How to use a Cornelius Keg Properly?

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So basically your fermenting in a bucket and once done transferring the beer to the Keg to continue clearing/developing before you drink it, rather than letting it clear for weeks and then putting in Keg? So when the Keg is empty there may still be just be a layer of sediment?

What I'm trying to ask I suppose is are you using the extra kegs as final clearing vessels for the beer prior to just connecting them up to the gas to finally drink the beer?

I follow you up to 'I then disconnect the gas off the tap (mfl screw on connection) and connect my auto syphon to the liquid out connector' - what are you doing here ?

Sorry if I'm sounding thick, it's just new to me as always used bottles and would sooner be clear in my mind.

Yeah, i'm usually drinking it a week after its been kegged. Still a little green but it soon smooths out. Photo below of an empty keg ;)

I use my autosyphon to transfer into out port on the keg, that way it runs down the long tube into the bottom of the keg and you get minimal splashing and also its going into a keg full of co2

Oxygen is really bad for you beer, the least contact it has and the least amount of splashing and bubbles the better.

I can take some photos of how I do it if you want, there are plenty of other ways thou. This will give you the idea http://scottjanish.com/oxygen-free-racking-homebrew-keg/

2017-04-17 19.50.15.jpg
 
There are charts online for keg pressures and co2 volumes. The theory is you select your desired co2 volumes I.e 2.4 then you measure ur beers temperature say 10C and the chart will give you the required psi. You connect your gas, set the psi and leave connected for about 2 weeks. This is how I do it and it works great, it's normally ready after 1 week. This process can be sped up by over pressuring to 30 psi and shaking the keg to force the co2 into the liquid. I tried this once and got foam followed by flat beer. I know it's an annoying answer but you WILL work it out for yourself and get your own technique to suit your kit pretty quickly.

Happy homebrewing
 
Thanks for all the replies and great advice and links which have been very helpful to me.

Sounds like my bottling days are over for good with these and as soon as it arrives, and I see what's what, I'm going to get some more kegs I think and start mass production!
 
Ok my first corny Keg has just arrived and I just know my bottling days are finished. Very nice indeed and brand new from brew uk as part of a starter kit.

I'm just awaiting my 6kg CO2 cylinder and I've also just ordered a Lindr Pygmy 25K Exclusive 2 tap which I've detailed on a separate thread. So I won't need a fridge now as this serves cold beer so that's the fridge problem sorted.

So I'm thinking I'm going to order another 4-6 new kegs as I don't want to run out once I start.

I think I've understood what you have all said and I'm thinking my new non bottling brewing process will be as follows - I haven't mentioned sterilisation as that goes without saying:

1. Ferment the beer and then I'm thinking of transferring the beer into a new air locked fermenter to clear for a few weeks before transferring to Keg ? (Initially I might go straight to Keg as they will be empty when I start out)

2. Put the beer into the Keg and then connect to the CO2, pull the release to let out trapped air, and then I add a charge of CO2 to 30psi (godsdog?) to carbonate the beer. At this stage can I then disconnect the Keg from the Co2 and store until needed and will it remain adequately charged until I reconnect the CO2 to dispense ?

3. Once ready to drink I reconnect CO2, set the psi from the chart on temperature, carbonation etc, and out of my Lidr will come a splendid cold beverage?

Well it all sounds rather easy....

I think I've also decided that the few litres of left over beer will just become 'waste beer' (don't shout at me!!) and part of my new brewing process, or I might try making certain kits to a slightly less volume and see what that does.

Please feel free to pick holes in the above or better ways as I'm eager to learn from you guys.
 
Ok my first corny Keg has just arrived and I just know my bottling days are finished. Very nice indeed and brand new from brew uk as part of a starter kit.

I'm just awaiting my 6kg CO2 cylinder and I've also just ordered a Lindr Pygmy 25K Exclusive 2 tap which I've detailed on a separate thread. So I won't need a fridge now as this serves cold beer so that's the fridge problem sorted.

So I'm thinking I'm going to order another 4-6 new kegs as I don't want to run out once I start.

