Corny kegs

[Wade E]

When carbonating beer in a corny, what level should the corny be filled to. I will be getting or 5-5 gallon kegs and will be making beer and sparkling wine.
I will be asking quite a few questions on using these until I get a hang of it. Does it have to be full?
I have some other goodies to get probably like a beer gun for doing the sparkling wine.

 

[masta]

I don't have any real experience in corny kegs but if the keg isn't full you will use more CO2 to fill the head space also with less volume of liquid then less gas is needed to carbonate it. I did read that two inches from the top of keg is typical filling volume.


The carbonation level measured in "volumes of CO2" of the liquid in the keg is a direct result of the temperature of the liquid and amount of pressure applied.A smaller volume of liquid would carbonate faster (without a carbonating stone) since less time would be needed for the equilibration of head space and CO2 dissolved into the liquid.


http://www.byo.com/departments/620.html

 

[Dean]

Usually, there is a line at the top of the keg on the inside. That's what I fill up to. With a cabonation stone, you don't really worry about headspace for carbonation as the CO2 comes from the bottom first.

 

[Wade E]

Thanks guys, I believe he is going to give me a few. How long can beer stay in a corny keg before going bad say if i put it in my cellar which stays between 50* most of the time and reaches 58* in the summer.

 

[Dean]

If the beer is under carbonation, you can keep it up to 6 months at 40F. I'm not sure of higher temps, but again, under CO2, very little of the nasties can grow.

 

[Wade E]

Thats good, it definitely weont be hanging around that long.

 

[smurfe]

Your keg doesn't have to be full but the fuller the better IMHO. Just purge the O2 from the keg with CO2.I have made a few batches that were less than 5 gallons after racking.


Make sure you replace the gaskets in the kegs if it hasn't been done. It is cheap and easy. I can give you a link to buy them bulk if you want.


Are they pin lock or ball lock? If pin lock, you will need a special socket to take the posts off. It is a spark plug socket with slots cut in it to go over the pins.


I can't really tell you how long it will last in your basement. I keep mine refrigerated as it is not pasteurized. I keep around 40 degrees in a beer fridge. I can fit 4 kegs in my fridge. Also, some beers will last (age) longer than others. For example, a Wit(wheat) beer should be drank within a month or sowhere a stout or porter in drinkable much longer. It all depends on the style.

 

[masta]

I have kept beer (bottled and primed for carbonation) in my wine cellar @ 56-57 degrees for up to a year without any issues and it actually improved the beer tremendously. Like smurfe said this can be dependent on the style in addition to the alcohol content. Edited by: masta

 

[Wade E]

Smurf, not sue yet as he hasnt given them to me yet as my buddy just gave him the "list" to see what he can actually get from the list such as beer gun, multi gauge regulator, beer gun attachment kit, bleeder valve, etc. He really doesnt deal with that stuff biut will look into seeing if he can get that stuff for me. I gave him 10 of my best wines to do what he can. He can get me all the corny kegs i want as he has 3000 of those and lots of co2 tanks and all the gaskets and cleaning stuff.

 

[Wade E]

Can you carbonate in a fridge or do you need a freezer for this? I am pre thinking of what set up I will need and was thinking of getting a used fridge(probably a top freezer and that would not be big enough to stand a corny up and use a carbonation stone but if it can be done in a fridge then Ill get a counter height or little bigger fridge without freezer and maybe even convert it to a kegerator eventually.

Edited by: wade

 

[smurfe]

You can stand a corney in a fridge with a top freezer. I have an extra fridge I lager in. A corney will fit. I just wish we didn't use the freezer we haveso I could use it to brew.


BTW, take the $21.00 a carbonation stone cost and buy another keg. They aren't needed. I have yet to use the one I have to carbonate. I now use it to oxygenate my wort after the boil by hooking it to an oxygen tank and giving the wort a 30 second blast of pure oxygen. Edited by: smurfe

 

[Wade E]

Thanks smurf, I dont want nor can I afford to buy anything extra at this time. I thought until now that it had to be carbonated around 34*.

 

[smurfe]

Nope. I carb at 40F.I will say though, the colder it is the faster it will carbonate. I kegged a lager last week that was 33 degrees into the keg. I had it carbonated and drinkable in 15 minutes.

Edited by: smurfe

 

[Wade E]

Awesome info, thanx a billion. Now I will look at the classifieds for a fridge cheap but efficient. I really like beer but not to many bottled ones.

 

[smurfe]

So buy your beer in a can.

If you have a choice between the same beer in a bottle or a can always go for the can. It keeps light away from the beer that will cause off flavors.Some craft brewers are looking into canning their beers. I like it in the can!

 

[Wade E]

And here I thought you were a straight guy! All nonsense aside, I like draft beer and not many other kinds, its just something about the tap for me.