Naturally carbonating kegs

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

2 minutes ago, Malter White said:

I have 12 of those plastic 8l kegs from Kegland but they don't have gas in/beer out posts. They use a removable tap head system, of which I only have 3, so purging oxygen became an issue for me. To alleviate oxidisation I just add a teaspoon of sugar to each keg and cap them. It doesn't carbonate the beer much but it seems to have the desired effect. I have considered naturally carbonating but I'm reluctant to do so because the reason I got into kegs was to avoid cloudy beer. 

I have 3 of these kegs and the gas and beer post came with each one what happened with yours? 8 kegs but only 3 connections? I had already been kegging for 18 months with stainless still ball locks. The beer and gas connections are all plastic. 

They work fine on the SS but after getting the cheap crap plastic ones, I needed a new gas and beer connection with a Pluto gun.  That was fine but the already worn ones on keggerator don't work on the plastic ones. I'm assuming you got them all new together and didn't have this problem? or maby just better luck than me?

[Malter White]

8 minutes ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

I have 3 of these kegs and the gas and beer post came with each one what happened with yours? 8 kegs but only 3 connections? I had already been kegging for 18 months with stainless still ball locks. The beer and gas connections are all plastic. 

They work fine on the SS but after getting the cheap crap plastic ones, I needed a new gas and beer connection with a Pluto gun.  That was fine but the already worn ones on keggerator don't work on the plastic ones. I'm assuming you got them all new together and didn't have this problem? or maby just better luck than me?

I bought 12 kegs but only 3 with tap head units. I didn't think I'd need 12 tap heads but in hindsight maybe I do.

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

@Malter White if it works for you that is good. I did not realise you could purchase without them. So obviously no problems regarding connections if you got them all new together? 

Geeze that tube is a pain to get in? even after soaking hot water

[Malter White]

22 minutes ago, Uhtred Of Beddanburg said:

@Malter White So obviously no problems regarding connections if you got them all new together?

One of the 3 beer line connectors is crappy but I only use one at a time so the crappy one has been binned.

Edited December 7, 2022 by Malter White

[Uhtred Of Beddanburg]

9 hours ago, Malter White said:

One of the 3 beer line connectors is crappy but I only use one at a time so the crappy one has been binned.

thanks mate I have 2 more in box un opened ill see if the other ones are better connections.

[Pale Man]

Ive dug up this old thread.........has anyone recently done this? Naturally carbonate a keg with a dose of sugar ( as you would a bottle ) ? and put it in storage at around 18 C.

I'm thinking of doing this with my three can concoction and storing it away.

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

2 hours ago, Pale Man said:

Ive dug up this old thread.........has anyone recently done this? Naturally carbonate a keg with a dose of sugar ( as you would a bottle ) ? and put it in storage at around 18 C.

I'm thinking of doing this with my three can concoction and storing it away.

 

How much sugar would you put in Paley? I have heard of it but never done it.

[Tricky Micky]

2 hours ago, Pale Man said:

Ive dug up this old thread.........has anyone recently done this? Naturally carbonate a keg with a dose of sugar ( as you would a bottle ) ? and put it in storage at around 18 C.

I'm thinking of doing this with my three can concoction and storing it away.

 

I've been thinking of doing this as well - I'm going to run out of fridge space soon enough. I guess it'd be just the same as bulk priming the wort in the FV.  The ratio sugar to volume was 9g/ltr of white sugar - which is reasonably well carbonated - might be a bit much for some. I can't see why that wouldn't work storing it at 18-20 degrees like you'd do with beer in the bottles. 

[Pale Man]

3 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

How much sugar would you put in Paley? I have heard of it but never done it.

Not 100% sure Phil, thats why Ive rehashed the thread for ideas. Going back to page 1 when Frank was around he mentioned that he uses about 1/3 of a cup.

Ive got other questions like - Do you burp the keg of oxygen before storage? like you would normally when gassing from a bottle.

Ive read other forums and apparently done this way beers pour with a much silkier head, and its good for aging stronger beers as you would when bottled.

So youd obviously age and let the priming sugar do its thing in the keg, then when ready pour at serving pressure with your CO2 bottle ( tap )

I'd like any input from anyone that has any experience with this method.

 

[Malter White]

2 hours ago, Pale Man said:

Ive dug up this old thread.........has anyone recently done this? Naturally carbonate a keg with a dose of sugar ( as you would a bottle ) ? and put it in storage at around 18 C.

I'm thinking of doing this with my three can concoction and storing it away.

 

I've done it a few times. 

[Pale Man]

1 minute ago, Tricky Micky said:

I've been thinking of doing this as well - I'm going to run out of fridge space soon enough. I guess it'd be just the same as bulk priming the wort in the FV.  The ratio sugar to volume was 9g/ltr of white sugar - which is reasonably well carbonated - might be a bit much for some. I can't see why that wouldn't work storing it at 18-20 degrees like you'd do with beer in the bottles. 

Thats on advantage too Tricky, if you have no fridge space for kegs you can put them in storage to carb up as if its a large bottle.

[Pale Man]

1 minute ago, Malter White said:

I've done it a few times. 