I think I've understood what you have all said and I'm thinking my new non bottling brewing process will be as follows - I haven't mentioned sterilisation as that goes without saying:

1. Ferment the beer and then I'm thinking of transferring the beer into a new air locked fermenter to clear for a few weeks before transferring to Keg ? (Initially I might go straight to Keg as they will be empty when I start out)

2. Put the beer into the Keg and then connect to the CO2, pull the release to let out trapped air, and then I add a charge of CO2 to 30psi (godsdog?) to carbonate the beer. At this stage can I then disconnect the Keg from the Co2 and store until needed and will it remain adequately charged until I reconnect the CO2 to dispense ?

3. Once ready to drink I reconnect CO2, set the psi from the chart on temperature, carbonation etc, and out of my Lidr will come a splendid cold beverage?

Well it all sounds rather easy....

I think I've also decided that the few litres of left over beer will just become 'waste beer' (don't shout at me!!) and part of my new brewing process, or I might try making certain kits to a slightly less volume and see what that does.

Please feel free to pick holes in the above or better ways as I'm eager to learn from you guys.

congrats on the pygmy tap set up, thats gonna do you proud im sure, but i do think you will have problems if you only charge a fresh keg with 30psi and disconnect from the co2 supply.

30 psi is very high but the volume of headspace above the beer is minimal so even at 30 psi your not going tho have that much co2 in that space certainly not enough to fully condition a keg.

if leaving a keg off gas even when fully conditioned to quite a high level you still need to be aware of the ambient keg temperature, i have had fully conditioned cornies sat stored in an outhouse that have lost lid seals due to a sudden drop in temperature overnight. a sudden frost can chill beer down to a temp that it will absorb all co2 under pressure in the keg with it and some kegs (Generally older knocked about ones..) can loose the lid seal without some positive internal pressure to maintain it.

I would strongly suggest you use a kegging chart as a guide to condition the beers with a continual level of co2 pressure applied over a week or so, you can be confident that the beer will achieve the desired level of condition
well in advance of it maturing to quaffable status without any waste or worry
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...=xbA22cKg6g1riDhoRe225w&bvm=bv.58187178,d.ZG4
 
congrats on the pygmy tap set up, thats gonna do you proud im sure, but i do think you will have problems if you only charge a fresh keg with 30psi and disconnect from the co2 supply.

30 psi is very high but the volume of headspace above the beer is minimal so even at 30 psi your not going tho have that much co2 in that space certainly not enough to fully condition a keg.

if leaving a keg off gas even when fully conditioned to quite a high level you still need to be aware of the ambient keg temperature, i have had fully conditioned cornies sat stored in an outhouse that have lost lid seals due to a sudden drop in temperature overnight. a sudden frost can chill beer down to a temp that it will absorb all co2 under pressure in the keg with it and some kegs (Generally older knocked about ones..) can loose the lid seal without some positive internal pressure to maintain it.

I would strongly suggest you use a kegging chart as a guide to condition the beers with a continual level of co2 pressure applied over a week or so, you can be confident that the beer will achieve the desired level of condition
well in advance of it maturing to quaffable status without any waste or worry
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...=xbA22cKg6g1riDhoRe225w&bvm=bv.58187178,d.ZG4

Thanks Fil. That's what why I was wondering about this.

My idea is to have 2 kegs in my house under the new Lidr with the CO2 attached next to it.

I think what I'm asking is if I've got 6 kegs full of beer in a supply chain, under what condition do I keep the maturing beer, so that when the ones under the Lidr run out i have 2 ready straight away?

Do I need to have 2 more hooked up to a second CO2 bottle or am I overthinking all of this and is there a fast way to make the beer fizzy just prior connecting up to the Lidr.

I've just read an article that states you can still naturally condition the beer with priming sugar, which is what I've always done with bottles so I assume this is an option and then presumably the beer would be ready when I want it anyway ?
 
I've just read an article on force/burst carbonation and I think I'm understanding it now.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=73328

So basically we hit it with 30psi and then leave it for 3 weeks and we're good to go it seems?

So I make my beer, add to Keg, hit with 30psi, leave minimum 3 weeks ish or presumably longer, and then drink hoping foam doesn't shoot out of tap!

I can see dispensing will be my next thread!
 
perhaps somewhere in Arrizona death valley you may need to condition @ 30 psi for 3 weeks at ambient temp to condition a brew, round here you would end up with a very fizzy tipple .. 30psi is the sort of pressure used to condition in a few days with rolling or shaking to accelerate the proceedure, and is a very hit n miss approach probably resulting in over conditioning.

