How do I Keg my Beer? How do I Achieve The Desired

Kegging

First, make sure that your keg is clean. This is best accomplished by taking a tablespoon or so of a good cleanser, such as B-Brite, and putting it in the keg and filling it halfway with hot water. Close the keg, and shake it up real good. Put it on the floor and roll it back and forth to make sure the cleanser makes contact with all the surfaces.Then hook it up to your CO2 tank, and turn the pressure up to about 7-10 psi. Attach your beverage line and run the cleanser solution through it, out to the sink.Next, repeat the process just described, except this time use a sanitizer, such as IO Star, and use lukewarm water.

Then take the cover off of the keg and boil it in water for about 10 minutes. This not only sanitizes the lid, it also helps to make sure that the lid will get a good seal.

Now you are ready to rack your beer into the keg. For best results, we suggest having your beer chilled beforehand, to about 40 degrees. This will help to make sure the CO2 goes into solution more quickly. Now siphon into the keg just as you normally would, making sure all your equipment is sanitized. Now replace the lid, and your ready to carbonate.

Carbonating

Of the methods used to carbonate beer, the easiest and most consistent is as follows:

40 degrees, 40 lbs., 3 days.

In other words, chill your beer to 40 degrees before racking it into the keg.Then, attach your CO2 and turn the pressure up to 40 lbs.Then, simply leave it in the refrigerator at the same temperature for 3 days. You may want to taste it to check the carbonation level after 2 days; if it tastes good to you, you're done!

Forcing the CO2 into the solution is another method if you don't want to wait three days. This can be done by vigorously shaking the keg under pressure. The steps are outlined below:

Perform the steps described above, up until the point where you place the beer in the keg and put the lid on.Then, attach the CO2, turn the pressure up to 30 or 40 lbs., then lay the keg on it's side. Vigorously roll it back and forth, shaking up the beer inside for about three minutes.Release the pressure using the pressure relief valve. Do this gently, as beer may spray out of the valve.Turn the pressure down to 7-10 lbs., and draw off a sample.Repeat this process until the desired level of carbonation is reached.

The problem with this method is that it can be a little messy, and somewhat inconsistent. At first, the beer will come out VERY foamy, until the beer settles for a while. But, hey, if you find yourself in a beer emergency, this can work pretty well.