Firstly Hello to all on here, I am quite new to beer brewing but have done wine for afew years. I have read afew posts on here about making coopers european with muntons bke. I have took the plunge and this morning started 2 40 pint kits with bke. I am looking to put it all in a 88 pint lager keg instead of bottling. I have bought coopers carbonation drops to use when I put the lager in the keg. Anybody know if I am doing the right thing here and If so how many should I put in for the 80 pints? After 12 weeks in the keg I will be suppling the lager through a cooler on my home bar. Do I need to connect my co2 up to the keg after I replace the spear to pressure it up or not? ?Thanks in advance for any advice received.
Phil.
keg instead of bottling
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thedeckking
Re: keg instead of bottling
What sort of keg is it you've got?
If you want your lager to be fizzy then you will either need to bottle it or you will need a pressure keg like a cornie. A standard keg (eg. king keg) will be fine for an ale but won't hold the sort of pressure needed to get a lager to the right carbonation. Also if you are using a Co2 supply then you do not need to prime the lager with the drops, as you will force carbonate with the Co2 instead.
If you're new to this then make sure you read through the green links in the top right corner of the page.
If you want your lager to be fizzy then you will either need to bottle it or you will need a pressure keg like a cornie. A standard keg (eg. king keg) will be fine for an ale but won't hold the sort of pressure needed to get a lager to the right carbonation. Also if you are using a Co2 supply then you do not need to prime the lager with the drops, as you will force carbonate with the Co2 instead.
If you're new to this then make sure you read through the green links in the top right corner of the page.
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Turks1470
Re: keg instead of bottling
thanks for the reply deckking,
The keg I have is an old carling barrel so will be well up to the pressure. I have had my own home bar for years buying carling, johnsmiths and different ciders in. My bar is set up like a normal pub type with the co2 bottle pressuring more than one barrel. I have read through the green links and they don't seam to explain how to force carbonate.
I think it is just the same principle as a cornie what I want to do, but my barrel is 88pint and I am making 2 kits (80pints). What should I do after syphoning into the barrel from fv? I asume that I have to connect co2 to get the air out and force carbonate? Also how long should I leave the lager in the barrel to condition before consumption?
Thanks again for the reply.
The keg I have is an old carling barrel so will be well up to the pressure. I have had my own home bar for years buying carling, johnsmiths and different ciders in. My bar is set up like a normal pub type with the co2 bottle pressuring more than one barrel. I have read through the green links and they don't seam to explain how to force carbonate.
I think it is just the same principle as a cornie what I want to do, but my barrel is 88pint and I am making 2 kits (80pints). What should I do after syphoning into the barrel from fv? I asume that I have to connect co2 to get the air out and force carbonate? Also how long should I leave the lager in the barrel to condition before consumption?
Thanks again for the reply.
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thedeckking
Re: keg instead of bottling
After my beer has finished fermenting I like to rack it off the yeast and leave it in a FV for 1-2 weeks to give it a bit of time to clear and condition. After this I rack it into my cornie (no priming sugar needed) and attach my Co2 bottle. It'll then need at least a week to absorb the gas to carbonate it. Try and keep the barrel somewhere cool as this will help the Co2 be absorbed.
Just out of curiosity how are you re-filling a pub keg? I didn't think this was possible without some serious kit.
Just out of curiosity how are you re-filling a pub keg? I didn't think this was possible without some serious kit.
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Brotherton Lad
Re: keg instead of bottling
Drink it as soon as you can, young Turk, the sooner the better.
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Turks1470
Re: keg instead of bottling
you can actually remove the spear out of it to clean it out and then refill it. But you can buy something off of fleabay. Search under keg returner.
As regards the lager conditioning coopers say you should leave it in bottles for 12 weeks, is this not the same for kegs? Apart from that thanks for the advice. carnt wait for it to be ready.
As regards the lager conditioning coopers say you should leave it in bottles for 12 weeks, is this not the same for kegs? Apart from that thanks for the advice. carnt wait for it to be ready.
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thedeckking
Re: keg instead of bottling
I thought taking the spear out was the only way to refill, but I've heard some horror stories about the spears taking flight if there's still pressure in the barrel. The keg returner looks interesting, but for the money I'd rather just buy another cornie as the are just about the right size for a batch of homebrew anyway. Also you don't have to worry about the keg police turning up on your doorstep wanting their keg back.
As far as conditioning time goes I'm sure 12 weeks would give you really nice pint, but I find most brews are up to scratch by time you've got the carbonation right. From experience the best thing to do is keep sampling
the brew at regular intervals. It's the best way to get a feel for the way brews mature with age.
As far as conditioning time goes I'm sure 12 weeks would give you really nice pint, but I find most brews are up to scratch by time you've got the carbonation right. From experience the best thing to do is keep sampling
the brew at regular intervals. It's the best way to get a feel for the way brews mature with age.-
Turks1470
Re: keg instead of bottling
only problem with sampling is I would drink it anyway. I am going to buy some cornies though as I want to start to try brewing some ales to see what they are like and dont want to brew 80 pints every time to find out it is not to my taste. I am sure some of my mates will drink it though if I wont.