carbonating keg beer

Carbonating Keg Beer

Although you may prime your beer when it has been kegged, it is much easier and faster to inject CO2. In order to properly keg beer in either case you should at least inject enough CO2 to seat the lid to prevent leakage.

1. After fermentation, or when you would normally bottle, you will be ready to put your beer in the keg. If you wish you may want to transfer your beer into a secondary 5 gallon glass fermentor in order for it to clarify further. This clarification period, usually 1-2 weeks will help reduce the amount of yeast sediment that winds up in your keg. If you can cold condition, that is put the carboy in the refridgerator, you will speed up the sedimentation process.

2. Sanitize and if needed re-seal your keg. The best compounds to use are those which will not harm stainless, like Iodophor or One-Step. If you use chlorine bleach just remember not to leave it in contact with the keg for more than 20 minutes in a 2 tablespoon to 5 gallon ratio. If using chlorine be sure to rinse well, and if you have used the Iodophor or One-Step a rinse is not required unless the recommended dosage was exceeded. It is a good idea to pump the sanitizer through the lines with CO2 and be sure to flush the lines before filling.

(Iodophor:1 tablespoon/5 gallons)

3. Sanitize racking cane and tubing as normal.

4. Transfer beer into keg by siphon without aerating. I usually fill to the top weld line which is about 1" below the rubber, allowing enough space to adequately shake beer around when force carbonating. (Make sure tubing goes all the way to the bottom of the keg to avoid splashing.)

5. When done replace top lid and lock down.

6. Pressurize tank to seat lid, normally between 5-15 p.s.i.

7. If beer was already cold move to next step otherwise you must chill keg in order for the CO2 to dissolve. The colder the keg the better the gas will go into solution.

8. Attach gray fitting (which you have already hooked up to the tubing from your regulator output) to the in fitting on your keg. You will now turn up the regulator to 35 p.s.i. and you will hear gas injecting into the keg. To get the gas into the beer begin shaking the keg back and forth and you will hear gas re inject. You do not need to shake it until you no longer hear this sound, just shake vigorously for about one minute. You will learn the correct amount of time to shake as you go because some people shake harder than others so I do not give exact times. There is a way to inject a precise amount of gas to correspond with your desired level of carbonation by reading gas injection charts located in several books. I personally do it by feel, and since you are able to adjust up by adding more CO2 or down by shaking and releasing excess CO2 it is not usually necessary to refer to charts.

9. Remove fitting from in and do not release pressure in keg.

10. Cool keg again and wait an hour or more up to one day before next step.

11. Release pressure by pulling release ring if so equipped. If your keg lacks a pressure relief just press on the inner portion of the in valve. You should not get fluid out of this and if you do your using the wrong valve or you need to wait for the carbonation to settle in. Remember if you shake a bottle of Pepsi it will foam if you open it quickly after shaking.

12. Now dial regulator down to zero and attach fitting to in side on keg.

13. Attach black (fluid) fitting which you have put the faucet on.

14. Adjust pressure up to 5 p.s.i. and begin serving.

(If it foams it is either too warm, over carbonated or over pressurized. Chill or shake and release excess pressure or simply turn down regulator and release possible excess head pressure in keg.

15. You may leave your CO2 tank on and hooked up, but if you are worried about leakage or are not going to be tapping the keg for a while you may disconnect the CO2 and turn the tank off at the black dial.


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