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Keg Systems
COLLECTING THE
GEAR:
KEGS:
The kegs used in this system are post-mix
kegs, made of stainless steel with a hatch cover for ease of cleaning and
filling. They include gas in and beer out valves as well as a safety release
valve. These types of "kegs" vary in size from as small as 9 up to 50 litres.
The most common is 18 litres, which is ideal for the home brewer as they hold a
standard brew.
DISCONNECTS:
There are a
couple of different types, pin lock and ball lock (snap lock). We supply ball
lock, which are available in stainless steel and plastic and work on the same
principle as your standard garden hose fittings; they click on and click off for
easy connection and disconnection of the beer and gas lines from the
keg.
CO2 GAS BOTTLE:
The gas
bottles come in various sizes. The most common and easiest to handle are the "D"
size bottle. They are a bit taller than knee height and weigh less than 20kg.
Other sizes are available but can be quite heavy and difficult to move, not to
mention unsightly. Gas bottles are available for hire from BOC Gases or Air
Liquid amongst others.
REGULATOR:
A full CO2
bottle will hold a pressure of approximately 800 psi (pounds per square inch)
5600 kpa, that's a bit more than the 10 psi/70 kpa that's needed to run this
system, so a regulator is a must.
The regulator screws onto the gas bottle
and reduces the pressure to safe levels. There is one guage on the regulator,
which shows the output pressure (keg working pressure) that can be set by
turning the nut on the end of the regulator using the key supplied.
The best
way to estimate how much CO2 is left in the bottle is by weight, not pressure,
so make a habit of weighing your bottle when you first get it. The bottle will
be weighed and stamped when empty. The empty bottle weight is usually on a tag
around the neck of the bottle.
PREPARING THE
FRIDGE:
Like bottled beer your
kegs will need to be kept cold. With a standard keg holding a full batch
of beer and being somewhat bigger than a bottle your fridge is going to
need to be changed to suit your kegs, you may need to remove some or all
of the shelves, you may also have to level the base.
Some older
fridges are not level at the bottom and will need to be levelled. Use
whatever suits you best.
You will need to drill a small hole to bring
the gas line from the regulator into the fridge. Whether you choose the
side or back of fridge is up to you.
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NB: Make sure all power
is disconnected prior to drilling.
Try and use a drill bit just large enough
to allow gas line to fit snugly through hole. Before sealing gas line makes sure
there is sufficient length of line to reach out of the fridge.
NB: The wiring systems and cooling systems will vary from fridge
to fridge so take care when drilling any holes in your fridge.
If your keg
system is going to have a beer gun it's just a matter of cutting the beer line
to a length that suits you and attaching the gun to one end of the line and the
beer disconnect to the other. The length of line should be between 1.5 and 2
metres long. If you choose to have a tap, there are more holes to be drilled. As
stated before, take care when drilling. The position of the tap is your choice
again. If putting the tap on the door of the fridge, make sure there is enough
beer line so that the door can still be fully opened.
If deciding to put the
tap on the door, when you tighten the back nut it may collapse the interior of
the door. We have found a small length of PVC pipe pushed over the shank of the
tap allows the tap to be tightened so that it is secure, without damaging the
interior.
FILLING THE KEG:
Ferment
your beer in the normal way. Once fermentation is completed it is time to clean
and sterilise the keg. There are a number of cleaners/sanitisers you can use for
your keg, including So2, Morgans’ Sanitize or PSR (we recommend the use of
Country Brewer Keg Cleaner to clean dirty kegs). These cleaners are used the
same way that you would sterilise your bottles. The transferring of the beer to
the keg is as simple as racking directly into the keg via a piece of clear
tubing, cut to length so that it reaches from the tap of the fermenter to the
bottom of the keg.
You will notice that there is a tube in the keg running
from the top of the keg to the centre of the bottom. This is called the Dip
Tube; this is how the beer is drawn from the keg. There is also another tube
that is quite short in length. This is the Co2 inlet, where the Co2 is injected
into the beer.
Your keg should be filled to approximately 12-25 mm (1/2 to 1
inch) from the bottom of this tube.
Now the keg is full replace the hatch
cover and move keg to fridge. Assuming your gas line was cut to length it should
be long enough to reach outside the fridge so you can connect it to the gas
bottle. Turn the gas bottle on and set pressure on regulator to between 10 and
15 psi and connect the gas line to keg.
What we have to do now is purge the
air from the headspace of the keg and replace it with CO2. This is done to
protect the beer from oxidisation. By lifting the pressure release valve the CO2
will flow into the keg and the air will flow out through this valve. This is called burping the keg and is best done in
three short bursts.
Depending on the clarity of the beer you can either go
straight to carbonating the keg or if beer is cloudy you can let it stand and
settle for about a week and then carbonate.
CARBONATING:
The
absorption of the CO2 into your beer can depend on many things, most
particularly the temperature of the beer, the pressure at which it is applied
and the length of time pressure is applied.
The CO2 will be absorbed at a
faster rate when the beer is cold (the beer will not absorb gas at room
temperature) so if you apply 31 psi (220kpa) continually for two days under
normal refrigeration temperature your beer should be ready to try.
We have
found that two days at this pressure gives the correct carbonation. Depending on
personal taste you may like more or less so there is some trial and error to
find what is best for you. eg. For an English type Bitter you may prefer a lower
rate of carbonation but on the other hand you may be making a German Weizen
which would be more effervescent so again the rate of carbonation is up to
you.
DISPENSING:
Now for the good part, pulling that first
beer.
First reduce your keg from carbonating pressure to dispensing pressure.
Do this by turning down the set screw on the regulator, if the pressure doesn't
come down as you turn the screw you may have to vent the keg using the safety
relief valve to release the excess pressure. A suggested dispensing pressure is
10 psi/70kpa.
Even though the beer that you kegged may have been clear you
will still get some sediment at the bottom of the keg, so the first glass may be
not what you expected. We suggest pulling a couple of glasses through until it
clears. Whether using a gun or a tap always dispense with it fully open, if it's
used part way opened you will end up with all froth and no beer.
Dispensing,
like carbonating, can be trial and error. Plenty of practice will see your
right!
Having installed a keg system in your own home you have come a long
way from the teaspoon of sugar in a long neck, and it should give you many years
of enjoyment.
*To convert psi to kpa multiply psi x 7 =
kpa
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