Cornelius Newbie Question

[bob downe]

Hello,

I am thinking about taking the leap from King Keg to Cornies. I've got a few questions about CO2 differences between the two types of Keg. I'd be grateful if anybody could shed some light for me.

1) Can you prime a Cornie like a King Keg with sugar, rather than using a CO2 bottle? Can you seal the lid OK?
2) Do you still need a CO2 bottle even if you do prime, to dispense the beer?
3) If you do prime the Corny, can you 'blow' the sediment out with the first few pints, after it's settled?
4) I've been told that beer sitting on sediment (as with a primed keg) matures over time and keeps better, for longer. Does clearing in a secondary and then transferring to the Corny mean that the beer won't keep as long?
5) Does force carbing give a different mouth feel. I've read that it gives bigger bubbles and the beer 'feels' different.

If anybody with more experience could help clear any of the above up, I would be grateful. I've read a lot of good things baout Cornies and have some money burning a hole in my pocket. :whistle:

Many Thanks.

 

[abeyptfc]

Hello,

I am thinking about taking the leap from King Keg to Cornies. I've got a few questions about CO2 differences between the two types of Keg. I'd be grateful if anybody could shed some light for me.

1) Can you prime a Cornie like a King Keg with sugar, rather than using a CO2 bottle? Can you seal the lid OK?you can prime with sugar but very much doubt it will have enough co2 to seal the lid properly andy and you will have to add some extra gas to get all the beer out. that is the whole point in a cornie, to gas it up really.
2) Do you still need a CO2 bottle even if you do prime, to dispense the beer? as above, yes.
3) If you do prime the Corny, can you 'blow' the sediment out with the first few pints, after it's settled?usually most of the sediment comes out in the first pint then after that your fine, you might drag a bit up when your coming to the very end but nothing major.
4) I've been told that beer sitting on sediment (as with a primed keg) matures over time and keeps better, for longer. Does clearing in a secondary and then transferring to the Corny mean that the beer won't keep as long? aslong as you keep a good layer of c02 over the beer then it will keep for ages in the cornie.
5) Does force carbing give a different mouth feel. I've read that it gives bigger bubbles and the beer 'feels' different.ivew never forced carbed, i usually connect my cornie up to the preferred psi and leave it for a few weeks. you can transfer your beer to cornie, chill overnight to get it very cold then force carbing by setting the psi on ur gas to 20 or 30 psi, then roll or shake your cornie for about 15 mins or so. what you will find is that everyone does it a different way, if your in a rush to drink the beer then force carb but if not use the 'set and forget' method and leave it connected to gas for a while to carbonate. theres loads of post, use the search bar at the top of the forum.

If anybody with more experience could help clear any of the above up, I would be grateful. I've read a lot of good things baout Cornies and have some money burning a hole in my pocket. :whistle:

Many Thanks.

 

[bob downe]

Thanks for that. It's cleared a few things up for me.

Just out of interest. What would you consider a reasonable psi to 'set it and forget it'? I'd rather let it carb up more naturally than force carbing.

Cheers.

 

[abeyptfc]

depends what your after really,some people carbonate their beers and ales at 8 or 10 psi or if you like your beers with a decent bit of fizz then I usually set it to between 20 and 30 psi. before pouring a beer i disconnect the gas, let the excess pressure off from the pressure valve and then pour, then when im finished for the night stick some more gas on top of it by giving it a quick blast of 20 psi.

 

[Hawks]

Thanks for that. It's cleared a few things up for me.

Just out of interest. What would you consider a reasonable psi to 'set it and forget it'? I'd rather let it carb up more naturally than force carbing.

Cheers.

I seal mine with a 20 PSI blast and disconnect - when there is room it gets put in the kegerator to 'set & forget' ( I dont like messing around with the pressure ) I set this secondary reg around 2 or 3 PSI - this maintains around 1.1 or 1.2 vols of CO2 at the temps I use.

 

[bob downe]

Well, I've decided to go the Corny route and taken the plunge so I've got some shiny things to look forward to. :

 

[Wolverine]

not that I recommend this but you can use s30 bottles with cornys if getting gas is your problem just drill the lid and fit an s30 valve .
like I said I wouldnt do it but its an option

 

[Darcey]

If your going down the corie route its allways good to get a gas managment board and a Co2 cylinder.

Have a look here! viewtopic.php?f=37&t=22981
For sale right now! Its a bit of a bargain at 40 quids! Also with several regulated outputs you could set some to charge your beer with Co2 and some to serve with so no messing around with screwdrivers all the time!

If your planning to build a kegerator this sort of reg is a v good idea!

D

 

[bob downe]

not that I recommend this but you can use s30 bottles with cornys if getting gas is your problem just drill the lid and fit an s30 valve .
like I said I wouldnt do it but its an option

Yeah, I've been using a Hambleton Bard S30 with my King Kegs that I have at the moment.

Thankfully I've managed to find a CO2 vendor that will do 10 Litre pub bottles for £35.00 or 20 Litre for £68.00 and £15.00 per refill. No deposit, no rental and it's local pick up. :clap:

That should last me a while.

 

[Darcey]

Wish I could find a local CO2 supplier

 

[bob downe]

If you're anywhere near the Midlands, it would be worth the drive! A 10 or 20 Litre should last a long time.

My supplier is in Kidsgrove. If you are in Stockport its worth a trip?

 

[daz c]

I thought hb clark supplied CO2 bottles think its listed over on Jims