Easy Keg 5L

[Labowner]

I tend to make a solution but don't think you have to with priming sugar.

Are you using your minikeg with a CO2 tap or just the standard pull/turn tap built into a minikeg ?

I had an Old speckled Hen minikeg from Morrisons (to re-use the keg more than anything). Obviously this used the pull/turn built in tap with the air intake bung in the top and after the first couple of decent pints I thought the rest of the keg was pretty flat.

Using a party star tap with CO2 allows you to keep topping the pressure up in the keg as you draw off the beer so the remaining beer stays fizzy.

New minikegs from Leyland with the partystar and co2.
Starting to wonder if it may have been the ale, it was my first ag brew and I got some of the mash grain in with the liquor and ended up filtering through a nylon strain bag into a second bucket before kegging. Have a bottle from the same batch in the fridge I'll open later to see if it has carbed ok.
Have a kit wheat beer ready to keg about a week now just need to find the time to do it so I'll be able to use sugar solution and vaseline on it :)

 

[Leon103]

This is my HBC IPA Willamette - first time using minikegs and used 10g of tate and lyle to prime - left an inch of headspace also (5l leaves a space).

This pint is half way down the keg so the carbonation level seems spot on for me - first half pint was very frothy then settled down nicely.

10-12g of priming sugar seems about right to me:

Cracking looking pint. How long did it condition in the keg?

How is that kit? How much Willamette does it use?

 

[Tony1951]

Sad day at Sausage Towers, I'm sad to report my mini keg disasters of late.
I have 9 of them and around 250 bottles on the go, sometimes I don't fancy a full sesh on the kegs so it's easier just to get the bottles out.This means that some of my kegs date bake to July/August thinking the longer they are left,the better.
I've now had to pour the contents of the last 3 kegs away as there was nothing but froth coming out, tried everything but it was taking forever to get anything out that was drinkable. The beer tasted fine but the amount of froth meant that it took about 1/2 an hour to get 1/2 a pint (waiting for froth to die down then topping up)
I only used the red tap on the front and didn't add any co2 with the party star, all 3 kegs were pure froth right down to the dregs. I didn't do anything different to any of the other kegs that I've been using for the past 12 months without problem.I'll be trying another today so fingers crossed it doesn't get swilled down the drain
#sadsausage:-(

Arrrrgh! Sacrilege!

Sorry to hear that. There is only one cause for too much froth and that is too much pressure. What a shame you poured away 15 litres of good tasting beer. That would be my last plan of all. Could it be that you miscalculated the priming sugar solution? The only cause of too much pressure is too much fermentable content in the keg when you stored it. Maybe the brew wasn't fully finished fermenting in the FV.

If you have any more that is over-pressurised, invert the keg upside down so the dip tube is in the gas (obviously it will rise above the beer when you upturn the keg) and open the tap just a touch to let some of it out. There will be a short squirt of beer as the contents of the tube and tap are expelled but then just the extra gas will come out. You will need to let the beer settle again for a day or so because you may disturb some sediment depending on how vigorous you are about upturning the keg.

Best of luck.

 

[Spapro]

Cracking looking pint. How long did it condition in the keg?

How is that kit? How much Willamette does it use?

It is a very nice pint, although I preferred the much hoppier Apollo mashkit which was superb. Gave it 2 weeks carbing up in the warm then 2.5 weeks cold conditioning in the garage before tapping.

This is my brewday write-up link below but the exceedingly good IPA Willamette kit includes:
4.7kg grain
15g Hercules bittering hops at 60 mins
25g Willamette at 15 mins
50g Willamette at 0 mins

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57578

 

[pms67]

Ive nearly finished my second easykeg but to be honest im a bit dissapointed, its a bit like opening a 5litre bottle of beer then drinking it for three nights,first two pints were carbed then zilch.
Party star tap seems very appealing.

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Ive nearly finished my second easykeg but to be honest im a bit dissapointed, its a bit like opening a 5litre bottle of beer then drinking it for three nights,first two pints were carbed then zilch.
Party star tap seems very appealing.

In my opinion the party star tap is a Must. Buy one, Today !!!! Ha ha

 

[Spapro]

Ive nearly finished my second easykeg but to be honest im a bit dissapointed, its a bit like opening a 5litre bottle of beer then drinking it for three nights,first two pints were carbed then zilch.
Party star tap seems very appealing.