Its quite easy, check out the table i linked to, look up the ambient temperature on one scale, look at the level of condition you want in the chart body, and read off the level of pressure that will maintain that level of condition and set that on your regulator, a week to 10 days later the beer will be conditioned..

conditioning a beer is a case of reaching an equilibrium between pressure and temperature in the beer so that the desired level of condition is retained as its poured, get the equilibrium wrong and the beer will be flat or foam out on pouring.

the pygmy tap should take care of chilling the beer to the optimum temp for serving so in order to retain the optimum level of condition in the beer you would be advised to set the serving pressure according to the ambient temperature and not serving temp.

This would require probably a greater length of restricting microline between the keg and tap than you would find with a keg fridge set up to balance off the excess keg pressure and will also reduce the speed of pour.

set the serving pressure too low and you will loose condition and the beer will get flatter as you pour, set it too high and the beer will over condition as its kept on line getting fizier and fizier..

its all about the balance between temperature and pressure and the equilibrium condition level the two can provide and maintain..
 
Yep I just seal it charge with CO2 then vent a few seconds and re charge usually to 30 PSI I have on many occasions sugar charged it with 3 ounces of table sugar and give it a low 10 PSI shot of CO2 just to prove the seal and vent once more and leave it then for the sugar to do its job but if you run a pub size 6 KG bottle of CO2 theres plenty in there

perhaps somewhere in Arrizona death valley you may need to condition @ 30 psi for 3 weeks at ambient temp to condition a brew, round here you would end up with a very fizzy tipple .. 30psi is the sort of pressure used to condition in a few days with rolling or shaking to accelerate the proceedure, and is a very hit n miss approach probably resulting in over conditioning.
the excess keg pressure and will also reduce the speed of pour.

set the serving pressure too low and you will loose condition and the beer will get flatter as you pour, set it too high and the beer will over condition as its kept on line getting fizier and fizier..

its all about the balance between temperature and pressure and the equilibrium condition level the two can provide and maintain..

Thanks Fil

The above quote is from godsdog on previous page, and from this, and the links above where they are referring to the 30psi, I am taking this to be a 'one off' initial charge into the keg, and then the Keg goes into storage 'unconnected' from the Co2 to store/develop, and then gradually over a period of around 3 weeks or so, the Co2 is absorbed into the beer as well, albeit not at the exact level, but closer than if it was left uncharged with Co2.

When I then want to drink the beer, ill then connect back up to the co2, and then the pressure would be as per the chart you refer to, so at roughly 18c (64f) room temperature (keg wont be in fridge), I'm reading the psi will be around 24psi or maybe a bit less depending on style etc.

With my bottles, many are well over 3-4 months old before I even touch them, so I suppose on the principle that the keg is just a big bottle, I'm just using co2 to carbonate rather than sugar.

With all this, I'm basically looking for the correct procedure so store the beer in the kegs whilst it developing over a few months, so it will get better with age and then be ready or nearly ready to just replace and empty keg like they would do in a pub - this is the stage were I don't want to wait 10 days or so for it to condition, I want it ready or nearly ready for a straight swap and I'm assuming this is the principal for the 30psi initial injection.
 
for me youre overthinking this project and getting a bit fretful.this is the inside of my bar and outside all the kegs are sitting at room temperature which at present is 66.9F.I charge the cornies initially with a 30PSI blast and turn the bottle off,periodically over a few days I go back and give it 2/3/4 more blasts at 30PSI,some folk will say leave it connected and the bottle open for a few days but im a bit paranoid about gas leaks and wastage of the CO2 although im pretty sure I have no gas leaks on my system.So then the keg sits there at room temperature for probably 3 months as running 5 kegs it takes that long to get round to drinking it,i then vent the CO2 off to a serving pressure of around 8/10PSI and it helps if you have a quick disconnect attatched to a PSI dial clock to monitor the pressure.then I connect the keg up to the low PSI side of my gas management board and switch on,some folk will tell you different but not having a chilled keg makes little difference as the pygmy will do the same job in smaller amounts and fobbing is minimal once it gets into its stride
I hope this clears up a lot of your apprehensions,the great thing about homebrewing is there is no right or wrong way and you will eventually sort out whats right for you.incidently I only run a 3/8 beer line of around a metre at most and am fine with that as you have a lever on the pygmy serving tap to reduce flow and fob

inside bar 1[1].jpg


outside bar 1[1].jpg
 
ake yourself a keg pressure checker by getting a pressure gauge and sticking it on the end of some 3/8" beerline attached to a gas in disconnect, you can ebay the gauge and a 1/4" bsp to 3/8" jg fitting Male fittings may require a barrel nipple too.. but with such a tool you can click it onto a keg to get an instant reading of its internal pressure and if it needs a top up..

