Can I drink it 1 week after bulk priming into a keg

[ChrisP10]

Hi team

If my brew is finished and I move it to a 19lt keg and bulk prime the keg how soon after can I drink it?

Is it the same as using individual bottles

Chris

[Otto Von Blotto]

Probably, but I've never primed a keg. I just use the gas and have them carbonated the next day.

[grogdog]

Gday Chris. 

If you search some posts here youll find info from @PB2 on the subject

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

1 hour ago, ChrisP10 said:

Hi team

If my brew is finished and I move it to a 19lt keg and bulk prime the keg how soon after can I drink it?

Is it the same as using individual bottles

Chris

Have done it within a week usually when i have naturally conditioned a saison in the keg. Have done others with the coopers commercial yeast and it has taken about 2 before its right. Depends on the yeast and temperature etc.

Also how much did you prime the keg. Note you should use less sugar or dextrose compared to if your bottling. About half as much 

[ChrisP10]

34 minutes ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

Have done it within a week usually when i have naturally conditioned a saison in the keg. Have done others with the coopers commercial yeast and it has taken about 2 before its right. Depends on the yeast and temperature etc.

Also how much did you prime the keg. Note you should use less sugar or dextrose compared to if your bottling. About half as much 

I generally use around 4g per litre. 19lt = 76gms.

I have done it before but waited a couple of weeks before drinking. Just wondered if it would be ready 10 days after putting in the keg?

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

No problems mate. I usually use 80gm when i do it for an aussie pale ale and 100 for a saison.

[Mark D Pirate]

Depending on how much of what strain of yeast makes it into the keg and at what temp will determine how quickly it's got bubbles. 

A week at 20+°C should see enough yeast farts to make bubbles. 

Allow 48 hours in fridge for settling and chilling then connect to gas and beer lines , I have several kegs with trimmed diptubes to allow cleaner beer in naturally carbed beer ( or keg hopped)  

[ChrisP10]

11 minutes ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

No problems mate. I usually use 80gm when i do it for an aussie pale ale and 100 for a saison.

thanks heaps

[Gus96]

Kegged my first 2 brews Xmas eve and didn't use any priming sugar as from what I have read it is the CO2 that carbonates the beer.

after reading this thread I began to wonder so did a bit more investigating, came across this info in the FAQ section

4. Kegging beer

There are a couple of options open to you when it comes to kegging. If you are in a hurry for the beer (a party on the weekend) and it will be consumed within a couple of months, then artificial carbonation is the best option. Natural conditioning will give you a better beer in our opinion but the conditioning period is much longer (several weeks as opposed to several days). Well made, naturally conditioned beer will last as long in the keg as it does in bottles (at least two years or so). Artificially carbonated beer will deteriorate after a few months.

Natural Conditioning Clean and sanitise the keg thoroughly. Prime with sugar at the rate of 4g per litre. Rack via a piece of sanitised, flexible tubing so that the beer runs to the bottom of the keg. Leave 5 – 10 cm of headspace at the top. Seal the keg then invert and give it a shake to mix the sugar and check that the seal is good. Store at 18°C or above for a week, then allow the beer to condition for at least two weeks. Refrigerate for a day or two, momentarily release the keg pressure, then connect the gas at required pouring pressure 35 – 100 kPa, depending on your system. (Fifty litre kegs through a temprite or miracle box may require up to 300 kPa).

Artificial Conditioning (Force Carbonating) Clean, sanitise, purge (purge by connecting the CO2 bottle to force the air out of the keg) and rack as per the natural conditioning procedure, without the priming sugar. If you are in a hurry for the beer, seal the keg, pressurise to 300 kPa and shake it about 100 times (for an 18 – 20 litre keg) with the gas connected. If there is no rush or you’re not feeling energetic, leave the gas connected with the regulator set at 300 kPa for 2 – 3 days. CO2 will be absorbed more quickly if the beer is refrigerated. Place in the fridge for several days then adjust to pouring pressure. The beer will be drinkable as soon as it is cold, but will improve for several weeks in the fridge. For crystal clear beer, rack into a sanitised, airtight, food grade container (flush with CO2 first) and refrigerate for a week. Once the beer is clear, keg and carbonate artificially.

Troubleshooting Degassing the keg over a day or two will usually rectify over-carbonation. Agitate the keg and release the CO2 several times a day until the beer has reached the desired level of carbonation. If the beer is pouring badly but appears to have little or no carbonation, check to ensure that there are no kinks or holes in the beer and gas lines. Contrary to logic, heady beer can be a result of low gas pressure and increasing the pressure via the regulator will often fix the problem. A short beer line may also be the cause of heady beer. Look to use about 3m of 5mmID line, 2m of 4mmID line or an in-line restrictor

[Otto Von Blotto]

It is CO2 that carbonates the beer but if you use priming sugar in a keg it's the same process as bottles. The yeast present ferments it and produces the gas. 

I actually prefer the flavour of carbonating it with the gas cylinder, it just seems fresher, maybe because it doesn't go through another fermentation. But, none of them really lasts any longer than 2-3 months at the most. The exception is stouts and porters, which I keep for 8-9 months or more before they're tapped, however they aren't carbonated during this storage period. They are purged with CO2, but that's it. So far the ones I've had on tap have been great.

[Mark D Pirate]

Not a bad write up,  one trap there not mentioned is to seat the keg lid with CO². 

Once I fill a keg I'll fit the lid and purge via the outpost ( extra gas line outside fridge)  then using higher pressure ( 40psi ) I swing the locking handle upright and allow the lid to seat properly then lock the handle again before spraying StarSan over top of keg to check for leaks. 

Because pressure builds up slowly in a natural carbing keg it doesn't take much of a leak in your lid seal or post to mean flat beer no matter how long you leave it 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

Interesting read. Its debateable for me that it produces a better beer. I do it for some styles such as saisons and aussie pale ales and for saisons i do think it makes difference to the overall flavour but it is negligible. As for carbing the kegs and purging with co2. I always do that for force carbed kegs as you dont want oxygen trapped in there. For natural carbed kegs i dont bother. Just sugar in. Beer on top and lid on. The yeast eats up the oxygen in no time anyway.