Serving Your Beer
Depending on your carbonation levels, and the type of tap you’re using, your serving pressure will be between 4-10 PSI.
Carbonation Levels
British-style ales 1.5 - 2.0Porter, stout 1.7 - 2.3 Belgian ales1.9 - 2.4
European lagers 2.2 - 2.7 American beers 2.2 - 2.7 German wheat3.3 - 4.5
Carbonation Chart
There are two main factors to determine the number of volumes in beer: pressure and temperature. At a certain pressure and temperature, beer will have a given carbonation amount measured in volumes of CO2. These values can be seen in the chart at the bottom of this page. The temperature of the beer is usually the serving temperature. In my brewery this is about 34 - 36 F. If you want to carbonate a beer to 2.4 volumes at 35º F, just go down the vertical column to 35º F, then across until you find the desired carbonation level. In this case, I will have to pressurize to about 9 PSI. This could take a week (Method 2)
PRESSURE IN PSI8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13
32ºF / 2.48 / 2.59 / 2.70 / 2.80 / 2.90 / 3.00
33ºF / 2.43 / 2.53 / 2.63 / 2.74 / 2.84 / 2.96
34ºF / 2.38 / 2.48 / 2.58 / 2.69 / 2.79 / 2.90
35ºF / 2.34 / 2.43 / 2.52 / 2.63 / 2.73 / 2.83
36ºF / 2.29 / 2.38 / 2.47 / 2.57 / 2.67 / 2.77
37ºF / 2.24 / 2.33 / 2.42 / 2.52 / 2.62 / 2.71
38ºF / 2.20 / 2.29 / 2.38 / 2.48 / 2.57 / 2.66
Final Notes
There are lots of extras that make life easier when kegging from Keg Lube (for better o-ring seals), to portable Keg chargers (so you don’t have to cart your CO2 tank along to parties). Apart from CO2 gas, we sell or can easily get pretty much anything (taps, drip trays, etc) you’ll need to make your home bar perfect.
Homecraft Brew & Wine Supplies Inc.
2787 Princess St Kingston, Ontario K7P 2X1
(613) 384-6088
KEGGING BASICS
USING
CORNELIUS KEGS
Introduction
This brochure will introduce you to the ultimate home brewing experience - kegs. The main benefits to kegging your beer are:
-no more bottling (time savings)
-no more cleaning bottles (time savings)
-no more bottles! (space saving)
-convenience (more time saved)
-ready to drink sooner (production time decreased)
Plus, having a keg at home is pretty cool!
The Equipment
You will require, at a minimum, the following pieces of equipment:
a)Cornelius keg (a.k.a. pop tank (Coke = pin lock, Pepsi = ball lock)
b)CO2 tank filled with CO2 (purchase this from a welding company)
c)Dual gauge regulator (measures operating pressure & remaining gas supply)
d)Gas line disconnect (attached by hose to your regulator)
e)Beer line disconnect (attached to hose) which is attached to a
f)Tap
Starting Off – Cleaning Your Keg
Most likely you’ve acquired a used or reconditioned keg. It is recommended to disassemble your keg and clean all the parts thoroughly. You won’t need to do this often, but you should start off knowing that you will be using a clean keg. Plus, it helps to familiarize yourself with all the pieces.
Once you’ve put the keg back together, you are ready to fill it with a batch of beer. You’ll want to sterilize your beer & gas lines. Open the keg, and put about a litre of cleaning solution in it. Close up the keg, slosh it around, and turn on the gas to about 10 PSI. After 20 seconds, turn off the gas and open the thumb tap (into a sink!) until emptied.
Vent the remaining gas, open the lid, add a couple litres of clean water & repeat. Your keg is now ready to be filled.
Filling & Purging The Keg
Simply siphon your clear beer into the keg, about 1-2 cm below the gas dip tube. Seal up the keg, and apply some CO2 to it. After 10 seconds, open the pressure relief valve (or on a Coke keg, depress the gas poppet to vent off the CO2). This is to purge any oxygen from the keg.
Preparing for Carbonation
CO2 absorbs into beer much more efficiently when cold. Put your keg in a fridge (or very cold place) for a night to get it down to about 2ºC
Carbonating Method 1
If your keg of beer is cold, attach the CO2 line, and increase the pressure to about 35 PSI. Then shake or roll the keg on the floor for about 10 minutes. (Just a guideline: depending on the pressure used, the temperature of the beer, and the time you’re shaking the keg, your numbers may differ).
Now you have cold carbonated beer… if it was clear when you kegged it, it’s ready to drink! Remember to vent all the pressure (it’s still sitting at 35 PSI, remember), and reset the regulator to your serving pressure – usually around 4-10 PSI.
Carbonating Method 2
If your beer is not quite clear, it will clear in the keg. Don’t worry – your intake dip tube is raised above where the sediment will lie. Attach the CO2 to around 12 PSI and leave it for a week. (Just a guideline: depending on the pressure used, the temperature of the beer, and the number of days you leave it, your numbers may differ). Use a carbonation chart to find the exact numbers to use.
Now you have cold carbonated beer… if it was clear when you kegged it, it’s ready to drink! Remember to vent all the pressure, and reset the regulator to your serving pressure – usually around 4-10 PSI.