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Keg Line Variable and CO2 Pressure

bobo1898

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While I have a couple of corny kegs to fill (used for parties), I mostly bottle my beer because I share a lot of it with friends and split my batches with a buddy. I have to ask some questions related to kegging because I'm going to be doing it a lot more:

I understand that the length of your beverage line is important for what your dispensing pressure is (as is height of the tap, keg and gravity). Most people, I find, set their serving pressure somewhere between 10-14 psi, pending the line of their beer. They also have kegerators, which I do not (yet). My beverage line is also non-existent. I have one of those tap handles that's connected to a disconnect that goes directly on the keg. Much like the attached image.

If my memory serves me correctly, I would find that dispensing pressure around 4 or 5 psi was ideal (sometimes less?). But that raises another question....

I've just acquired a counter pressure filler which is why I will be kegging a lot more. I will still fill bottles and not worry about the sediment. The beverage line for the filler is 6 ft so when I'm filling bottles, the regulator will be set somewhere between 10 and 12 psi. But before I bottle, I want to draw off a sample to see it's progress, and I'd rather not pull out the bottle filler to do it. Ideally, I'd connect my tap and draw the sample off. If I've reached my desired volume of CO2, is it as simple as changing the pressure when I connect my filler?

Essentially, carb up the beer. Set to my tap dispensing pressure (4-5 psi) to draw a sample. If it's good, then switch over to the filler and set the pressure to 10-12 psi. Bottle.
 

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There is a lot to balancing your keg system. What CO2 volume is correct for your beer? Different styles have different requirements. Line length and inside line diameter play a part. So does temperature. This article should help.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/a-balancing-act-how-to-balance-your-home-draft-system/
 
Thanks for the response. It is a good article.

It sounds like I can switch between my tap and my filler. And sounds like it's as simple as changing the PSI when switching between the two.
 
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