Kegging suggestions?

[GDubs]

I was recently gifted an entire keg system by a friend who was retiring to Florida. I went over to help clean out his garage and left with....
- 4 tap keezer
- 5 corney kegs
- 2 CO2 tanks with regulators
- 24g SS brew kettle
- misc carboys, syphons, hydrometers, taps etc
All of it had been sitting around for a few years but was super clean, with very low mileage. Needless to say I was thrilled!!!
Kegging has been on my short list of things to add to my brewing resume. At this point I have +/- 20 five gallon BIAB batches under my belt, all of which have been bottled. So this past Saturday I replaced all the tubing and o-rings, then cleaned, sanitized and pressure tested everything. Sunday I brewed the "Avg. Perfect NEIPA", which is fermenting along side a Simcoe SMASH that should be ready to go into a keg in a few days. I think I have the basics worked out..... keep it clean, syphon without splashing, C02 @ 20+psi, check the seals, purge the 02, shake, purge, dial back the C02 to +/-12psi, wait, drink.
Am I missing anything? Any other suggestions that aren't typically mentioned in the online tutorials that will help shorten my learning curve? Clarifying or dry hopping tips?
I read about using a closed transfer from the fermenter by filling through the liquid side of the corney keg and venting out the gas side but I wasnt sure if this was necessary, or even possible using a standard syphon or required a pump. I also read that there is a sweet spot for tubing length to keep the pour from foaming up. Right now, I plan to run two kegs off picnic taps out of my garage refridgerator until I get around to installing taps through the door (Im not sure what my plans are for the 4tap keezer right now).
I continue to learn on my own as I go, so any advice to keep me pointed in the right direction will be greatly appreaciated.

Cheers!!

GDubs

 

[Bigbre04]

Purge your kegs with CO2 until you cannot keep your face in the gas flow(it gets spicy). Then give it another 2 mins.

Always fill opposite of how you pull the beer out of the keg. Fill in the liquid port and vent pressure slowly out of the exhaust port.

I assume you are doing gravity filling, so i am not really sure how you prevent O2 pickup in the fermenter, but do everything that you can to prevent it. If your fermenter will take head pressure. Use the head pressure to push the beer out of the racking valve.

Time, temp, and pressure are the three things your need to balance to carb a beer in a keg. Youtube is your friend.

If you need it fast, pull off a pint and hook up your gas at a high pressure(for normal sankee(sp?) kegs I can push 25+lbs while I shake the crap out of the keg. then taste it.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Man you hit the Jack Pot!

Why arnt you using the keezer?

I'd hook it all up as your friend had it.

Closed transfers require the fermentation vessel to be pressure rated.

That SS brewtech fermentation bucket you got should be able to hold a couple of psi.

Get a gas port on line and install it in the lid this way you can push out the beer using co2.

You can also hook a gas line on this port when fermenting to then purge your corny keg while the beer is fermenting.

Hook it up like this gas out of fermenter to liquid in on the corny then use a gas disconnect on the keg gas in to vent fermentation co2 Into a bucket of sanitizer.

 

[Minbari]

Lucky bastard!

Honestly, i wouldn't even bother with the picnic taps if you have the keezer.

Best beer line i have tried is EVA barrier line. Dont need 16 ft of it and it isn't co2 permeable

 

[GDubs]

I dont have a great place to keep the keezer. My wife has already ruled out both the kitchen and the laundry.... lol!
There is an existing refrigerator/freezer in the garage that already stores 1-3 cases of bottled beer, plus soft drinks for the family and provides extra freezer space. I dont have to use up any of my marital credits by switching from bottles to corney kegs. I plan to run two taps through the door so the picnic taps are only temporary.

GFH..... there is actually a quick connect on the lid. I am sure that is what it was for!!! I will have to look through the box of odd and ends again to see if there is a valve in there.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I dont have a great place to keep the keezer. My wife has already ruled out both the kitchen and the laundry.... lol!
There is an existing refrigerator/freezer in the garage that already stores 1-3 cases of bottled beer, plus soft drinks for the family and provides extra freezer space. I dont have to use up any of my marital credits by switching from bottles to corney kegs. I plan to run two taps through the door so the picnic taps are only temporary.

GFH..... there is actually a quick connect on the lid. I am sure that is what it was for!!! I will have to look through the box of odd and ends again to see if there is a valve in there.

Well your half way there.

Hey why not pinch the taps out the keezer than and install them on your fridge?

You can get some long tap shanks that will fit through the width of your fridge door.

Anyhow I fell some pictures are needed to prove of this thar hombrew haul

 

[GDubs]

Well your half way there.

Hey why not pinch the taps out the keezer than and install them on your fridge?

You can get some long tap shanks that will fit through the width of your fridge door.

Anyhow I fell some pictures are needed to prove of this thar hombrew haul

Plus a couple couple fishing rods, some tuna jigs, a thickness planer, 150qt cooler, and a spear gun!!!

 

[GFHomebrew]

View attachment 28843View attachment 28844
Plus a couple couple fishing rods, some tuna jigs, a thickness planer, 150qt cooler, and a spear gun!!!

