I switched to kegs....wow....Edit...First one is empty!

Been brewing (extract with grains) for over 16 years. Switched to 22 oz. bottles several years back to ease the pain.
Earlier this month I bought the tank, regulator, lines, and two corney kegs...~$200

Kegged my first batch last Wednesday...forced carb'ed at 30 psi, held at 40 deg f overnight and wow.....beer!!!! and it tastes better...
Had a small pitcher tonight with the wife. Great Red Ale...gonna let it age for anther week or so but....

Kegging is where it's at boys

Pics of course...






Wife found this absolutely great 1 qt. glass pitcher at an estate sale on Friday...


ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....Beer.....

I approve of this thread.

Stop making me thirsty!!

Now you need more kegs. And more kegs.

You need kegs for serving, and kegs for lagering, and kegs for aging, and extra kegs for you next batch or three.

I have 18 kegs, and I need more kegs...

Absolutely, that's why I suggest to new home-brewers to pick up kegging sooner than later. I hate bottling and unless you're brewing for competition you don't have to.

I bottled my first batch, then switched to kegs, never looked back. I kegged 10 gallons of pumpkin ale last night and will keg 5 gallons of apfelwein this week.

I have 3 ball locks that I use all the time
2 pin locks that need rehabbed and converted
1 7gal sanke keg I'm ..........borrowing from the beer store.

I would have quit brewing long ago if it wasn't for kegs. Bottling sucks.

Buddy and I started out that way. Well, he had brewed before, and used the 20 or 22oz bottles, along with 12oz bottles... He went with a keg system, so I did the same thing.

Next batch of beer, tho, I may rack it into the keg and use priming sugar, then let it naturally carbonate and age for a few weeks before putting in the fridge.


I'm thinking a Paulaner Salvatore clone....

Totally agree. I never bottled and went right to kegs. Best decision I ever made. Just rack to the keg, pressurize and your done. I force carb over the period of a week or two. I just put the keg at 12 lbs and leave it. Gives the beer time to age. I force carbed over night before by shaking and leaving at high pressure over night. I noticed a metallic flavor that I didn't enjoy too much. After a week or two it went away. I attributed it to the force carb but I don't know. Either way... kegging is where it's at.

I had bottling down to about an hour per session. Kegging is litterally five minutes of work. Way easier. I just need to build a tower for my keezer. Although having beer on tap is a bit dangerous. I keep finding myself filling my glass every time I walk by the tap.

Carbonic bite.

I am trying to develope the patience to set and forget.

I am up too 5 kegs, and finding out I NEED MORE!

I'm searching craigslist daily for more kegs....paying about $30 each around here +$3.25 for a new seal kit...any other places I can look for kegs?

I'm reallly happy with the flavor and it had only been two days after force carbonating...can't wait for two weeks.
I may try the the two-week at 12psi when I keg the nut brown this week.

Try fermenting in the kegs under a little pressure.

Where in Oregon?

Mr appliance in Eugene has ball locks for $30 each.

Bought two more tonight from the same guy I bought my set up from last month...$30 each. I'll get new seal kits tomorrow ($3.25 each)...then....make more beer...
I'm up to four kegs...the wife asked me if kegs were like ammo tonight "is there a run on those too?"

With a smile of course as she does enjoy the product...

To continue....

How do you guys store your kegs when empty?
I know....they are never empty but...

I'm thinking open, upside down and dry...

Filled with a couple gallons of starsan and under a bit of pressure.

I don't like stuff in my beer that doesn't belong there, even if it's just dust, dog hair or random bacteria floating around.

I wash em, seal em, and hit em with a shot of 20psi CO2.

That way, when I'm ready to use them, I can tell if I have sealing problems BEFORE I fill em.

When I'm ready to keg (10 gallons of light wheat going in the kegs Friday), I dribble in a little pure Star San and add a couple of quarts of water. Shake to get it foamy, then dump the foam and fill with beer.

Another keg question folks...

I just kegged 5 gallons of Nut Brown Ale. Temp of beer was 65 deg.
I forced carb'ed at 30 psi, aggitating for 5 minutes, then disconnected the C02 and placed in my 40 deg refer....

Do I leave it at 30psi or bleed it to 12psi? I'm thinking just leave it at 30 and it will absorb the C02 as it cools.

Thanks

Wait a day, then hook up the 12psi for a couple of weeks.

Woooooot!

I just emptied my first keg tonight...NW Red Ale.
This was the best homebrew I have made in 13+ years...I blame it on kegging...I now have a nut brown and an IPA on keg at 40 deg f...

I will make this Red Ale again! Kegging is where it's at!!!

I need to buy some more cornies.

My beer drinking ability is not performing as well as my beer brewing ability.


And has anyone naturally carbed inside a corny? I am assuming I would add the bottling sugar then seal the keg and let it sit for two weeks. I might start doing this and let it sit in the corny until I have a free slot in the kegerator.

I kind of did that, on accident, using honey. I think it would work out fine for you, but why not just hit it up with 30psi and let it sit?

From what I read, c02 has a hard time being absorbed into liquid at higher temps. If I add my bottling sugar to the keg, then let it sit until there is room in the kegerator. It should be carbed and ready to drink.
I am thinking its going to be a month or two until I can empty a corny to make room. I like the idea of letting the beer age and carb at the same time.


Right now, I have a triple that is finishing its ferment, and a cider that I am letting clear in the fermenter. When its done, I am thinking to transferring to a corny with bottling sugar, and letting it sit for a month or so.
My faster fermenting beers wouldnt really benefit from this.

You are correct, the absorbtion is harder at higher temps, but time solves all these problems. When people keg they usually want their beer pretty fast, so they force carb at 30-40 psi for a couple days in the kegerator, then serve at normal pressure, or let it sit at 10-20 psi for a week. If you're waiting a month, you should have no problem hitting it up with 40 or so psi and just letting it sit.
Your method will work as well; but you'll still want to hit the keg up with, say 5 psi, to seal that top seal.

Good point.

I will report back in a few months with the results.

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