kegging
No more bottling, no more cleaning bottles -- kegging saves you time & allows you to drink your beer sooner!
Below is some information on the equipment you'd need and what the process is to keg your beer!
the equipment
You will require, at minimum, the following pieces of equipment:
Cornelius Keg (aka pop tank)
Coke = Pin Lock
Pepsi = Ball Lock
CO2 tank filled with CO2 (purchase from a welding company)
Dual Gauge Regulator (operating pressure & remaining gas)
Gas line disconnect (attached by hose to your regulator)
Beer line disconnect (attached to hose) which is attached to a:
Tap
The Method
STARTING OFF – CLEANING YOUR KEG
It is recommended to disassemble your keg and clean all the parts thoroughly. You won’t need to do this often; it also helps to familiarize yourself with all the pieces.
Once you’ve put the keg back together, you are ready to fill it with a batch of beer. You’ll want to sterilize your beer & gas lines. Open up the keg, and put about a liter of cleaning solution into it. Close up the keg, slosh it around, and turn on the gas to about 10 PSI. After 20 seconds, turn off the gas and open the thumb tap into a sink until emptied.
Vent the remaining gas, open the lid, add a couple liters of clean water & repeat. Your keg is now ready to be filled.
FILLING AND PURGING THE KEG
Simply siphon your clear beer into the keg, about 1-2cm below the gas dip tube. Seal up the keg and apply some CO2 to it. After 10 seconds, open the pressure relief valve (or on a Coke keg, depress the gas poppet to vent off the CO2). This is to purge any oxygen from the keg.
PREPARING FOR CARBONATION
CO2 absorbs into beer much more efficiently when cold. Put your keg in a fridge (or very cold place) for a night to get it down to about 2°C.
CARBONATING METHOD 1
If your keg of beer is cold, attach the CO2 line, and increase the pressure to about 30 PSI. Then shake or roll the keg on the floor for about 7-10 minutes. Depending on the pressure used, the temperature of the beer, and the time you’re shaking the keg, your numbers may differ.
CARBONATING METHOD 2
If your beer is not quite clear, it will clear in the keg. Don’t worry – your intake dip tube is raised above where the sediment will lie. Attach the CO2 to 12 PSI and leave it for a week. Depending on the pressure used, the temperature of the beer, and the number of days you leave it, your numbers may differ. Use the carbonation chart below to find the exact numbers to use.
CARBONATION CHART
There are two main factors to determine the number of volumes in beer: pressure and temperature. At a certain temperature and pressure, beer will have a given carbonation amount in volumes of CO2. These values can be seen in the chart below. The temperature of the beer is usually the serving temperature, typically around 34°F-36°F.
Now you have cold carbonated beer! Remember to vent all the pressure, and reset the regulator to your serving pressure – usually around 4-10 PSI.
serving your beer
Depending on your carbonation levels and the type of tap you’re using, your serving pressure will be between 4-10 PSI.
CARBONATION LEVELS
British-Style Ales: 1.5 - 2.0
Porter, Stout: 1.7 - 2.3
Belgian Ales: 1.9-2.4
European Lagers: 2.2 – 2.7
American Beers: 2.2 – 3.7
German Wheat: 3.3 – 4.5