Wow yeah that's a shame about the keezer it looks beautiful mate!

Hey that pot looks like a kettle not a fermenter?

That's a cam lock fitting on top not a keg post...

 

[Donoroto]

Agree, that's not a fermenter. Ah, well.

There are many points needing attention here, carbonation is but one. There are a few methods. All assume the beer is already cold.

I pump the pressure up to 30-40 psi and rock the keg for a few minutes. Then I leave it at that pressure overnight (but not much longer). Then I turn it down to what the carbonation chart says. It is good to go in 24-36 hours.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/force-carbonation-chart/

You can also just set it to the needed pressure and let it sit. That might take a week.

If the beer is not cold, pop some pressure in there (30+ psi) then chill it before continuing. The pressure keeps the keg from drawing in air as the pressure inside drops due to temperature.

Your next step is setting up pressure transfers. Your fermenter needs to be able to handle at least 2 psi. You *Always* fill kegs through their liquid port, with a gas port fitting (no hose) as a vent.

Store your kegs clean, purged and pressurized with a half gallon starsan. A good shake will coat the insides. Put a label or tag on them to show their status and to remind you to drain the starsan. Use a picnic tap to empty out the starsan.

Last for now: the ling liquid tubes benefit from being cut 1/2" shorter. This way they don't pick up the trub that falls to the bottom, giving cleaner beer. Floating dip tubes are an alternative.

 

[GDubs]

Im not exactly sure where the kettle/fermenter discussion got crossed up but, yes, I am aware that it is a kettle. I hadnt looked at the lid very well, and thought perhaps GFH knew something about its use as a fermenter that I wasnt aware of....

Donoroto... great advice once again, thank you. I hadnt read anywhere, nor had I considered that air could be pulled into the keg as it cooled. I will be sure to add some pressure when chilling. Regarding the dip tube, based on what I have read, I was expecting to dump the first pour to clear out the trub. I brew a lot with wheat and generally dont mind the cloudiness, but I can see where I might want to have a corney keg set up with a shorter dip tube for beers that I want clearer.

GFH... that black tool box on top of the keezer has extra taps, and and fittings.... enough to add two taps to the door without stripping the keezer.

Has anyone been successful with a pressurized transfer from a fermentation/bottling bucket? I know from experience that my gasketed bucket will hold quite a bit of pressure. My ceiling still bares the scars of an air lock blowout incident (lesson learned). CO2 in the through a port in the lid, liquid out through the spigot at the bottom? I often ferment then bottle directly from my bottling bucking when making hoppier styles anyway... in my mind, fewer transfers equates to less oxygenation. Im sure I get extra trub doing this, but Im guessing that would settle out in the keg and get purged anyway???

 

[Minbari]

I do pressure transfers with SSBrewtech chronical. 2-3 psi is all it will withstand and it transfers 5gal in a few minutes. i do use an inline filter to keep large particles out.

Trick with any transfer is not stiring up the crap and draw the liquid from above the crap. If you have a spigot at he bottom of the fermentor then add a fitting so it will draw 1" or so above the bottom

 

[Sandy Feet]

Use the set and forget method to keg. Do the 30PSI thing to set your lid. Turn the gas off at 30PSI. Let it drop to around 12. Turn it on at 12 for about a week.
If you are using picnic taps, turn the gas off maybe a few days after carbonation and let it drop to around 4 or 5 to serve. If you are using a normal picnic tap, and your keg remains at 12, you will have foam bombs.

 

[Megary]

If you are using a normal picnic tap, and your keg remains at 12, you will have foam bombs.

I regularly serve my beer at 12psi out of picnic taps without issue. Some beers I prefer at a lower psi but I'll rarely set my gauge at less than 7-8. Lower than that, it becomes painful to wait for the pour. Maybe this is a function of the length of the tubing as well??

 

[GFHomebrew]

Im not exactly sure where the kettle/fermenter discussion got crossed up but, yes, I am aware that it is a kettle. I hadnt looked at the lid very well, and thought perhaps GFH knew something about its use as a fermenter that I wasnt aware of....

Donoroto... great advice once again, thank you. I hadnt read anywhere, nor had I considered that air could be pulled into the keg as it cooled. I will be sure to add some pressure when chilling. Regarding the dip tube, based on what I have read, I was expecting to dump the first pour to clear out the trub. I brew a lot with wheat and generally dont mind the cloudiness, but I can see where I might want to have a corney keg set up with a shorter dip tube for beers that I want clearer.

GFH... that black tool box on top of the keezer has extra taps, and and fittings.... enough to add two taps to the door without stripping the keezer.

Has anyone been successful with a pressurized transfer from a fermentation/bottling bucket? I know from experience that my gasketed bucket will hold quite a bit of pressure. My ceiling still bares the scars of an air lock blowout incident (lesson learned). CO2 in the through a port in the lid, liquid out through the spigot at the bottom? I often ferment then bottle directly from my bottling bucking when making hoppier styles anyway... in my mind, fewer transfers equates to less oxygenation. Im sure I get extra trub doing this, but Im guessing that would settle out in the keg and get purged anyway???

Once again yes you "could" put that gas post in the lid of your bottling bucket and give it a go.

