Pressurised keg question

[andylanc1975]

Hi all,

Daft question and probably one you've been asked 100's of times... About to buy all the gear for my homebrew, have decided that keg is the way for me rather than bottles, but then I start to wonder about longevity of the brew. I know sunlight is the enemy of beer once brewed hence most bottles are dark and we should keep them in cool dark place, but my keg will be in the kitchen (but not near a window). Will the beer survive OK? I think the keg will be an opaque one, does it need some other sort of cover? Would it be better in the garage (although it would be a trek to refill my glass)?

Oh and I've just realised, the FV will be in the same place as I'm thinking of keeping the barrel, that'll either be too warm for the barrel (if it's right for the FV) or too cold for the FV (if it's right the for the barrel).... Help!!

Thanks for any answers!!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I'd keep it in a dark place or cover with a thick bin bag.....

Would finances allow a corny keg set-up :hmm:

BB

 

[andylanc1975]

A corny keg??? Hmm, what's this new element to the equation... Google here I come!!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

A corny keg??? Hmm, what's this new element to the equation... Google here I come!!

Corney kegs are 4 gallon Stainless steel kegs, the Rolls Royce of beer dispensing!!

Do a search on this site!!

BB

 

[andylanc1975]

Searched, and OMG!!! Er, yeah a smidge out of my price range although pretty as! Found a refurbed one for £50 then found all the bits I'd need... Think we'll wack it onto the birthday present list and keep them fingers crossed!

 

[31bb3]

I understand the cost implications of buying a corny setup however if you imagine buying a plastic keg which you can get some good ones depending on price then you have to prime with sugar to get your fizz s once in situ can't move it great deal because of stirring the sediment also the corny will last a he'll of a lot longer than plastic also if heaven for I'd you had to sell on yOu will still get a very good price for them try emailing norm at the top of the page in the links section he sometimes has b grade ones work perfect but a few minor dents

 

[carl_saint]

A brand new one went for £16 on eBay today! Was watching it but missed the end and was gutted!

 

[andylanc1975]

Cheers Eddie, yeah I can see the benefits of a corny set up, look proper mint. Will probably stick with plastic first to keep pennies down, but will defo look to get one as soon as money allows

 

[puravida]

I got a couple of 'budget' ones from norm last November.
They're the same as the refurbed ones but have a few dents here and there. But who gives a **** about that if the beer tastes just as good? :thumb:

I've used the plastic barrels kegs for quite a while and they work fine. Especially if you swap the lid for one that can accept a gas cylinder so you can charge them up a bit if needed.

But....
Having now used corny kegs for a handful of brews I'll never look back. The whole system is fantastic. If you can stretch to getting one it is really, really worth it.

Get the plastic keg for now and then do the research and get a quote from norm and start saving!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Cheers Eddie, yeah I can see the benefits of a corny set up, look proper mint. Will probably stick with plastic first to keep pennies down, but will defo look to get one as soon as money allows

Seriously, don't waste too much coin on nylon kegs because eventually you'll want to move up to corny kegs!!

As said by Eddie, contact Norm and he'll sort you out for not much more than a new nylon "King Keg". :thumb:

BB

P.S
Then you'll want a kegerator!!

 

[artiums_enteri]

Kegerator is really the way to go, and they can be built pretty easily at home.

You guys are paying a lot for kegs? In the states we pay about 40-50 USD for one. The rebuild kits are about 8 dollars. So far we are up to 15 kegs, but be careful; it's like an addiction. You can never seem to have enough kegs once you start kegging.

 

[justink]

Wow, they do indeed look nice! And after a bit of googling they dont seem too pricey for refurb ones.

Being a very new brewer I'm still a little confused about carbonation and looking at the descriptions of these corny kegs its made things more confusing!

So, I get the secondary fermentation for bottles and plastic kegs and that it will create the appropriate carbonation for whatever you are brewing. But these conry kegs talk about forced carbonation and things like that which I am assuming is ok for lagers and maybe some ciders but probably not for ales. So do these corny kegs work ok for ales too and not make them too fizzy? Can someone briefly explain how the corny works for different beers or point me somewhere that does?

I may have to get one of these if my first brew in plastic pressure keg comes out good :)

Thanks!

 

[puravida]

The beauty of a corny keg is you can set accurately the pressure on the keg to whatever level you like.
So if you want it fizzy - dial up the co2. You want a traditional ale, just set the pressure to a low psi.
You made it too fizzy? Release some of the pressure down and set to a lower level - in a few days it will have dropped down again.

There are calculation charts onlline that will help work all this out for beer styles.

 

[justink]

Done some more googling and youtube'ing.

I think I get it. So you can crank up the pressure very high presumably if you want to force carbonate lager for example, or you an just add a small amount of pressure to push ales out without giving them too much of a fizz.

Sounds right ish?

I WANT ONE!

 

[justink]

Thanks puravida - looks like we cross posted :)

Thanks for the info though, I will be getting myself one of these for sure :drink:

 

[puravida]

Haha - no worries!
I just got my first kegs in November and they're so good!!

Dangerous to have perfectky conditioned and carbonated beer on tap though :

 

[Heyzy]

Can anyone point out the exact equipment needed for a corney set up.

 

[puravida]

At it's most basic:

Keg to hold the beer.
Co2 cylinder to pressurise
A line to connect the gas to one side of the keg.
A tap for the beer to come out the other side.

And beer.

If you email Norm and tell him you are looking for a basic set up he will give you a list of the kit you ned and the price of everything.

 

[artiums_enteri]

http://morebeer.com/search/102284/beerw ... Dispensing

Everything you would ever need for kegging.