Regarding Priming and Cornelius

[bossman187uk]

Hi im new to brewing and contemplating getting a Cornelius keg for my brews.

I was just wondering, when i normally brew i ferment initially then put into bottles after a week or so with some priming sugar.

With a corni i guess i will ferment for a week, leave another few days to settle more.
Then syphon to a secondary tub.

Now this is were im confused as i read not to put priming sugar into the corni so do i add it to the secondary fermentation/ clearing stage or do i miss it out completly as ill be force carbonising the beer?

If that is the case will it not be as alcoholic??

Many thanks

[bossman187uk]

ok i understand that and i think id go with 2nd option so i can transport the keg without mixing the sediment up,

What im concerned about is that as im no longer priming the bottles with sugar after initial fermentation do i add this sugar into the secondary clearing stage?
because corbonisation is gonna be forced i guess its not needed but wont this make a less alcoholic brew due to the yeast not having the extra sugar present?

[eskimobob]

Technically is will be slightly less alcoholic I guess but not much - the amount of sugar (read malt extract, glucose, or whatever you use) is very small and will not add much if any alcohol I would have thought.

If you want it stronger, I'd suggest adding more in the way of fermentables in the primary stage. It's quite tempting when you are new to brewing to try and get the alcohol content as high as you can (we have probably all been there) but as you become more familiar with brewing, you will probably tend to aim for a nicer beer regardless of what the strength is and enjoy a lower strength beer that tastes nicer.

[bossman187uk]

OK i dont mind loosing a little alcohol content.
So can i run this by you what i think i need etc.:

Coni keg with all the tap and valves fitted, i will get a pub style co2 canister with regulator etc and hopefully somewere local (Dorset) will refill this for me.

As far as brewing is concerned i will initially ferment as usual for 10 days (SG are same in 24hrs), then i will transfer this into a secondary fermenting bin (not sure how long for ) untill it clears, possibly add some filings to to aid this.

Then lastly transfer the beer into the Corni and presurise.

This should ensure the beer is clear and moving the corni wont cloud it??

thanks

[eskimobob]

That sounds reasonable. I used a secondary when I first got my cornies but I very rarely use it now. When I empty a cornie and check inside there is usually very little yeast deposit and transporting them (although infrequently) doesn't seem to cause me any obvious haze. I ought to say that I don't generally use finings either.

You can usually tell how bright a beer is in the primary and I tend to wait until it is bright before transferring to a cornie (trying to minimise the yeast transfer at the end).

If you do try the secondary, then take a note of the yeast deposit when racking to cornie and if it is light you might be able to do away with the secondary too.

Good luck

[bossman187uk]

OK cool dont want the beloved % going down too much lol

Another thing i wondered was with the corni kegs, if i get a pub style cylinder but want to take the keg to say a party and take only the keg not the co2.

Will the keg operate ok? or will it loose pressure and leave my beer stranded in there?

I suppose for parties i could have a spare widget world system and take that in a car and top up if need be.???

Also say i wanted to store the beer for a while do i have to keep the co2 constantly regulated or can i get it to the desired pressure and remove the co2 canaster and leave it till i want to use?

many thanks

[bossman187uk]

ah ok so i could make a brew and secondary clear then put into a corni in carbonated for as long as i wish? (obviously using some co2 to displace the air in the keg.)

Then when i have left to brew for a good while and it has matured fully i can carbonate it.

Once carbonated do i then have to keep the pressure or could i let it drop again and re carbonate when i wish to have more?

Reason i ask is that i drink at home rarely and would like a corni to take to parties and pre night out launches, poker games etc and the times between each vary.

is there a maximum time u can store a beer in a corny?

Also them refil canaster things ur link pointed to, are there any about that take the 12gm airpistol cartriges? and if i use one of them i guess i need a pressure guage? or can u tell by the way its being dispensed how much to put in.

thanks sorry for so many questions i just wanna be sure what im doing b4 i purchase.

[tubby_shaw]

Another option is to have an S30 valve fitted to the lid of the corny. You would be able to give a little burst of gas as and when required from an S30 bottle then.
Once the keg is filled and pressurised(you need to add gas pressure to seal a corny) they can be left unhooked from the gas until ready for serving

[bossman187uk]

Thanks Daab you a bit of a Legend for information in the forumns iv been looking at.

So really a corni, if the beer has been cleared planty b4 kegging can prove pretty usefull even if being transported and knocked around a fair bit.

I dont understand why a kink keg can naturally cabonise itself enough to dispense its entire contents naturally.

I guess its the primins sugars and i suppose u need to top up with co2 sometimes.

My next problem is finding a place in Dorset that will refill co2 canasters, once i have that nailed im buying the works

[bossman187uk]

sorry dont wanna be spoon fed but i couldnt find that thred even using the search menu.

any chance of a link?

thanks

[Andy]

http://jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=577

It's on the first page of the Bargain Basement forum area.

[bossman187uk]

haha sorry guys yea i found it in the end.

Im used to the nipper tricks like being sent to get a "sky hook" or a "long weight" lol

Iv found a local supplier from the air products link and sent a e mail regarding the service so fingers cross.

Although i expect it wont be plane sailing and they will want rental charges etc, but fingers crossed.

As soon as i can find a local supplier in Dorset ill order a corni and cylinder and regulator of Norm. prob looking at around £60 for keg n taps etc, then 30 for the cylinder he is selling.

Again ill see if my local gas supplier will even fill it or indeed if its cheaper to have one of theres.

Then hopefully ill get 2 more cornies if all goes well and start my little drunken empire

If i do get more corni's it doesnt make much difference does it if i dont get a 3 way spliter for the gas ?

I assume id just re carbonise the beer i want to drink later that evening.

Also with thoses portable co2 pen things you mentioned before, do they work well? say i took a full corni camping without the big co2 canister and were using it throughout 3 days. Would the pen thing offer enough co2 to top it up as needed?

[Andy]

The mini CO2 thing takes small CO2 cartridges, when one runs out you just screw a new one in. So yes, take enough cartridges with you and you'll be able to dispense the whole cornie. I reckon 3 cartridges will do a compete cornie.

[bossman187uk]

ah ok sweet, they just look so puney compared to the huge co2 pub cylinders lol

Dont suppose u know if 12g air pistol cylinders will work? most iv seem are different sizes.

Over all then with a cylinder at home and thoses pen cylinder things i should be able to transport the cornie hastle free.

Thanks for the help guys if i think of any more silly questions ill be back lol

[bossman187uk]

so what is the advantage of having a constant co2 supply like that of the pub style cylinders over just carbonating and topping up?

I take it the cylinders just allow you to use as much beer as u like without pressure dropping.

and can u transport corni's fully pressurised and then use normally, topping up with the penn once the pressure is to low to dispense the beer?