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Kegging Options

Beer Lover

Grandmaster Brewer
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I have started kegging a month ago.  Can beer be conditioned in a keg?  If it can what would the PSI be?  Do you force carbonate the beer and the wait for conditioning?

Thanks
 
Yes you can condition in keg, but be aware that you pull from the bottom so the first few beers are fully of stuff if you leave it for a while to condition. Force carbonate only as if you prime you will get yeast sediment and cloudy beer.
 
I force carbonate all my beer. Set it to 20psi and let it sit for a day or two. Bleed out the pressure until it's around 10psi, then draw off a glass. If it's carbonated, leave it at 8-10psi, or whatever pressure you want for the desired carbonation level. If not, crank it up to 20psi and give it another day. After a while you'll get a feel for how long it takes to carbonate. Also, it's not a good idea to leave the beer line on the keg at high pressure. I had a fitting come off once while it was at high pressure, and when I checked it the next day the keg was empty, the CO2 was empty, and the fridge was full of beer. No fun.
 
  Good question. Took me years of trial and error to get where I am at now with homebrew kegs.
I cold crash in kegs and force carbonate @ 30 psi for two days immediately after fermentation.  No rolling or shaking; that only induces foam later...  That way it conditions and carbonates at the same time. I never attach the outlet to the taps until pressure is 10 psi or below. I always pull the relief to discharge pressure before testing carbonation ( and sampling the brew) by using a picnic tap on a two foot hose inside the kegerator first. Once the line is clear and the carbonation is good I connect the outlet tap line. 
NOTE:  When I first get my ball lock kegs, I reach down  inside (tight but do-able) and with one hand carefully bend the pickup tube to rest about one inch off the bottom. This lets any remaining yeast settle on bottom undisturbed,like a cask, while you draw off pints of clear beer. I lose about half a pint when the keg empties. The yeast forms a thin solid paste on the bottom and in my opinion helps the brew stay fresh / condition longer. It's really kind of like a hybrid homebrew cask / keg system. Kegs can last 6 months or longer ( the stronger dark brews tend to hang around).
 
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