Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Discussions about beer and wine making.

Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby MickJ » Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:32 pm

Hi
While in an HBS got two boxes of Mangrove Jacks Porter on special at $20 each. I just love Porter type beers but it's been six years since I have done a brew......
So I started by making that old bar fridge into a temperature controlled heat /cool fridge with a STC-1000 and a fish tank heater.........
Cut a hole in top of fridge as fermenter just fits in and the trap door was a good idea but lucky I used tin snips and found the gas pipe.
If I use 330ml bottles and sugar drops I will get sediment in the bottle like the old days....
So carbonation is the next and best way to do it.....

Now my main question is ???
How to Carbonate about 60 small bottles....
Keg King today told me if I get the beer to 1c to 3c it will absorb the CO2 better and use the 19 litre kegs and fittings, but I want to start slowly before getting too much gear...
I can borrow a Soda Stream with the 60L gas cylinder, but the owner said if the water is very cold the metal tube and or the water will ice up..... and will the beer keep enough gas in it if I cap it immediately....
Any ideas as I will be beer drinking till I get one of my still builds done.....

MickJ
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby 1 2many » Wed Jan 21, 2015 4:55 pm

I wouldn't go there with the soda stream if I where you. :laughing-rolling:

And stuff carbonating 60 or more stubbies been there. :angry-banghead:
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby bt1 » Wed Jan 21, 2015 5:26 pm

Yeh bottles way to hard ....the HBS advice doesn't take into account effort and having to live with cleaning etc.

A soda stream would "erupt" a bottle it would be every where.

Got 14 ball lock kegs that I rotate through, quick, low effort, naturally primed with Dex so rarely need CO2 other than last 2 + lts to dispense= reduced costs & a better beer

Good thing about naturally carb'd it lasts and the bubble is finer than CO2/Beer gas mix force carb'd.

Starting and staying simple is a keg imho... Bottles you just run plain out of energy/motivation.


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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby P3T3rPan » Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:06 pm

yeah stuff the bottles
kegs are so much easier it keeps you making beer
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby peterhobit » Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:59 pm

Nothing wrong with a bit of yeast sediment in your beer, so go with the sugar in the bottles or grade up to kegs, after the first two beers mine are nice and clear, I naturally carbonate my kegs and am very happy with the product I make. Also go all grain, you will never drink canned kits again. I have a soda stream connected to a 6 kg Co2 cylinder, and I make great soda water with it, that goes down a treat mixed in with the spirits and bitters I make. Cheers and nice to meet you.
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby MickJ » Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:51 pm

Some good things here
“kegs are so much easier it keeps you making beer”
“Bottles you just run plain out of energy/motivation.”

bt1
P3T3rPan
peterhobit
bottles are a lot of work and one reason to give up brewing along with German beers at $32 & $40 a case...........
The reason trying to keep away from kegs was the need for gas and all fittings needed...


So if I had say two 19 litre kegs and primed with Dextrose and a beer gun I could have two types of beer


Don't think I will ever get to grain brewing, we can get Fresh Wort Kits made in Brisbane so want to try them next......................
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby bt1 » Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:42 am

Mick,

your about right.. I just need to say some CO2 is needed occasionally. To give you an idea my small CO2 bottle = 2.6kg . It will do 22 - 25 plus kegs.

Most gas used is for burping the kegs to expel air when kegging the beer.

I don't want you to think you need no gas at all cos you will.

On that issue Keg King sell mini regs and dispensers you simply click on that would do as a starter all up <$60 including CO2 11 - 15gm cartridges = portables, great for parties take a keg any where.

bt1

Edit: Oops, yes each keg would be a different beer and share the same beer gun.... consider the Bronco picnic type taps they are about $8 is all that's needed to start with
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby MickJ » Fri Jan 23, 2015 9:13 pm

bt1
P3T3rPan
peterhobit


OK I am coming around to the 19 litre kegs and a little gas to keep me brewing beer.....
Is this about the right way to do it....

