Ale from a corni keg setup???

[liddley]

Hi guys,
I am wanting to set up my cornie keg using a beer engine to despence ale , I would like to use the co2 blanket method to keep it fresh. I think from reading other posts I am sure how to set this up. But wondered if anyone had any pictures of this setup for reference ??

[Barley Water]

Google Biohazard brewing. It's a website put up by some guy in Alabama I think. Anyhow, he has nice pictures of how to do it; actually looks very doable.

[paulg]

thats basically how my setup was until I went to proper casks.the difficulties I had was keeping the corny sealed at low gas pressures.mine wouldnt seal below 5 psi,I didnt try the soft red lid seals though
dont agree with the comment on sparklers though haha.
I was born a southerner.

[seymour]

thats basically how my setup was until I went to proper casks.the difficulties I had was keeping the corny sealed at low gas pressures.mine wouldnt seal below 5 psi,I didnt try the soft red lid seals though...

Interesting point. I hadn't heard about that before. How could you tell, the beer was oxidizing quickly or something?

[adeybambam]

I had this. Only knew when my co2 bottle emptied over night...

[paulg]

+1 my gas disappeared .I think what happens is the beer engine if pulled quickly creates a vacuum inside the cornie allowing the seal on the lid to break and then as there is little internal pressure it doesnt reseal.most people have to seal there cornies with a fairly large gas pressure after they have filled them, even if they then release most of it straight away.I never got mine to seal when I tried to naturally condition with priming sugar in a corny unless I first gassed it up then released the gas.

[seymour]

+1 my gas disappeared .I think what happens is the beer engine if pulled quickly creates a vacuum inside the cornie allowing the seal on the lid to break and then as there is little internal pressure it doesnt reseal.most people have to seal there cornies with a fairly large gas pressure after they have filled them, even if they then release most of it straight away.I never got mine to seal when I tried to naturally condition with priming sugar in a corny unless I first gassed it up then released the gas.

Good to know, thanks for clarifying.

[Brighteyebeer]

Hi Liddley

You asked for pics, so here's one:



The Jolly keg under the bar is tapped to the BE. A secondary regulator keeps the 'blanket' pressure very stable at 3.5psi. All the kegs you see are used to dispense this way at different times. I've not experienced any of the probs mentioned about loss of lid seal/CO2 loss - yet!

[seymour]

The Jolly keg under the bar is tapped to the BE. A secondary regulator keeps the 'blanket' pressure very stable at 3.5psi. All the kegs you see are used to dispense this way at different times. I've not experienced any of the probs mentioned about loss of lid seal/CO2 loss - yet!

Cool, thanks for sharing. Do you prime the finished ale when transferring to corny in order to naturally carbonate/condition at all?

[Brighteyebeer]

Cool, thanks for sharing. Do you prime the finished ale when transferring to corny in order to naturally carbonate/condition at all?

Yes - fined in the primary FV, then primed in the keg @ about 3g priming sugar per litre. It's been said in previous posts that cornies need a quick blast of CO2 after racking, to seal the lid. I find that's true of used kegs, but the new ones have better fitting lids. Just prime, close the lid and walk away. Tug the prv briefly the next morning - a quick 'hiss test' soon tells you if the keg's pressurised!

Cheers,
Chris

[seymour]

...Just prime, close the lid and walk away. Tug the prv briefly the next morning - a quick 'hiss test' soon tells you if the keg's pressurised!...

Again, thanks for the great info.

Are you saying there's that much natural CO2 build-up by the very next morning?! That's remarkable, especially considering you've stripped most of the suspended yeast through fining! The equivalent level of bottle carbonation takes weeks to build-up.

[Brighteyebeer]

Are you saying there's that much natural CO2 build-up by the very next morning?! That's remarkable, especially considering you've stripped most of the suspended yeast through fining! The equivalent level of bottle carbonation takes weeks to build-up.

Yes, those kegs will pressurise overnight - if not, something's wrong. I used the plastic homebrew pressure barrels for many years. The method worked with those, and I just transferred it to kegs when I switched. When I want more detail, rather than rely on the 'hiss test', I use a test gauge. I expect around 3psi the next day, gradually rising to 5 or 6 by the time the keg's tapped.