Half filling a keg

[Edindie]

I bought a king keg off a 'seasoned' brewer who warned me against half filling a keg and half bottling as it means the keg would have more oxygen in to damage the beer. However wouldn't the gas you put in the top form a protective layer and hence stop oxidisation? Obviously if you transport it somewhere or otherwise shake it up it would be exposed to the oxygen, but if I'm doing that then I'm assuming it will be drunk fairly quickly...

Any thoughts?

 

[LeithR]

Half filling a PB is probably not best practice but I do it regularly as I want to build up a variety of beers as a stock. As long as you prime the beer before you put into your PB then you should have no problem. If you find that the beer from the PB is not coming out under a little pressure then you may not have primed sufficiently or not left it long enough to build up a head of gas.

 

[RobWalker]

You're probably okay to do so, they do create a LOT of pressure and a lot gets pushed out. In the past I've always purged the oxygen using the s30 - seal, gas, open so it blasts the oxygen out. repeat, then close just before the pressure runs out. this is also useful for dry hopping, bulk ageing in the keg, etc.

 

[Edindie]

Thanks LeithR. That was my logic too; I want to build up a stock of 10-15 bottles from each beer I make but will probably also keg some for quick consumption.

 

[Edindie]

So wedge the vent open and spray in the co2? Then pressurise as standard?

 

[RobWalker]

uuh, i'm not sure what you mean :lol:

seal it, gas it by turning the s30 canister, open it, close and seal it again, gas it, open it, close it. :thumb: