Keg priming with sugar

[MashBag]

Tess. I have seen this discussion before. There is no one way. You may as well ask peeps to give you a recipe for the best beer ever.

There are a lot of variables, myth and conjecture. Sanity is found by asking yourself the question "will I bottle my beer or buy co2". But it is fun trying.

Just my tuppence.

 

[Erik The Anglophile]

In broad terms though, is not the headspace in a "normally" filled bottle and a keg in comparable portions of the total volume? That is why I just use the Beersmith suggested amount of sugar for bottling the same amount that I keg, granted I calculate on 18L but in reality fill closer to 19, but that is a rather minute difference.
Never had any issues with overcarbing except when I hook up the gas too early.

 

[BallymoneyB]

Natural carbonation from priming sugar in a keg seems to me to give a 'smoother' result than forced carbonation from CO2. I just prime according to an online calculator, flush the headspace with CO2 and attach a spunding valve set to the appropriate value.

 

[MashBag]

Natural carbonation from priming sugar in a keg seems to me to give a 'smoother' result than forced carbonation from CO2. I just prime according to an online calculator, flush the headspace with CO2 and attach a spunding valve set to the appropriate value.

Can't remember the detail on the course now, but you are correct. It is because the co2 is created and is smaller. Blown in in much larger, so affects the mouthfeel.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hi Tess, yes you need extra priming sugar or your beer will be under-carbonated.

What temperature do you store your beer? This affects gas solubility and pressure so in turn affects the maths to calculate the priming sugar.

How many volumes are you intending to carbonate to?

For this one it's 3 volumes and the kegerator is set to 4c.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

"will I bottle my beer or buy co2"

I have a CO2 bottle but I'm not comfortable just putting gas in the headspace. In my opinion, that is not going to keep the beer safe for weeks or months on end, without a closed transfer as well, which I can't do.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Why don't you carb it with co2?

I always do a closed transfer, and because I can't this time without risking infection, I thought it was safer to try and minimise the oxygen carried over into the keg by doing a secondary fermentation. Hope that makes sense.

I do have another option but I'm not sure I fully understand the method. @DocAnna suggested on another thread to fill the keg first with CO2 for 30 seconds and then open fill the keg. But I'm not sure if I should do the gas bit before the keg filling, or during.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I do have another option but I'm not sure I fully understand the method. @DocAnna suggested on another thread to fill the keg first with CO2 for 30 seconds and then open fill the keg. But I'm not sure if I should do the gas bit before the keg filling, or during.

I do this too. I put CO2 into the keg before filling and then fill with beer using my syphon (lid off). The blanket of CO2 above the beer provides a level of protection. It’s nowhere near as good as purging and closed transfers because gasses mix and the CO2 doesn’t wholly displace the air in the keg but the level of oxygen will be reduced.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I think I will try that then. Thanks H.

Maybe a little campden in the bottom of the keg will help?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

For this one it's 3 volumes and the kegerator is set to 4c.

For those values:

You need 0.134 moles of CO2 to carbonate the beer = 59g CO2

Henry’s constant shifts to 0.056, head pressure up to 145539 pascals, 28g CO2 to pressurise head space.

Total CO2 = 59 + 28 - 14 (ferm) = 73g

Priming sugar required = 149g

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Thank you.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I think I will try that then. Thanks H.

Maybe a little campden in the bottom of the keg will help?

What would the campden be for?

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

To try and get rid of any oxygen that's left?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

To try and get rid of any oxygen that's left?

I’ve never used campden to scrub oxygen but I have used a couple of grams of ascorbic acid. I do this as a precaution but if the beer doesn’t oxidise I have absolutely no idea if it’s due to the ascorbic acid or would have been fine anyway!

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

I have choices then

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

What would happen if I left the gas on while I syphoned?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What would happen if I left the gas on while I syphoned?

It may help increase the proportion of CO2 above the beer but probably not as much as you’d hope because you’ll be stirring the gasses and it will use quite a lot of gas I suspect.

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Not bothered about wasting gas as we have 4 soda stream canisters we need to use up

 

[Sadfield]

I think I would transfer to a purged keg, pre-prime with 50g of sugar and allow to ferment out. This will scrub any oxygen pickup, part carbonate the beer and build head pressure in the keg. I'd then put it in the kegorator at 4°C with 17 psi of top pressure to fine tune the carbonation to the desired 3.0 Vols.
I normally transfer from fv out to the beer out post, and unscrew the kegs PRV to vent as it fills.

 

[MashBag]

I think I will try that then. Thanks H.

Maybe a little campden in the bottom of the keg will help?

No. Really.
You might even create flavours, you don't want. Sodium metabisulphate is what gives homebrew beer or wine is naff off flavour & pong.