1 You brew the beer.
2 Drop the temperature to about 3c to help clear the beer.
3 Put either liquid or dry dextrose in keg.
4 Tansfer beer to keg.
5 Fit lid use CO2 to expel the air.
6 Naturally prime at room temperature.
7 Return to fridge and drink and only wash you glass..................

Looked at a few things today on Keg King site.

1 small charge kit 16g cartridge $20 = no regulator
2 Premium Regulated charger 16g also...now this would be better but how long would gas last..
if bt1 uses 2.6kg ( 2600g) on 22 kegs = 118g per keg so I would need bigger 400g 60L bottle would only do 4 kegs or get a 2.6kg................

Thanks :text-thankyoublue: :text-thankyoublue:
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby HoochHound » Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:20 am

I'll go against the dominant opinion.

Yes bottles are a complete pain in the arse, but you can't stick a keg in the esky and take it with you to a BBQ.

Rack the beer off, bulk prime and bottle. It reduces sediment significantly, allows you to stick some of your brew away for a rainy day and you can take it with you so you don't have to drink VB or similar dreck at someone elses place.
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby Plumby » Sat Jan 24, 2015 9:36 am

HoochHound wrote:I'll go against the dominant opinion.

Yes bottles are a complete pain in the arse, but you can't stick a keg in the esky and take it with you to a BBQ.

Rack the beer off, bulk prime and bottle. It reduces sediment significantly, allows you to stick some of your brew away for a rainy day and you can take it with you so you don't have to drink VB or similar dreck at someone elses place.

:text-+1:
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby bt1 » Sun Jan 25, 2015 6:27 am

Howdy,

If you need portability for a party, I simply grab 2lt ex coke soft drink bottles, wash, sterilise, fill from tap, use a $15 bottle cap to re gas the coke bottle, good shake for CO2 to dissolve, re chill a bit re gas for a top up, jobs done.
Coke bottles are way cheaper than PET, you can dispose of easily, no worrying about collecting empties.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CARBONATION-CAP-BOTTLE-HOME-BREW-BEER-SODA-CO2-CARBON-DIOXIDE-CARBONATOR-PET-/111566742544?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item19f9e56410

For larger shows got 2 x 9lt kegs, dispense with air by way of a high pressure bicycle pump with gas non return valve works a treat.

1 You brew the beer. If it's a lager it's already around 12c for two weeks
2 raise the temp to 20c for two days for diacetyl rest and dry hopping for aroma hops if wanted = craft styles mainly.
3 Drop the temperature to about 4- 5c to help clear the beer, or cause yeast to hibernate so you can manipulate the finishing gravity. A low FG beer is a very dry bastard to drink.
You can rack to a secondary fermenter for lagering period but not essential
4 Purge the keg for beer transfer
5 Tansfer beer to keg.
6 Put pre dissolved dex in keg gradually to avoid a volcano of beer flowing across you kitchen floor.
7 Fit lid, test seal roll keg x 5 use CO2 to expel the air.
7 store for at least a week prefer 2 for dry hopped bright lagers, longer for IPA's and heavier beers
8 Chill overnight, dispense

that a better list for mine. Clearly different beer styles have slight variations but you learn that as you go along. On the gas use calc I reckon a good third of my gas would go on PET bottles and soda water.

cheers
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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby bt1 » Sun Jan 25, 2015 6:37 am

Oops just a quick idea...
There's a lot of fire mobs that will sell you a re valved fire extinguisher or you can buy the valves = about half the cost of getting a dedicated CO2 cylinder.

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Re: Beer Carbonation Advice Required

Postby choppy » Sun Jan 25, 2015 7:17 am

You can also get a soda stream adaptor and take you keg in a plaster bucket and use the soda stream bottle as your gas supply.

I regularly supply kegs for family or mates parties and this works great.

Also, as BT suggested, the fizz caps which allow you to fill a coke bottle from your keg and gas it via your keg gas supply fitting. (a beach fishing essential)

Something like this (although I don't not endorse this as the best place to get them)

http://newcastlebrewshop.shop033.com/p/ ... -caps.html
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