2 Steps away from kegging and I have quesitons...

[2DogAle]

Hi all,

OK, started out brewing September last year. Went from extract kits to extract recipe making to all grain. I am slowly building my brewery out and I'm a few steps, equiptment wise, away from kegging (grain mill and a keggerator set up first) and have some questions.

First, I really like bottle conditioned beer. My palate, for some reason, leans towards natural conditioned beer. I do enjoy beer on tap as well but I had some naturally carbonated beers a few times and they seemed smoother, is that just my imagination? I also tried some kegged home brew that was force carbonated and some that was naturally conditioned. and I always liked the naturaly carbonated beers better. My question is, are there certain styles(I only make ales) that lend themselves better to natural conditioning and others that force cabonating will work? Do I need to force carbonate my beer or just serve it under pressure?

Second, If I put a 5 gallon keg on tap and it's kept chilled, on average, how long will it last? I don't drink (beer) every night so it may be on tap for a little while. What can I do to enable my beer to last while on tap?

Any suggestions, links or articles would be appreciated including good places to buy corny kegs and stuff.


Thanks,

Rob

[brewsters millionths]

hi there 2dog, i use 9gall sankey kegs for my beer like the bar type(approx. 10 us gall) and the one i just finished was in there since end jan. i had a couple of others on the go at the time, and it was still fine. all down to cleanliness i reckon. i always naturally carbonate mine and only use enough gas pressure to push it through the line to the tap.

[2DogAle]

Hey, thanks BM. I was hoping that was the answer I would get.

I thought of something else. I am a fan of Stouts and love them on a nitro tap. How does that work? Do you carbonate with regular CO2 or with the nitro or do you just serve using nitro?

Also, I have read there are different kinds of taps that pour beer differently to get different affects on texture etc. I have had some beers, not just stouts, that I don't think were on nitro but yet had that creamy head and mouth feel that is wonderful. How does that work?

Thanks,

Rob

[Speyedr]

Second, If I put a 5 gallon keg on tap and it's kept chilled, on average, how long will it last? I don't drink (beer) every night so it may be on tap for a little while. What can I do to enable my beer to last while on tap?[/list]

Rob

Keep in mind that this is style dependent as well. You can have a good 5%ABV ale or lager in there for 6 moths, no problem. If you have a Wit or a Weizen it's better when it's fresh.

Also, if you don't use the taps for a few days they will get sticky. I just keep some iodophor(SP?) solution in a keg and run it through from time to time.

I naturally carb and force carb depending on the beer so no worries there.

Enjoy!

Rob

[brewsters millionths]

using nitro or beer gas mix which is mainlynitro with some co2, gives a creamier head due to the smaller size of n2 bubbles. not sure if you will need to force (well it's not carb if it's n2) gas them or not. plenty of experts here that can answer that one for you though.

[GooberMcNutly]

You can naturally carbonate in the keg just as easily as in the bottle. I do it that way because a 1/3 cup of corn sugar is much cheaper than CO2 for me. I just boil the sugar in 1 cup water in the microwave for 5 minutes then dump into the keg before racking onto it. Flush the keg with CO2 for a minute or so to clear the O2 out before racking. Close it up, put 15 lbs on it to seal the gasket, then let the sugar carbonate the rest. I leave it at room temp for 3-5 days before putting in the fridge (40 degrees) to finish up.

6 months is as long as I have had to keep a beer on tap, and it usually finishes in better condition than it started.

"brewsters millionths" asked about forcing "carbonation" with N2. It can be done in about 5 minutes. N2 goes into solution (and out of solution) much, much faster than CO2. You don't usually "carbonate" with N2, it is usually added to push the beer and that is enough to make it go into solution. Quick in and quick out gives the wonderful Tiny Bubbles (Look at me, I am Don Ho...)