Corny Keg Questions

[binchie]

Hi,
Just joined today, so please be kind.
I have just started with homebrewing, but have jumped in with both feet and got a few Corny Kegs and homemade kegerator using an old fridge.
My questions are as follows:-
1. When I have keg'd the beer, I have put in CO2 and purged the oxygen. If one of the post o-rings had a slight leak, would oxygen replace the co2 in the cylinder if I took it off the co2 to age in the garage? I ask this because I put in 5psi into the last batch, went back to it a few days later and the pressure had gone. The beer didn't become infected or anything, so was I lucky, or do I have to leave a conditioning keg on co2, just in case of a leak?
2. I put a lager in the fridge before it had aged enough. Will it still age in the fridge, or do I have to remove it and get it back up to say 10c?
3. Would there be any issue if I took a half used keg off and swopped it with another? Basically do I have to finish a keg once started, or can I exchange my brews? Will the beer go off because the keg is half empty?
4. I am in the UK and was just going to condition the beer in my garage at ambient temperatures. Is this ok, or do I need to have them at a specific temperature?
I know some of these may be simple questions, but I can't seem to get any definitive answers elsewhere.
I have brewed 2 x Coopers Australian lager. And a ‘On the rocks mixed beer cider’.
Currently aging is a Wilkos Pilsner and in the FV’s are ‘On the Rocks’ Pear Cider and Coopers Mexican Cervesa.

 

[fbsf]

We're always kind on here :

 

[fbsf]

1.The Co2 will be absorbed by the beer - so you'll need to re-gas it a few times before it stops absorbing any more.

2. It will age, but slower than it would when warmer. This is good for a lager though!

3. No problems at all - the "disconnects" stop anything nasty getting in

4. Ideally below 15 is best for longevity - you don't need to condition as you would with a pressure barrel or bottles as you won't need the secondary fermentation - you will carbonate using the CO2 on tap.

Obviously, that's my view and I'm sure some more will appear :thumb:

 

[joe1002]

Welcome to the forum :

1. No Oxygen wont get in. What has most likely happened is your beer has adsorbed the co2
2. Yes it will condition in the fridge
3. your ber will keep in you cornies for quite some time (6ish month, maybe more) so long as it is not exposed to oxygen, although it will probably be at it's best around 2-3 month, depending on what it is. I would avoid moving beer between containers, the less exposure to oxygen the better. You can of course have more than one cornie on the go at a time
4. My keggerator only holds two cornies, plus a load of bottles. So my beer has to wait its turn to get in the kegerator and is always fine. Co2 is absorbed better when your beer is cold though.

I hope that helps a little :thumb:

 

[binchie]

Thank you all. Consistent replies and all very informative.

Just one last question, if the beer absorbs the CO2, can oxygen get in the headspace of the keg?

I know I'm probably over analyzing this, but just wanted to be sure that once purged, there's no way oxygen can get back under any c02 in there, even if the beer absorbs it all, or the pressure leaks past a poppet o-ring.

I'm paranoid cause one of the poppet seals is leaking in the posts, and I can't seem to get replacement poppets. I either have to get the poppets from the US or entire post assembly's from UK.

BTW. The 'On the rocks Mixed Berry cider is fantastic. I also liked the 1st Coopers Australian lager, even though most of it was foam.

 

[rpt]

Just one last question, if the beer absorbs the CO2, can oxygen get in the headspace of the keg?

Only if you've got a leak.

 

[fbsf]

Well, I would say that as long as you have purged the O2 out after filling (add a little CO2, let it sit for a couple of hours, let all the gas out and re-CO2), then it should be fine.

The beer will only absorb what is pressurised and once the pressure drops to atmospheric levels, it will stay in equilibrium.

However, some kegs require internal pressure to seal the main opening correctly, so that might be something to bear in mind. In theory, nothing should get in (CO2 is heavier than air), but I'd always try and keep a little pressure to help the sealing.

Finally, if you are getting foam from the lagers, try either a) chilling the keg before dispensing or b) a 4ft length of 3/16" beer line between the disconnect and the tap. I did the latter and was dispensing beer with a little head at 20psi, rather than a pint of foam with a little beer at the bottom.

 

[binchie]

Thanks again.
The foaming thing has been a real head scratcher. Originally the Coopers Aussie Lager was bottled in 2lt bottles. I did not have any kegs or a fridge. I then got a fridge and stored the bottles in that. I then got kegs so siphoned the bottles into a keg.
I got foam straight away, looked into found my 3/8" OD beer pipe was too big, changed the lines to 3/16 bore, made sure they were 2m long or more.
Temperature of the fridge was right, checked everything with the carb table, I have aussie lager at around 6 to 8c on 12 psi. Should have been perfect, but still foamed.
As I had the mixed beer cider in the next keg, same line diameter, length, same temperature yet the cider is perfect. Only difference is the tap and the beer. I put it down to the fact that I had carbed the beer prior to kegging.
Anyway, I finished the lager and put in another keg of exactly the same type. This was still a bit young and had a ‘green’ taste but I still had a pint on the Friday and Saturday. Understandably it was a little flat at first, but came up nice over two weeks.
Then last night, nothing would come out of the tap, either there was some kind of pressure lock, or beer had frozen in the pipe. The pipe is coiled vertically to take up the 2m. It took a good 5 minutes of having the tap wide open. Then boom, flow comes out, and now the beer is foamy all over again.

Have you ever had anything like this?

 

[fbsf]

Can't say I have, sorry! I kept mine in a fridge at around 7° and with a 4ft 3/16" line it always dispensed well.

When you poured the bottles into the keg (not a great idea for future reference, as it will allow the beer to become oxidised - it won't affect the dispensing, but will greatly reduce it's shelf life), did you also pour in the sediment from the bottles?

I only ask as I'm wondering if there was a bit of compacted yeast blocking the dip tube?

 

[binchie]

What pressure do you have on your keg?

I siphoned the beer out of the bottles, so no sdiment got transfered. I was lucky this time, but won't chance my luck again.

I'm thinking it must be a temperature thing. I got a secong hand fridge, and I'm not sure how accurate the thermostat.

It has just done it on the second keg I've added (Also Coopers Aussise lager).

I'll keep trying. Its a hard job keep sampling the beer!!

Thanks again!