The method i overlooked mentioning was of course to top up and check regularly and keep topping up as needed ;) by staging the co2 addition like that takes a bit more input but also minimises the risk of over conditioning leaving on gas at a high pressure runs.

As with most things brewing the goal can be accomplished via a few different paths.
 
for me youre overthinking this project and getting a bit fretful.this is the inside of my bar and outside all the kegs are sitting at room temperature which at present is 66.9F.I charge the cornies initially with a 30PSI blast and turn the bottle off,......

Thanks for clearing that up Godsdog and also the tip with the beer line as well.

Greatly appreciated

Although Ive been making beer quiet successfully, this is all new to me with gas bottles as ive never used them before.
 
ake yourself a keg pressure checker by getting a pressure gauge and sticking it on the end of some 3/8" beerline attached to a gas in disconnect, you can ebay the gauge and a 1/4" bsp to 3/8" jg fitting Male fittings may require a barrel nipple too.. but with such a tool you can click it onto a keg to get an instant reading of its internal pressure and if it needs a top up..

The method i overlooked mentioning was of course to top up and check regularly and keep topping up as needed ;) by staging the co2 addition like that takes a bit more input but also minimises the risk of over conditioning leaving on gas at a high pressure runs.

As with most things brewing the goal can be accomplished via a few different paths.

Thanks once again Fil for your help and tips.
 
Thanks for clearing that up Godsdog and also the tip with the beer line as well.

Greatly appreciated

Although Ive been making beer quiet successfully, this is all new to me with gas bottles as ive never used them before.
this is what I have to check internal pressure of cornie:thumb:

IMG_20170426_131441444[1].jpg
 
this is what I have to check internal pressure of cornie:thumb:

Thanks for that. I've found a pressure gauge with 1/4 fitting, and probably one between 0-60 psi which i assume is enough. What's the black joining pipe callled as it looks good. It looks rigid rather than a hose and fits between the quick connect and gauge?

Oh and I've just cleaned and filled my first Keg with Cider. OMG! IVE SPENT 2 YEARS BOTTLING WHEN I COULD HAVE BEEN USING THESE KEGS!!! It's brought the enjoyment back into the hobby big style for me as it's effortless.

Am I supposed to leave a gap at the top of the Keg or fill to half inch or so as high as I can get ?
 
Thanks for that. I've found a pressure gauge with 1/4 fitting, and probably one between 0-60 psi which i assume is enough. What's the black joining pipe callled as it looks good. It looks rigid rather than a hose and fits between the quick connect and gauge?

Oh and I've just cleaned and filled my first Keg with Cider. OMG! IVE SPENT 2 YEARS BOTTLING WHEN I COULD HAVE BEEN USING THESE KEGS!!! It's brought the enjoyment back into the hobby big style for me as it's effortless.

Am I supposed to leave a gap at the top of the Keg or fill to half inch or so as high as I can get ?
Just make sure your fill level is always a half inch lower than the gas in stub and not covering it or you'll get beer up into the regulator, had it happen once
 
Can't help you on the psi quick disconnect as I had it from a lhbs,it is better than a piece of beer line though and cist around �£15

Thanks for the level tip.

It's ok. I found one on brew UK and although it's £25 I dont mind as it's purpose built and ready to go.
 
Hi guys I've just got another question on fermentation prior to adding the beer to the Keg.

Once the beer is fermented after around 10-14 days, I would normally rack into a FV, add priming sugar, bottle and then leave for a few months to clear/condition.

So if I'm going to use a Keg, with CO2, should I transfer the beer into another FV to clear for a few weeks prior to kegging under airlock, or should I put it straight in the Keg to clear under CO2 pressure. I'm thinking about avoiding sediment in the bottom of the Keg?

I ask the question as I know I need to avoid excessive contact with air/oxygen so I'm wondering were is the best place to keep it and under what conditions or will it be ok in a secondary fermenter bucket?
 
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