Corny Keg CO2

[Richamp]

Hi, I'm new to home brewing and suspect this question has been asked before but I can't find it so here goes,

I've just bought a Corny Keg and filled it with clear Brew Buddy Lager. It comes out quickly but with no gas in it.

Any idea how many of the little gas bottles I need to use to liven it up or should I just take the top off and bung some sugar in?

Many thanks to those that take the time to reply.

[jonnyhop]

Any idea how many of the little gas bottles I need to use to liven it up

do you mean the chargers on e-bay? always thought they looked tiny, but never used one. Find a good supplier of CO2 here and ask them about a container. I use an old soda stream bottle.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=577

I just take the top off and bung some sugar in?

This will work but to me totally defeats the point of a corny as it means you have no control over the amount of fizz produced.

[Richamp]

Yes, the little 16g bottles. I look at them and then at the keg and can't imagine it working. The guy in my local home brew shop says he only uses one per keg so I assume he must put sugar in the keg.

[jonnyhop]

The guy in my local home brew shop says he only uses one per keg so I assume he must put sugar in the keg.

I would try it. There is a lot of compressed CO2 in there! Fizz varies a lot due to temperature i.e. a cold corny produces much less fizz than a warm corny. Use a charger and vary the temp and see what results you get. I certainly wouldn't add sugar.

[Richamp]

I've just put the gas in the out valve, strange bubbling sound.

[Trefoyl]

I've just put the gas in the out valve, strange bubbling sound.

My LHBS owner recommends that method for force carbing, but so far I just gently shake and tilt the keg. I turn the gas up to 30 psi, you will hear the regulator letting gas in as you agitate gently. The point is to expose as much surface area to the gas as possible. I do this for a couple of minutes, it's not an exact science. I do it right after racking from the fermenter so the beer is always room temp. I then put the keg in the fridge for at least 12 hours, 24 is preferable. Just before serving I release the pressure through the safety valve, or through the input if using my one keg that doesn't have a safety valve (it's pin lock). I then keep the beer at about 3 lbs pressure. I also just use picnic taps with about 3 inches of hose, and I draw picture perfect pints, although the very first couple might be a little foamy when I first tap the keg but that will happen with natural conditioning as well. The head that is created is creamy and lasts at least as long as my bottle conditioned beers.
I'll need to post a video sometime because there seems to be some concern over both force carbing and picnic taps.
Some people swear by stones because they help distribute the bubbles evenly, but I think they are only a necessity for those with more than 19 liters of beer to carbonate.
I also don't understand why anyone would wait 2 weeks for a beer to force condition. That defeats the purpose of convenience - if you're going to wait 2 weeks you should condition conventionally.
Those little chargers are only suitable for dispensing, they don't contain enough to condition, and they're expensive. Until you get a tank and regulator I would condition the beer with priming sugar:
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipa ... ation.html
Look at the thread that Johnnyhop posted a link to to find a source of gas near you. It looks like 14 lb tanks (that is, a tank that holds 14 lbs of co2, not including the tare weight of the tank) are most common in the UK because the main customers are pubs. 5 lb tanks are the norm for homebrewers in the US.
Whether force carbing is heresy or not is a topic for further discussion. Many people feel that natural conditioning makes for a more complex beer. I think so too, but I think force carbing helps preserve the hop character a little better. I like to use 3 US gallon cornies because they fit my fridge easily, and that allows me to compare force carbing with bottle conditioning in the same batch.

[Richamp]

Thanks guys, I think I get it now. Part of my purpose in getting a corny was so that it can be moved so I'd rather not use sugar for priming. I think I'll go down the Widget World line as they offer mixed gas as well if I want to do something different. I should be able to use it for my King Keg barrel as well so it should turn out simpler than sourcing 2 types of gas chargers.

[Richamp]

For dispensing on the King Keg.