First Kegging today! (Hopefully)

[JimH]

Good morning Borg!

I am making the leap today. I am going to the LHBS today to pick up a kegging unit!! If all goes well I will be kegging up today and starting the force carbonation.

So, I also need some guidance. From what I can tell, after I put the beer in the keg you put it on around 12 pounds and let it sit for a week, then reduce pressure to serve? I tried looking through the old posts on here but there are so many I couldn't find what I was looking for.

Wish me luck!

[RickBeer]

http://beerborg.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... 1&start=30
http://beerborg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2983&p=43172

More results via site:beerborg.com kegging

[Kealia]

Jim, congrats on the pending purchase.

No, you don't reduce pressure to serve if you have a balanced system. I haven't read the links that Rick posted but here are the Cliff notes:
Set at 12 psi for 2.5 vols at about 38 degrees. Check the chart at Keg Connection for the right temp/psi combo. Expect 10-14 days for fully carbed beer.
Get 12 feet of tubing to start as you can always cut it down if it pours too slow. If your tube is too short, foam is likely. Use 3/16 ID tubing.
If they have it, grab some Keg lube to help prevent leaks.

Gotta run for now but you know this group - we'll get you through this.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[gwcr]

Good stuff from Kealia as usual. There are different ways to do it, and I know some who force carb at a higher psi (20-30) for a day or two, then reduce to serving psi (11-12). When My pipeline is full, I will hit it with 30psi to seal the keg, then set it at 11 and let it sit at 40* for 2-3 weeks before pulling a sample. If I'm a bit impatient, I'll let it sit at 30 psi for 24 hours, then drop it to 11 and am usually carbed within a week (all at 40*). I use 10' of line, and there is about 2' of rise from top of keg to my taps. Takes about 10 seconds per pour. This works for me, but you will probably need to play a bit before you figure out what works best for you.

Before I got my tower, I just used a picnic tap on a 5' line. That worked great too.

[Rebel_B]

Luck! You will not regret going to the kegs.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I am going to the LHBS today to pick up a kegging unit!! If all goes well I will be kegging up today and starting the force carbonation.

Good to hear you decided to take the plunge and start kegging, you will learn to appreciate the convenience and control over the carbonation levels that offers almost immediately.

My LHBS only sold empty Co2 tanks, I had to get mine filled at a local welding supply store before being able to use it. I was just wondering if your LHBS will have filled tanks in stock?

[Beer-lord]

Have fun Jim. You won't look back at all is my belief. Your time is worth the extra expense and you won't miss washing bottles anymore.
I can't add anything from the good info you've already been given but like BlackDuck's latest kegging adventure, we'll need to see your smiling face when you get your first pour.

[BlackDuck]

Good Luck Jim...I can attest to my very recent experience. Kegging is awesome. RickBeer already linked to some good stuff full of info. I pulled my first glass at 5 days just becasue I couldn't wait. It poured with a nice head, but the beer itself still needed more carb. I pulled two last night (7 days) and I could tell the difference. It was much better, but still needed a bit more time, not much, maybe another day or three, which will put it at 10 days....just like a few of the guys here said is a good number for the set and forget method.

I have 10 foot of 3/16 ID tubing with a picnic tap in a fridge set at 37 degrees. The keg is on 11 psi of gas. I originally thought it was at 10.5 psi, but I read the gauge wrong. No biggie, that 1/2 pound isn't that big of a deal.

Hope it works out well for you Jim.

[RickBeer]

Good Luck Jim...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk23Ewa ... u.be&t=49s

[JimH]

I already love it!

It took about an hour to keg, and that is counting me unpacking the regulator and doing the initial setting up. The actual kegging was like 10 minutes. I will update as I go along! I can't wait till I get my three keg system! Going to slowly expand to three, then work on independent pressure regulators later.

[Brewbirds]

How come nobody has done this yet?

[FedoraDave]

Congratulations! Kegging is awesome, and so much easier than bottling. Besides, drawing homebrew from your own taps is the ultimate coolness!

Not to denigrate any of the replies so far, because they are all very helpful, and full of good, helpful stuff to know....but keep in mind that, just like every batch is different (even recipes you've made before), every kegging system is different. I started at about 11-12 psi, letting it sit for 7-10 days. But I was getting a lot of foam. Since then, I dropped the pressure to just a hair above 10, and it's made a world of difference.

So you may need to tinker with your system to get it where you want it. You've been given good advice to establish a starting point, same as I received. But adjustments may be needed, so the rest is up to you. That's part of the fun, so keep working at it, and keep us updated! Homebrew on tap is simply the ultimate pleasure in our world!