If it's a screw down lid it'll stand more chance of working than clip down (it won't pop off as easy).

I'd only use 2pis or something real low that way no accidents lol .

Don't worry too much about the trub in the keg as Don said you can cut the diptube shorter to accommodate for this.

Or floating dip tubes...

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Has anyone been successful with a pressurized transfer from a fermentation/bottling bucket? I know from experience that my gasketed bucket will hold quite a bit of pressure. My ceiling still bares the scars of an air lock blowout incident (lesson learned). CO2 in the through a port in the lid, liquid out through the spigot at the bottom? I often ferment then bottle directly from my bottling bucking when making hoppier styles anyway... in my mind, fewer transfers equates to less oxygenation. Im sure I get extra trub doing this, but Im guessing that would settle out in the keg and get purged anyway???

I'm think of something similar for transfers from my Speidel 30L fermenter to a keg. I'm thinking of adding a post at the top and pumping in CO2 at very low pressure. Gravity is doing most of the work so just need enough pressure to replace the volume of beer draining out the spigot at the bottom.

 

[GFHomebrew]

I'm think of something similar for transfers from my Speidel 30L fermenter to a keg. I'm thinking of adding a post at the top and pumping in CO2 at very low pressure. Gravity is doing most of the work so just need enough pressure to replace the volume of beer draining out the spigot at the bottom.

Check out " Closed Loop Gravity Transfers " on YouTube this will give you an idea on how to use the transferring beer to push co2 back into the top of your fermenter.

I've done it twice and it's slow but it works...

This is a good one from old mate

 

[Sandy Feet]

I regularly serve my beer at 12psi out of picnic taps without issue. Some beers I prefer at a lower psi but I'll rarely set my gauge at less than 7-8. Lower than that, it becomes painful to wait for the pour. Maybe this is a function of the length of the tubing as well??

Very likely. The tubing I have on the picnic tap is short. If I leave mine at 12 beyond the second week, half of the glass is foam.
What I said above was very similar to what they told me in the brew store, and running lines that short, you do have to turn it down to serve. Once the CO2 gets in the beer at low temps, it takes some work to get it out if it saturates.
One other thing that I learned the hard way, especially on this last batch: Make sure your clamps are tight on the picnic tap tubing. Check it very closely at 30PSI. I almost had a disaster with a small leak. I have decided from here on out to clean the lines under pressure first with the cleaner and then with Starsan. I am not removing clamps again unless it is to actually change the line. It seems that running the sanitizer through after cleaning removes the residual from the cleaner.
Sounds stupid, but make sure your keg fits in the fridge. I have very little space on top and have to tilt the corny to get it in the fridge and sit upright.
And, what they tell you about the small plastic piece on the regulator is very important. No plastic piece on the correct way, that thing will leak like a bitch and beyond belief.

 

[Minbari]

Very likely. The tubing I have on the picnic tap is short. If I leave mine at 12 beyond the second week, half of the glass is foam.
What I said above was very similar to what they told me in the brew store, and running lines that short, you do have to turn it down to serve. Once the CO2 gets in the beer at low temps, it takes some work to get it out if it saturates.
One other thing that I learned the hard way, especially on this last batch: Make sure your clamps are tight on the picnic tap tubing. Check it very closely at 30PSI. I almost had a disaster with a small leak. I have decided from here on out to clean the lines under pressure first with the cleaner and then with Starsan. I am not removing clamps again unless it is to actually change the line. It seems that running the sanitizer through after cleaning removes the residual from the cleaner.
Sounds stupid, but make sure your keg fits in the fridge. I have very little space on top and have to tilt the corny to get it in the fridge and sit upright.
And, what they tell you about the small plastic piece on the regulator is very important. No plastic piece on the correct way, that thing will leak like a bitch and beyond belief.

I usually carb my kegs without the faucets connected for this very reason.

 

[GDubs]

Very likely. The tubing I have on the picnic tap is short. If I leave mine at 12 beyond the second week, half of the glass is foam.
What I said above was very similar to what they told me in the brew store, and running lines that short, you do have to turn it down to serve. Once the CO2 gets in the beer at low temps, it takes some work to get it out if it saturates.
One other thing that I learned the hard way, especially on this last batch: Make sure your clamps are tight on the picnic tap tubing. Check it very closely at 30PSI. I almost had a disaster with a small leak. I have decided from here on out to clean the lines under pressure first with the cleaner and then with Starsan. I am not removing clamps again unless it is to actually change the line. It seems that running the sanitizer through after cleaning removes the residual from the cleaner.
Sounds stupid, but make sure your keg fits in the fridge. I have very little space on top and have to tilt the corny to get it in the fridge and sit upright.
And, what they tell you about the small plastic piece on the regulator is very important. No plastic piece on the correct way, that thing will leak like a bitch and beyond belief.

Small plastic piece on the regulator???? Nobody told me anything. What am I missing?

 

[Sandy Feet]

It fits inside the connection as a seal between the regulator and the tank. It is a very small plastic piece. Amazon sells them, and the brew stores have them.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=plastic+...seal+for+co2+regulator,aps,103&ref=nb_sb_noss