This Northern Brewer instructional video shows the basic steps of kegging and carbonating your home brewed beer. Learn the ins & outs of any home brew keg system. For more information and related products: www.northernbre...
10 years old and this video STILL SLAPS!!! I’ve got a 3 gallon and a 5 gallon keg that I’m about to start kegging on so thanks for not taking this video down. Keep up the kickassary Northern Brewer!
Thanks for sharing. A few tips I've discovered over the years. Chill your keg and beer first; CO2 is absorbed faster into cold liquid. Bump the pressure relief valve to clear the head space of air as soon as you hook up the pressure line. I have rigged up my carbonating line to force gas through the "out" side. This pushes the gas to the bottom of the dip tube and helps it absorb into solution as it bubbles up. Carbonation is usually complete in 36 hours or so. I then swap back to the grey gas in side and black out for serving and run around 8-10 psi. Cheers!
I don't get why so many homebrewers obsess over closed transfers systems and LODO set ups, when all you really have to do is put your siphon hose all the way to the bottom of your keg, fill the keg slowly and gently to prevent splashing, and purge the keg a couple times with co2 after you put the lid on.
I just bought a couple of kegs as I was sick of bottling, but had nooooo idea what to do with them. This video has been SUPER helpful, and definitely the best guide I've come across to help someone start out in kegging. Thanks so much!!!
We also have an in-depth online video course called Kegging 101 that goes over everything in detail. You can watch as many times as you want and/or come back to pieces of information that you need to see again. northern-brewer-university.thinkific.com/courses/kegging-101-introduction-to-kegging
Awesome video! I just purchased a kegging set the other week and really didn't know all of the steps in the process. This video straight to the point and very informative.
I also purged the air above the beer a couple of times with CO2 before applying the carbonation pressure. Bring up to 30 psi, release, repeat, then carbonate.
good video but i would suggest purging the keg of air after you transfer/seal the beer in the keg using 6 psi or so and just pulling the vent a couple times. Then turn up the pressure like in the video for force carbing.
I carbonate my lagers in the keg as they are lagering. Then transfer to a clean keg once finished. Also look into natural carbonation for kegs that will be aged. This allows them to carbonate on their own.
Great vid as usual thx. I force carb my kegs after 24 hours of cooling i set to 40 psi turn turn the keg upside down and shake it, ive worked out a minute and a half is perfect, i tilt the keg upright with pressure still on then disconnect the gas line. Let it settle for atleast 2 hours then burp the keg pressure. Re attach gas ans then attach tap, regulator back to 10 psi and were drinking. Better and smaller bubbles the next day though.
Hey Man. Just want to say thanks for this video. Nice and concise and very easy to follow. I am using a corny to carbonate some homemade tonic water! Its currently carbonating....fingers crossed!!!
@QXZASX Well, it depends on the keg. Even though a few kegs may be the same style (such as ball lock), the post size can vary from keg to keg. 7/8" and 11/16" are common on the used kegs that I own. They probably didn't want to tell you in the video that you need a 7/8" when your keg may be 7/8" or 11/16" (or possibly some other size) and have you get irritated at the incorrect information. Instead they tell you what tool you can use, but it is up to you to find out what size YOUR keg needs.
All the 5 gallon corny kegs I have seen have removable post on both sides. They may be different sizes or styles but they all work in the same way. The notches on the one post are for the gas in side Groove = Gas.
Ditch the teflon tape. Never use any type of sealant tape or paste on any type of flare or ball and socket type fittings. It will cause leakes. They are designed to seal w/out that. If you use a type of sealant, it prevents the mating surfaces from sealing buy causing gaps between the 2, Before anyone argues, i have over 30 years in plumbing and Hydraulics Experience.
There's enough CO'2 coming out of the beer when you transfer to displace the very small O2 space at the top of the keg, although probably a good measure anyway.
Robin I think that was a small little black plastic release tap at the end of the hose (it's in Dawson's hand when he's actually pouring the beer into the glass at the end of the video)
My guess - the valve on the serving end of the liquid line is not designed to withstand that kind of pressure. The valve on the keg that the line attaches to will be designed to withstand the high pressure of ~20psi.
Craig Puccetti I have read elsewhere that it is actually preferable to force carbonate at serving temperatures because the beer absorbs the co2 better at lower temperatures.
its interesting with a picnic tap at 10psi you get your beer without foam. genereally with picnic tap, it will pour really fast at 10psi so you will get too much foam.