And??...............

[Pale Man]

I'm guessing a disadvantage would be extra trub in the bottom of the keg, but that would soon clean up after a few pours.

[Malter White]

15 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

I'm guessing a disadvantage would be extra trub in the bottom of the keg, but that would soon clean up after a few pours.

Correct. The sediment draws into the dip tube in the area near the dip tube's base. So once the keg is finished you'll see sediment at the bottom but not where the dip tube is.

I stopped carbonating this way because I got into kegs mainly to get clearer beer and less flatulence. This sort of defeated the purpose of kegging for me. I worked on 8g sugar per litre.

[Pale Man]

2 minutes ago, Malter White said:

Correct. The sediment draws into the dip tube in the area near the dip tube's base. So once the keg is finished you'll see sediment at the bottom but not where the dip tube is.

I stopped carbonating this way because I got into kegs mainly to get clearer beer and less flatulence. This sort of defeated the purpose of kegging for me. I worked on 8g sugar per litre.

Yeah no worries thanks fella. I was thinking this. The way I want this beer is not going to matter about clarity anyway, and it will be sored long enough for the trub to harden at the bottom of the keg. I'm also thinking of taking a couple of mill off the bottom of my dip tube.

I'm also sure that Hoppy can supply a floating dip tube which I'll look into.

Thanks for your thoughts

[Classic Brewing Co]

6 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Yeah no worries thanks fella. I was thinking this. The way I want this beer is not going to matter about clarity anyway, and it will be sored long enough for the trub to harden at the bottom of the keg. I'm also thinking of taking a couple of mill off the bottom of my dip tube.

I'm also sure that Hoppy can supply a floating dip tube which I'll look into.

Thanks for your thoughts

That would have been my comment Paley, a floater would solve the problem.

[Pale Man]

2 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

That would have been my comment Paley, a floater would solve the problem.

Or just treat it like Coopers Vintage. Which isnt ever a clear pour. The first couple of pours may be a problem with clarity, but after that all good.

[Classic Brewing Co]

Just now, Pale Man said:

Or just treat it like Coopers Vintage. Which isnt ever a clear pour. The first couple of pours may be a problem with clarity, but after that all good.

Agreed. 

[Tricky Micky]

16 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

I'm also sure that Hoppy can supply a floating dip tube which I'll look into.

Paley, that's exactly right - something that would be really helpful using this method. Those floaters look the Bizz - wouldn't have to worry about how much trub was left at the bottom of the keg.

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 minutes ago, Tricky Micky said:

Paley, that's exactly right - something that would be really helpful using this method. Those floaters look the Bizz - wouldn't have to worry about how much trub was left at the bottom of the keg.

Yeah, I am definitely going to get some. 

[Pale Man]

1 minute ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Yeah, I am definitely going to get some. 

The hole is getting deeper. I'm already perusing Hoppys store

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

80gm sugar per 19L keg. That will give you an average carbonation level. When you connect it up if its a little undercarbed it will come up to your serving pressure carb level. Better to be under than over.

[Shamus O'Sean]

3 hours ago, Greenyinthewestofsydney said:

80gm sugar per 19L keg. That will give you an average carbonation level. When you connect it up if its a little undercarbed it will come up to your serving pressure carb level. Better to be under than over.

That's what I had read too.  However, when I did it with that much sugar, there was no carbonation in the keg.  I had better luck with 150g in a 19 litre corny keg.

Like others, I started priming in the keg because I was making more beer than I could keep up with.  Kegs were being filled weeks before I could get them in the kegerator.  I figured, why not make the most of that time by priming in the keg.  My results were a bit hit and miss though.  So I stopped doing it.

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

55 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

That's what I had read too.  However, when I did it with that much sugar, there was no carbonation in the keg.  I had better luck with 150g in a 19 litre corny keg.

Like others, I started priming in the keg because I was making more beer than I could keep up with.  Kegs were being filled weeks before I could get them in the kegerator.  I figured, why not make the most of that time by priming in the keg.  My results were a bit hit and miss though.  So I stopped doing it.

Interesting @Shamus O'Sean. Ive probably done 15 or so this way. Always ales and mostly saisons and coopers clones with the odd belgian. Most have ok carbonation when first put on the tap. Some do need a couple of days extra though especially the saisons.

[Shamus O'Sean]

15 minutes ago, Greenyinthewestofsydney said:

Interesting @Shamus O'Sean. Ive probably done 15 or so this way. Always ales and mostly saisons and coopers clones with the odd belgian. Most have ok carbonation when first put on the tap. Some do need a couple of days extra though especially the saisons.

Hey Greeny, my sample size was very small.  I maybe did it 6 times.  It worked perfectly the first time.  The others were patchy.  The primed kegs were always left sitting for at least 2 weeks, sometimes a lot more.  Once the kegs had carbonated for a few weeks, I would put the keg in the fridge.  Then I would try it the next day, once cold.  Because none of the others were carbonated to my liking and at least one, not at all, I gave up.  I figured my previous, and now usual, process of fast carbing at 40psi for 24 hours was more reliable.