I found exactly that with the old speckled hen one I bought.

The party star tap allows topping up with co2 to keep the beer pressured and fizzy as you work through the minikeg over a period of time.

 

[MyQul]

Ive nearly finished my second easykeg but to be honest im a bit dissapointed, its a bit like opening a 5litre bottle of beer then drinking it for three nights,first two pints were carbed then zilch.
Party star tap seems very appealing.

I finding this too. You have to carb a mini keg lower than normal anyway so after 3 days the beer is fairly flat. The party star tap isn't cheap but it's one more thing on my list of HB supplies to get if I'm to use the mini kegs in future

 

[wheazy_joe]

Have just finished my first kegging session and wow, SO much quicker and easier than bottling. Got three full kegs and three 500ml swing top bottles. Looking forward to cracking the kegs with the party star tap.

 

[Hops_and_Dreams]

Can't wait to start using my party star tap, current brew fermenting.

The novelty of bottling day wore off quite some time ago, so getting it done in 30 mins or so would be welcome.

Probably could keg a brew while the mash is on, instead of separate days as I do now.

 

[brumbrew]

I've took no notice of the under priming and have been doing so for months now.

No explosion

However I've noticed beers that lend themselves to lower carb levels. Like a dark ale work better.

I just brew what I know now to save on bottling.

I use 3 normally and bottle the rest.

When a guest comes round I open the keg. If it's me. I just drink the bottles.

I've got 3 days ish out of a keg before I'd call the beer 'dead'

 

[Leon103]

I picked up another keg today. Finally going to taste Hobgoblin. I think it was £13.49 in Lidl. I am going to wait a few weeks though, need a break from the drink.

 

[Spapro]

I picked up another keg today. Finally going to taste Hobgoblin. I think it was �£13.49 in Lidl. I am going to wait a few weeks though, need a break from the drink.

Nice one Leon, will be difficult keeping off that. Best you empty that pronto (just to free up the keg) ahead of having a break from the drink !

Have you got anything fermenting ready to go in the mini keg ?

 

[Leon103]

Nice one Leon, will be difficult keeping off that. Best you empty that pronto (just to free up the keg) ahead of having a break from the drink !

Have you got anything fermenting ready to go in the mini keg ?

No. I have been waiting for the weather to drop to do a pilsner but I think I will go ahead and do a Belgian blonde or something similar.

 

[Clydebrewer]

Son got me a keg of Stewart Brewing Edinburgh Gold at Christmas and I used the party star with it.
It seems to make the beer in the keg keep longer and stay much livelier than with the normal gravity pour.
I've got a Canadian Blonde on the go which will go in the keg when it's ready and I'll assess things from there.
I wish I'd discovered the Party Star even before I started home brewing.

 

[brumbrew]

Right, birthday next month.

It's on the list ;-)

 

[rodabod]

My London Porter carbonated really nicely. I think that was 12g of sugar, or 1.5 CO2 volumes.

 

[pms67]

I broached my first keg this eve and REALLY like the action of pouring from a tap from a keg - much better than a bottle where you have to make sure you dont pour the yeast into your glass



I was under the impression a keg would somehow carbonate 'more' than a bottle at 2.5g/L but it doesn't seem to be the case. I don't mind 2.5g/L but I much prefer my usual bottle carbonation level of 5g/L. Will have to do a bit of research to see if carbing a mini keg at 5g/L will be ok or will blow it up/deform it.

Apologies if this has already been covered but does the drawtube thingymijig (technical term) not draw up the yeast/trub?

 

[Spapro]

Apologies if this has already been covered but does the drawtube thingymijig (technical term) not draw up the yeast/trub?

Mine hasn't - used US05 yeast. It had 2 weeks carbing in the warm then moved to the garage. It then had 3 weeks in the garage on a shelf, then moved gently (ish) to where it would be served, left for a day then tapped with the party star stap. the first half pint was a bit frothy but clear from memory, then nicely carbed and clear beer down to halfway which is where I am now.

I can only assume the sediment has packed down and stuck well to the bottom of the keg so is laying there undisturbed.

 

[GlentoranMark]

Has anyone tried carbonating without priming?

You can quick prime a corny by injecting CO2 and then shaking for 15 minutes, the beer has to be chilled for best results. I'm wondering if you used a CO2 cartridge, shook for 15 minutes and maybe done it again what the result would be?