If foaming is an ongoing issue for you, you might have to dial in the length of tubing you use? Hit up our folks at brewmaster@northernbrewer.com if you want to ask them about it.
when i pour a glass, all what i obtain is pure foam. i did all what you said, but it is a lot of foam and then the liquid has cero carbonatation, what can i do?
I've always rolled the keg back and forth when I first force carbonate. I find it takes less time to force carbonate this way.. Anything wrong with this method?
Thanks a lot for this video, I have just started on homebrewing and i'm using cornelius kegs, I'm using Coopers kits, i'm currently carbonating my first batch at 25psi (since yesterday), how soon is it likely to be ready to drink ? Neil.
So you don't need priming sugar before you keg? I've only bottled and every time before I do it says to add the sugar. I'm going to keg for the first time in a couple weeks. Thanks.
Once the keg/beer is carbonated how do I store the keg? Do I need to disconnect the gas tank or leave it connected? Do I need to bleed out the carbonation or leave it in there?
Not a dumb question. This beer was room temperature when put into the keg. The keg is then put into the fridge or keezer to chill while carbonating to serving temperature and carbonation level. You could also put the fermenter in the fridge before kegging to "cold crash" it and get it very clear. CO2 also is more quickly soluble at lower temps so it's a win-win.
is what it is problematic if our pressurized keg is left at 20 or 30 psi for carbonation more than 2 or 3 weeks? What pressure should be put in the keg for storage if you do not use the keg right after carbonization?
This video leaves out a couple of important steps and is unclear about cleaning vs. sanitizing. Firstly, always sanitize your keg before siphoning or transferring beer into it. If the keg is dirty, clean it first, preferably with a brush, rinse it, and then sanitize it. Be sure you have washed your hands thoroughly before sanitizing and assembly. Secondly, be sure to remove the valve seal (the little metal center of the valve with the "O" ring on it) and spring from the valve post. (when assembling, the long end goes into the small end of the spring) They need to be cleaned and sanitized as well as beer and microbes can get caught in them. Thirdly, unscrew the pressure relief valve and remove the large "O" ring from the cleaning port cover. Crud can build up in either and will stay in there if they are not removed.
i think i glass full is too much, i might have overcarbonated it but i keep releasing the pressure and it doesnt seem to have an effect neither does changing the length of the beer line
Hi, great video. I am doing Kombucha and not beer and the family's consumption issss going up and up so bottling is no longer a viable option for me. IS there residual o2 in the keg after pressurizing? (is it possible to remove it if there is?) thanks!
Great video, thank you. I am about to keg my first 5 gallon batch and planned to carbonate between 10-12psi, which I read takes between 12-14 days. Not sure if this is right though; everyone seems to say something a bit different on this subject. So do I have this straight: turning up the co2 basically carbonates the beer faster? I'm guessing exceeding 30psi is not recommended.
Great video!! Have 2 questions do: 1) You dont shake your keg at all? 2) Have your ever attempted to force carbonate ina plastic carboy? I cant find a decent keg in my country. So I started wondering since i`ve seen oter videos of force carbonation in plastica bottles if it could be donde in a plastic carboy (like thosse used for tap water). Thanks a bounch.
Carboys (plastic or otherwise) aren't rated for that pressure. You *might* get away with using a low pressure and a lot of shaking at cold temperatures, but you're risking an explosion.
I have a question about removing the ball valve posts. I have a Corny keg with the black rubber top and handles and the posts look completely different. One of the posts looks like it might fit a socket >3/4" but the other one is notched all around, may or may not fit a large bit (that I don't currently own). Does anyone know if these are removable or should I just fill the keg with sanitized solution and run it through the tap to sanitize the dip tube? Thanks!
You can carbonate a beer at any temperature, but the colder the beer is the quicker it will carbonate as CO2 forces itself into solution sooner in colder liquids. Personally, I keg all of my beverages in my kegerator ~ 40F. But if you're in a pinch for space, you can totally carbonate at room temperature ever. Just not a good idea for beer to be left at room temperature for too long before getting it cold because it can stale, oxidize, etc. if not properly stored cold.
Thanks for the info... HI Does anyone know if I can force carbonate my 20L 30L or 50L Kegs, With Soda Stream Type Gas Bottles... I have lots of soda stream gas bottle thanks
If the tank is in the keezer - should I lower the force carbonation PSI below 20? The cold changes the PSI reading on the co2 regulator, right? Does that impact the amount of time that I need to force carbonate? (2-3 days)?
