Just got my keg system in the mail!

[BS Brew]

Ok so last night my two kegs with a co2 tank came in the mail. I got the dual regulator and I am pumped up!

I don't have my freezer yet and wont for a week or so. I have a pale ale that has been in primary for 10 days now. I havent checked the gravity yet but I'm assuming it is ready to keg. This weekend I will go and get my co2 tank filled.

When I have the co2 tank filled will I be able to keg the beer at room temp and keep it there for a few days until I get my freezer or will that harm the beer? The beer will be sitting at room temp for a week with co2. Should I keg it and not add co2 until i have the freezer or just hold the beer in primary until i have all my equipment set up? Any thoughts from you guys would be great.

[Bugeater]

When I have the co2 tank filled will I be able to keg the beer at room temp and keep it there for a few days until I get my freezer or will that harm the beer? The beer will be sitting at room temp for a week with co2.

No problem at all. When my kegerator is full I do this as a matter of routine. Check the carbonation charts and set your pressure for the correct volume at the temperature of the room where the keg will be stored. If it has to sit for a week, that works out great.

When you put it in the kegerator, DO NOT hook up the gas until the keg cools down to the desired serving temperature. The pressure will be way higher than the pressure at which you will be setting the regulator for serving. Hooking it up before chilling will cause beer to back up into your gas line and possibly your regulator if you don't have a quality check valve in line.

Don't relieve the pressure off the keg when you put it in the kegerator either. Gas will come out of solution and your beer will be undercarbonated. Just chill down the warm keg until it is good and cold and then hook everything up. Once it is chilled, the head pressure will drop down to the proper serving pressure as the gas is dissolved into the beer.

Wayne

[BS Brew]

Thanks for the response Bugeater! I'm pretty darn excited to have some fresh kegged beer at my house. This helps out a lot!

[brewinhard]

You will love it! Now you just need to start amassing more kegs!

[TheDarkSide]

You will love it! Now you just need to start amassing more kegs!

I bought a 2 keg system last December and by March, I had purchased 3 more. I think I can squeeze 1 more into my kegerator. Someone stop my before I buy a bigger kegerator

[Bugeater]

To quote the Borg, "Resistance is futile", you are hooked! By the time I kicked the habit of picking up kegs, I think I had 22 plus 2 freezers and a fermentation fridge. Just resign yourself that you will always be on the lookout for cheap (or sometimes even free) kegs, CO2 tanks and anything else even remotely brewing related or could be converted to brewing use.

Wayne

[brewinhard]

I hear ya Bug! Just got myself another fridge with temperature control. One can never have enough kegs as far as I am concerned.