Basic Keg Setup-Considering Options for Future

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Just a pondering again, but maybe fairly important:

I can stick a bottle into a SodaStream carbonator and carbonate my gas instantaneously.

Why can't a force carbed keg setup do exactly the same?
(I wouldn't believe size would be a reason as it could all scale up, and let's say you had the co2 injecting through a spear into the bottom of the beer, just like SodaStream)

You can! (To a degree [for a specific description of degree]).

Carbonating into the "Beer Out" line will carbonate the beer a lot quicker. NB: USE THE CORRECT DISCONNECT. I accidentally connected my gas disconnect to a beer out and had to buy a big spanner to get it to release.

OR use the gas in disconnect, but have your keg upside down when you carbonate. NOTE: Carbonate your keg a little bit first, so that it pressure seals, otherwise you will have beer all over the floor. You can also place the keg horizontal (after initial seal pressure was reached) and roll/shake it around.

The "problem" is that beer has particles in it, that "clean" water doesn't. This means that there is foaming, etc, which you see nothing of in soda water, and a small amount of in carbonated drinks. Especially head retention. The more you *really* force carbonate, with aggressive shaking, the more the head forming proteins will be used, the lower the head retention of the resulting beer will be.

At the end of the day, you can carbonate a beer quickly (assuming the beer is cold or your equipment can do high pressure). But the result may not be that pleasant - the CO2 will be very present and you will have a "carbonic bite" [anecdotal experience].

*** DISCLAIMER *** Before trying to carbonate your freshly kegged beer at room temperature using high pressure, please check the safety ranges of your equipment. Kegs can, and will, explode at high enough pressure, and it can hurt or kill.

[atunguyd Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atunguyd]

I don't think I agree with the warning about kegs exploding.

Yes it is possible but highly improbable. Firstly they are rated to 130psi and you probably will not go anywhere near this pressure during force carbonation.

In fact there are two things preventing you getting there. The first is the over pressure valve in your regulator which will blow off gas at around 50psi and the second is the over pressure valve in the lid of your corny keg which will burst way before 130psi.

At typical carbonation pressures the chance of a corny keg exploding are extremely small.

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[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Yes it is possible but highly improbable. Firstly they are rated to 130psi and you probably will not go anywhere near this pressure during force carbonation.

In fact there are two things preventing you getting there. The first is the over pressure valve in your regulator which will blow off gas at around 50psi and the second is the over pressure valve in the lid of your corny keg which will burst way before 130psi.

Thanks for the info. You are correct. I did not know the actual pressures (and I did not google).

[atunguyd Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atunguyd]

No worriers, we can't all be right all the time [emoji846]

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[Guest Close AtronSeige]

No worriers, we can't all be right all the time [emoji846]

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I am married. I am never right!

[groenspookasem Banned Find all posts View Profile Close groenspookasem]

To annoy my wife I tell her that "I may not always be right, but I'm never wrong"

Blonde hit the numbers nicely, lekker little brew day done and dusted, now to get working on one of the three kegs, going to need it empty by next weekend... Tough life to kick back with a homebrew after a brewday...

On tap is the Mandarina IPA, cranberry apple cider and a conditioning "filthy hobbit" Ipa

Cheers!

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[Langchop Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Langchop]

It would be interesting to see in practice what factors scale up and to what degree to keep carbonation time at a constant wrt a SodaStream bottle. Ie. Pressure and liquid surface/contact area.

So keg project is snowballing and getting expensive. Apparently impractical to not have the keg cold, so:

1. Have to get a freezer for a keezer
2. Have to convert freezer into keezer. I love wood but aiming for a white or grey surround so it matches and I don't feel the need to build up a whole nice matching wooden frame.
3. Has to be in garage due to noted lack of space anywhere else
4. Space has to be made in garage
5. Due to insane heat, garage needs to now be cooled/ventilated

But,.... I will now have option of crash chilling and fermenting lagers

[Langchop Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Langchop]

Well I guess now that I am entrenched in setting up a keg setup, I am going to make this thread to track my getting into kegging.

So far:

-5kg CO2 extinguisher: as applied so will have to use upside down until it's empty, and I will then remove the dip tube
IMG_20181221_142747.jpg

-small freezer arrived today so started some mods on it:
IMG_20190107_214108.jpg
+In attaching some caster wheels I learnt that the steel skin is so thin that you can barely screw the things on securely. I will have to put a steel plate or plank under the freezer to reinforce it. Will probably have said base extend out the back or side so I can rest the extinguisher on it.
IMG_20190107_214134.jpg
+Made the wooden collar with little locating tabs. Not sure whether to paint it white or keep it natural.
IMG_20190107_214659.jpg

Things I am still deciding on:
-not sure if I really want the STC on the outside, ruining aesthetics. so may just mount it on a bracket one inside, and then can just pop the lid to check out adjust. Any comments, advice, warnings?
-will make a trip tray that is attached with strong magnets
-will have tap, STC and fan above the compressor block so there is more space for 2 kegs in the deeper section

[groenspookasem Banned Find all posts View Profile Close groenspookasem]

Nice! Good job man!

I did seal the collar with a wood sealer, painted it black with chalkboard paint and attached some brackets inside and some tabs to keep it secured in the front and back . I also used marine silicone on the corners and to stick the collar bottom to the freezer.

I purposefully made a taller collar so that the 3rd keg can sit on the hump inside (also cold crash here) perhaps a little bit too tall though.

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[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Hey man, why not cut out a small section on the side of the collar, the width of the STC controller, and mount it so it's flush with the side but visible from the outside? If it was me, I'd ideally want to be able to check the temps without opening it all the time, and if there are a few kegs inside you can stack the glasses on top of the keezer as a serving platform. You can then check/adjust temps without opening the lid. You can even fit a little piece of plexiglass to the surface, would look really cool. I personally love the black chalkboard paint groenspookasem above used - you can then mark your taps straight on the collar and just wipe it off after changing the keg. Great idea!

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

Hey man, why not cut out a small section on the side of the collar, the width of the STC controller, and mount it so it's flush with the side but visible from the outside?<>

+1 ...something like this ...

Screenshot_1.jpg

[Langchop Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Langchop]

Okay okay you are all right and make logical sense!

To make it practical for lagering and fermenting as well I may as well put the STC at the front. Am going to paint the collar white tho, hopefully similar white to freezer, and make mountable beer name tokens.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Next up - a digital hydrometer you can drop in the fermenter and read the measurement from the outside without having to open the keezer or fermenter. That, or an IR camera on the inside to keep an eye on things.

:P

[Langchop Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Langchop]

Must be an IP Cam tho so I can watch and hear the bubbler bloeping while I am at work

[atunguyd Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close atunguyd]

How are you going to ferment in the same keezer as your kegs? You are either going to have warm beer or no fermentation.

Or are you only going to ferment one batch once your kegs are empty?

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