I generally carb my kegs as you did, 30psi then turn down. I have used sugar to carb kegs when I had an oxidation concern. I don't recall a difference, though the sugar carbed batch was an annual Christmas beer, I didn't do a comparison. I do find that my kegged beers take some time to reach their peak, varying with the recipe and style.
Making beer and stew for the Zombie Apocalypse.
Never mind, there it is.
I've found that if you have a healthy fermentation that helps everything. Sure, some time in the keg always seems to help, but what I find helps speed that time up is:
1) A healthy pitch of yeast and solid fermentation
2) Cold crashing to transfer clear beer to the keg
3) Use of either gelatin or ClarityFerm to speed up what time and cold does over a few weeks (drops out particulates)
I just ordered a new fermenter/unitank where I'll be able to carbonate my beer in the fermenter in 24 hours post-fermentation before racking to a keg.
