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Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:00 am
by LiverDance
What is the best way to store kegs at room temp before serving? Do you carb them first or just top them up with 30psi?
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:18 am
by mr x
Do mean you just racked into them? If so, I hit them with 30-60 psi (depending on how long I have to wait) and leave them for a few days. Usually gets me into the ballpark.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:23 am
by LiverDance
I'm making beer for a party so It's not going into my frige right away, I've racked it and purged the oxygen and topped up the keg with 30 psi then disconnected it. My plan is to wait and cool it and carb it in a couple of weeks. I was wondering if it would be better to cool and carb it now then take it out and store it at room temp till i have space in the fridge.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:38 am
by mr x
I always leave my warm kegs on some gas until I'm confident I've got a couple volumes in there. Pure guesswork, but I've been getting better as estimating the more I do it. My preferred method is natural carbing though, especially if I've got a couple weeks. Never fails.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:54 pm
by LiverDance
ah yessss, natural carbing! That's what I'll do, I almost forgot about that method

You must have to pour off the first pint to get rid of sediment?
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:03 pm
by mr x
Yeah. No matter which method I use, my first pint has sediment. But you don't have to carry any trub/yeastcake over to get carbonation, I've always had enough suspended yeast to do the job, even in beers that look relatively clear. But I would be wary about trying it with a beer that's been in a carboy for 2 months or more.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 1:04 pm
by akr71
LiverDance wrote:ah yessss, natural carbing! That's what I'll do, I almost forgot about that method

You must have to pour off the first pint to get rid of sediment?
And lose all that vitamin B?
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:21 pm
by derek
akr71 wrote:LiverDance wrote:ah yessss, natural carbing! That's what I'll do, I almost forgot about that method

You must have to pour off the first pint to get rid of sediment?
And lose all that vitamin B?
LOL.
Cracked a keg for my corn boil last weekend, and since it wasn't me drinking it, I suggested he should just throw out the first glass, but I always drink it.
Like Robert, I can't say I see much difference in the first pint between the kegs I've allowed to finish their secondary in the keg and the ones I've fermented completely before kegging.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 2:29 pm
by LiverDance
How much corn sugar do you guys use in a keg? Are the Beersmith numbers good to follow?
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:00 pm
by derek
LiverDance wrote:How much corn sugar do you guys use in a keg? Are the Beersmith numbers good to follow?
I've used LME about 100 - 125g per keg, or held back some of my wort (tricky and not worth it).
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 3:06 pm
by mr x
I use the table at the back of Brewing Classic Styles. I always use corn sugar, and IIRC, it's in the 3-5 oz range for medium carbonation.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:49 am
by LiverDance
I added my corn sugar to the kegs last night, ended up using 120g as per the BCS book like x suggested. I checked the numbers in beersmith and it said to use about 1/2 of that amount, not sure why the big difference but I trust BCS over Beersmith on this one.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:42 pm
by RobD
Charlie Papazian says 1/3 cup of corn sugar. I'm not sure how that translates to weight. I've always had success with that.
Re: Storing Kegs
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:58 pm
by mr x
I think the discrepancy between BCS and Beersmith is that BS is accounting for less headspace in the kegs than a bunch of bottles, where BCS assumes priming=bottling, and requires more sugar? Just a guess....