Beer gas primed - any sediment?

[Nottsbeer]

Hi, I'm looking into options to reduce bottling. I've seen a lot on here about corney kegs. For those who use this method....as you carbonate using gas rather than priming using sugar, am I correct in thinking the beer in these units don't have/create sediment (unless transferred through when filling)? Some of the 5l options I've seen sound good for taking beer to a mates house, but I don't want to be doing that if I'm going to risk making the beer cloudy in transport.

 

[Druss]

If your beer is fully finished fermenting then there shouldn't be any sediment since you're force carbing rather than priming, what little yeast is left in suspension shouldn't be noticeable.

I've only just started kegging after many years of bottling and it's a nice change not to have to remember to stop pouring to avoid the dregs.

But, as I've only been doing it a few weeks, I'll let someone with more experience get into the finer details.

 

[JockyBrewer]

Yes, force priming means less or no sediment.

I will quite often pick up some sediment on transferring from my fermenter to a corny, but that will settle out and gets ejected with the first couple of pints off the keg. If you're more careful than me then that won't even be an issue.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

As above. My first pint or two out of the keg is usually a bit hazy but all clear after that.

 

[RichardM]

I have a floating dip tube to transfer from the fermenter to the keg, but I still get a tiny bit of sediment in the keg.* Sometimes enough to notice in the first pint, but usually not notice until the keg is finished and I see it on the bottom when cleaning.
If you are transporting a 5l keg you might want to let it settle for an hour or two before serving, but I don't think it will really matter.
*this was also the case when I used to syphon from the fermenter from the keg.

 

[LewisA]

Yes to the above. You can also cold crash for a few days prior to transferring into the corny to encourage the yeast to drop out of suspension which should also help reduce any sediment in the corny.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Will slowly get something sorted on this

 

[Madhouse]

In terms of the initial transfer from fermenter to keg, I tend to always pick up some sediment along the way which only really impacts the first pint.

Are you planning on carbing in the keg? What size are your batches? If you're doing bigger batches then I'd say to carb / settle in the larger keg and then do a keg to keg transfer to fill your 'travel keg'. Pull a pint or two off the large keg first to ensure it's bright beer your transferring across and then you're all good.

I've only one keg so bottle the beer from that so it's free for the next brew.

 

[MashBag]

In terms of the initial transfer from fermenter to keg, I tend to always pick up some sediment along the way which only really impacts the first pint.

Even with a floating pickup?

 

[Nottsbeer]

In terms of the initial transfer from fermenter to keg, I tend to always pick up some sediment along the way which only really impacts the first pint.

Are you planning on carbing in the keg? What size are your batches? If you're doing bigger batches then I'd say to carb / settle in the larger keg and then do a keg to keg transfer to fill your 'travel keg'. Pull a pint or two off the large keg first to ensure it's bright beer your transferring across and then you're all good.

I've only one keg so bottle the beer from that so it's free for the next brew.

Hi, I typically brew 15L, and I'm thinking of putting 5L into a container of some sort. I always bottle but I've noticed that I can't keep the beer cool enough (too many being too lively over the last 12 months), so I need to look into a fridge for storage. This then creates issues in itself as i don't have the space for a large fridge, and I like to have a few different bottles on the go for a bit of variety. I'm thinking of a 5L keg/barrel to save space. Naturally the ones with CO2 connected also have issues of space as well I think. I'm still looking into the best option, and going round in circles a bit. Maybe a container with a connector to which i can hook up a gas feed to prime/carbonate, and then remove the gas until I need to add a bit more once i've had a couple of pints. That then takes me to a barrel as maybe the best option!! I'm conscious that if i venture down the corny keg route I'll get sucked in quite quickly....as I don't drink alot I'm not sure if that's suitable for me. Maybe I'll start with this (https://www.geterbrewed.com/5-litre-maturing-barrel/) and then go a bit more advanced if this seems to work. Thanks.

 

[matt76]

@Nottsbeer have you considered a growler and/or a counter pressure bottle filler? Both options avoid sediment (unless you happen to catch the very start or end of the keg!).

For taking beer round to a mate's house I have an inexpensive growler that holds about 3 pints, double skinned so it keeps the beer cold for long enough and it gets drunk quick enough that you don't need to worry about it staling or oxidising. Quick to fill and cheaper & simpler than a 5L keg (albeit smaller).

A counter pressure filler is also useful for sharing bottles of your kegged beer with mates or sending in to competitions.

 

[Twostage]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Will slowly get something sorted on this

What I do is do a few bottles at the start and end as I find that's when you get the most 'stuff'. It has the additional benefit that you can put the bottles aside and have them after the keg has emptied.

 

[Madhouse]

Hi, I typically brew 15L, and I'm thinking of putting 5L into a container of some sort. I always bottle but I've noticed that I can't keep the beer cool enough (too many being too lively over the last 12 months), so I need to look into a fridge for storage. This then creates issues in itself as i don't have the space for a large fridge, and I like to have a few different bottles on the go for a bit of variety. I'm thinking of a 5L keg/barrel to save space. Naturally the ones with CO2 connected also have issues of space as well I think. I'm still looking into the best option, and going round in circles a bit. Maybe a container with a connector to which i can hook up a gas feed to prime/carbonate, and then remove the gas until I need to add a bit more once i've had a couple of pints. That then takes me to a barrel as maybe the best option!! I'm conscious that if i venture down the corny keg route I'll get sucked in quite quickly....as I don't drink alot I'm not sure if that's suitable for me. Maybe I'll start with this (https://www.geterbrewed.com/5-litre-maturing-barrel/) and then go a bit more advanced if this seems to work. Thanks.

I carb in my 20L corny using a regular under-counter fridge, I found that by using a section of narrower gauge pipe I could feed the gas pipe through the drain hole in the back of the fridge and keep tings tidy. This is a dedicated fridge though, it'd be no good if I had to share the fridge with food too.
Once carbonated I then bottled using a beer gun but have since moved to counter-pressure because it's easier, cleaner and as it turns out, also quicker. After that, beers get stored in the 'cupboard of doom' and cooled as required and I've not had any gushers yet.

If you're getting gushers then carbonating in a keg before botting will probably help as long as the yeast have consumed all the sugars (presuming the issues are just over carbonation rather than infection). But if it's only a process/priming issue then it's something you should be able to correct without the need for a keg, what's your priming routine? - of course if you want to do some kegging then that's fine, I got one because I wanted one!

 

[Rodcx500z]

The only thing wrong with cornys is they breed very very quickly, and they are very good for storing beer plus you will always get your money back

 

[Nottsbeer]

I carb in my 20L corny using a regular under-counter fridge, I found that by using a section of narrower gauge pipe I could feed the gas pipe through the drain hole in the back of the fridge and keep tings tidy. This is a dedicated fridge though, it'd be no good if I had to share the fridge with food too.
Once carbonated I then bottled using a beer gun but have since moved to counter-pressure because it's easier, cleaner and as it turns out, also quicker. After that, beers get stored in the 'cupboard of doom' and cooled as required and I've not had any gushers yet.

If you're getting gushers then carbonating in a keg before botting will probably help as long as the yeast have consumed all the sugars (presuming the issues are just over carbonation rather than infection). But if it's only a process/priming issue then it's something you should be able to correct without the need for a keg, what's your priming routine? - of course if you want to do some kegging then that's fine, I got one because I wanted one!

Thanks for that. I currently use a bottling bucket and add the required amount of sugar (in a random vol of boiled water). I may be getting an occasional infection in one or two bottles, but think it's more related to storage. I may look at direct priming and cutting our the bottling bucket. Cheers, a few things to think about.