Kegging conumdrum...

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So.... I have a 20l corny keg which my brews go into to be force carbed.

The missis wont let me have another fridge in the house, which means if i were to get one in the garage i would need to leg it all the way outside to grab a pour.

Ive tried using an unpresssurised growler to dispense into then refrigerate, but it goes hideously flat very quickly.

My thinking is I will get a smaller pressure keg like a 5 litre or something that can go in the fridge inside. The main carb can be done in the garage in the big keg, then at the weekend transfer under pressure to the smaller one and then pop it in the fridge to chill and dispense.

My question is (as i currently dont have fridge in the garage either) can i carb at room temp in the large keg, transfer under pressure tot he small than refrigerate sucessfully? This would save me having to store the large keg in a fridge all the time?

Im just wondering if it would be a pain trying to get the right amount of carb in at room temp vs whats in the beer when its refrigerated?
 
Try something this for a simple solution...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pack-Car...034753?hash=item4682f88101:g:D5kAAOSwUKxYav0w
You can keep some 1- or 2-liter plastic bottles from soda or sparkling water around and fill them from the keg. Hit it with 10 lbs of CO2 and it'll hold carbonation indefinitely. You could keep a few liters on hand this way or find half-liter bottles if you have enough carb caps.

Also you can buy or make a beer gun to fill bottles from the keg.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...362445?hash=item340c0b3ccd:g:TI4AAOSwcuZc9hiE
It's very easy effective once you get the hang of it and the resulting bottles are comparable to store-bought beer - no yeast trub in the bottle to cloud up your pour or you can drink straight from the bottle if that's your preference.
 
can i carb at room temp in the large keg, transfer under pressure tot he small than refrigerate sucessfully?
It is a lot harder to accomplish at room temp. Yes it can be done, but the head pressure goes up with temperature. Transferring is made easier when cold. The cO2 does not want to stay in solution at higher temperatures and moving it and agitating it makes matters worse.
 
I like the carb cap idea, 1 liter PET's would be a good size, if you are going to have two pints, or multiples of 2 pints. The second pour will be just fine recapped in the fridge while you enjoy the first...

I may just get a couple of those myself...
 
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Those carb caps look interesting. How do they lock on to the plastic bottle?

Would still mean i would need a fridge in the garage when filling the plastic bottles though, as it would just turn into foam at room temps?

Whereas Im thinking if i had a mini keg and matched the pressure (almost) during the transfer the beer may stay calmer during the transfer?
 
Those caps thread right onto a coke, or Pepsi PET bottle, and you can get various size PET's from the lhbs, or on line. You could package some from time to time to keep indoors in the fridge. But, yeah, a fridge in the garage would almost be necessary. Transferring from Keg A to keg B seems like a fussy process, plus you would need a second CO2 bottle to maintain carbonation, and serving pressure on the small keg.
 
Those carb caps look interesting. How do they lock on to the plastic bottle?

Would still mean i would need a fridge in the garage when filling the plastic bottles though, as it would just turn into foam at room temps?

Whereas Im thinking if i had a mini keg and matched the pressure (almost) during the transfer the beer may stay calmer during the transfer?
Yes keg fridge in the garage. Storing kegs warm won't work well with any scenario. For the carb capped liter bottles just fill with a growler tube. Ignore the foam and apply CO2 pressure direct from your ball lock connectors. Whatever fizz you lose in transfer is replaced when you let it settle for a bit in the fridge. It's a pressurized growler. It'll lose a little on the second pour but you can always repressure if you're going to leave it for longer than a couple hours.
 
I did the 5 litre torpedo keg in the fridge for a while. Worked pretty well. I used a sodastream gas cylinder and a mini regulator. I'd probably do the PET bottles if I had a kegerator in the garage though. More than one beer in the fridge that way. And life is a lot easier with a kegerator than the small/mini kegs.
 
I'll have to comb through my Zymurgy or BYO again, I'll see if I can find the toy that keeps growlers carb'd up. Claim is at least a month if not mistaken.
 
@jmcnamara has got one of those growlers how's it been working for you?
I honestly only used it a few times, my brewing has really slowed down and my kegs have been empty for a bit. I think I've got the half gallon version, but not sure offhand
From what I can remember, the cartridges are basically one time use, just they do last for a few days. You can also carb flat beer in it, but that's gonna go through the gas faster.
I will say, the copper one is a very pretty piece of brewing hardware at the very least.
 
I honestly only used it a few times, my brewing has really slowed down and my kegs have been empty for a bit. I think I've got the half gallon version, but not sure offhand
From what I can remember, the cartridges are basically one time use, just they do last for a few days. You can also carb flat beer in it, but that's gonna go through the gas faster.
I will say, the copper one is a very pretty piece of brewing hardware at the very least.

What?! Empty kegs and you’ve slowed down?! We need to send over an EMS technician (Emergency Malt Services) :eek:
 
I honestly only used it a few times, my brewing has really slowed down and my kegs have been empty for a bit. I think I've got the half gallon version, but not sure offhand
From what I can remember, the cartridges are basically one time use, just they do last for a few days. You can also carb flat beer in it, but that's gonna go through the gas faster.
I will say, the copper one is a very pretty piece of brewing hardware at the very least.
Good to get some insider info on it. I've thought about getting the pressure growler attachment but held off glad I did now. Sounds more of a novelty but I suppose still perfect if going out and want to take some HB too would fit the bill perfectly.
 
What?! Empty kegs and you’ve slowed down?! We need to send over an EMS technician (Emergency Malt Services) :eek:
Yeah between life and the software hiccups lately, its fallen down on the priority list for now. Hopefully that'll change.
But I'll gladly take any spare donations :D
 
Good to get some insider info on it. I've thought about getting the pressure growler attachment but held off glad I did now. Sounds more of a novelty but I suppose still perfect if going out and want to take some HB too would fit the bill perfectly.
Yeah, a little novelty for my style of consumption, but it may work for some. Still, it is a nice sight to pour beer from it
You can also bulk buy the cartridges elsewhere to save a little bit of money
 

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