How to Keg Homebrew.

[@TerenceGardner]

Still the best vid I've seen on this subject. Sometimes reading the crazy graphs on desired volumes of CO2, temperature, and PSI setting can just be a bit overwhelming for the beginner. This is the most simple and effective way to get the results you want!

[@BillGarza]

I'm an old alternative music lover and totally was diggin your sub pop sticker along with your great beer info. Just started brewing this week and got an aluminum carboy in a your sale and just finished fermenting my first IPA so am ready to clean up my equipment and hookup the simple CO2 system, thanks again!

[@RichardCockerill]

best video i've seen on doing bottling and kegging and sanitizing so far

[@donosborn]

Thanks for the nice comments Richard. I'm glad you found it useful and you like the style. Hope your brewing is going well. Cheers.

[@MisterEMisterX]

Excellent video, thanks for that. I like your idea of bottling a few for later drinking or in my case easy transport & sharing. Also like that you have 3 pints poured in preparation for your kegging process!

[@donosborn]

@ericyyz9 I have a 3 way splitter inside of the fridge. One gas line goes onto that, and then there are three outs. But since I have 4 kegs, one of the lines out is further split into two, with a plastic T splitter. Hope that makes sense. I only have one regultator so they are all on the same psi setting. When I crank it up to 30 psi, I make sure the other lines are closed and the only open one is to the new keg. hope that clears it up. cheers.

[@dannymosquito]

Hey thanks heaps for taking the time to make this video mate.... Thats brilliant dude - you're like the beer king... I was content just to do my home brew and bottle but not any more you've given me the incentive to take it to the next level. Now I just wonder if my wife will be cool with me drilling a few holes in the spare fridge :)

[@donosborn]

@kpot2004 I use Muntons Carb Tabs. they work all right. I use them when bottling at kegging time. For competitions though I have filled bottles out of a tap, essentially (little more to it than that). But yeah, they work pretty well. Give them a try.

[@scottjosling86]

Your kegging technique is so easy, and great that I have used it for my first two kegs. First one turned out fine, and kegged a 7.2%ABV Double APA last night. Can't wait to try it.

[@donosborn]

Scott Josling Sounds yummy. Glad the vid helped out. Cheers.

[@ryankim3612]

Thank you for taking the time to make another really good vid bud. You're very helpful.

[@donosborn]

@kmosh2 My 5# tanks lasts me about a year before having to refill it. Maybe just over. I do not use it to push water or flush kegs/carboys, etc. I just use it to carbonate and dispense beer/cider. cheers.

[@dtadpole]

Great vid don.. Love to see you doing videos of beer stuff. Need to see another of you actually brewing i enjoyed them. Nice fridge also!!

[@donosborn]

@dbd1964 I From what I learned, most likely the chilling coils would not be in about the center of the side. Some fridges have obvious chilling things on the back. That might be my case. Maybe give a call or two to an appliance store. But anyway, i learned that I should probably be safe, and I was. Oh, I also tried to just break through with a small drill bit first and then poke a nail in there to see if it was "clear." then drill all the way through. glad to hear about the beer.

[@donosborn]

@aceher4life Most people don't do the primary fermentation in a keg, but you could skip a secondary and go straight to the keg after primary fermentation is done. The problem is kegs are only 5 gallons, and if you are trying to ferment 5 gallons of beer, the krausen (foaming bubbles on the top) need some headspace. If you hooked up a blow off tube to a keg, you would probably lose 1/2 gallon of beer I'd guess. Hope that helps.

[@donosborn]

@BaileyForLife I do not use that kind but they must have a pull relief valve. If not, you can still put in some CO2, and let the air "out," before clamping the lid down. Otherwise, ask on a forum and someone might know. I have Pepsi kegs. Glad you like the vid. cheers.

[@ryann.9072]

Good vid!!! You're the only one I've seen who safeguards the tank valve from falling and breaking off the tank valve. You don't want to see what the tank does if you break off the valve.

[@donosborn]

Thanks man.

[@trenchtown889]

phish tee and on the stereo. bravo. thanks for the tips. i'm about to begin kegging for the first time today!

[@Abeyptfc]

hi, great video, what a cool kegerator you've got! see when you have the gas set at 30 PSI for 2 days then change down to 10 PSI, do you not have to let the pressure out a little of the keg to prevent the beer going up the gas line?thanks. mark,.

[@cornwejf]

Really dig your videos. I am kegging my first IPA in two weeks and have a good understanding of the basic process. It really is quite simple... and I find it really ironic that "simple" is playing at the very beginning of your video. One small note that I might add that might help your process is to vent the keg a little bit more. With that much head space in the keg I think a couple of burps is not enough to completely evacuate all air, maybe burp for 5 seconds or so. Just a thought.

[@Cambone13]

@donosborn very true. sweet setup btw. and bonus points for patersbier on tap.

[@cornwejf]

no, no mention of that show, I just remember that one because I went to it and it was my birthday. The riff you hear in your vid from DWD is pretty distinct, and I just remembered it. It was an amazing show... Highly recommend getting the DVD for that one just for the funkified sneakin sally that they threw down. Anyway, sorry to go off topic there but, on a side note, I am gonna start posting some vids of my brewing en devours; you have inspired me.

[@donosborn]

@rkiseriii Absolutely. There is enough pressure in any of the kegs for multiple pints to come out of each. That lowers the psi in those kegs, but once you open the CO2 lines back up, they will eventually equalize back to whatever you set the regulator at (10 psi for me). So yeah, you can still pull pints off for the 24-48 hours that you have the lines shut off. cheers.

[@donosborn]

@cornwejf I don't know how much I vent here, but I usually give it 8-10 pulls, which probably equates to about 5 seconds. Glad you like the vid. Never thought about "Simple" meaning "simple" in this case. :)

[@33apd]

@BaileyForLife Some kegs do have a safety valve on top, which automatically vents above a certain pressure. Unfortunately these valves are emergency-only, so if you want to vent your keg you'll still have to remove your gas line and pull the old screwdriver trick. Just make sure it's your gas line because if you try that with your beer line you're going to spray the ceiling with beer!

[@donosborn]

@rrg019000 No. What I have done is closed the other two air lines coming out of my manifold splitter. So after it has been at 30 psi for 1-2 days, I turn the psi down, and then "open" those other air lines, and the pressure sort of equilibrilizes. Then I raise it until it is around 10 psi again and leave it. :)

[@donosborn]

Ha, right on. I love it when a fan picks up on one thing or another. It's fun to throw that stuff in there for whoever might like it. Thanks for the comment. cheers.

[@FernandezCycles]

I noticed you had the New Glarus in the vid! I am in Milwaukee and am a soon to be brewer! I wanna keg up my good's and I plan on using your vids to help me on my journey! Diggin the videos man! Wish me luck! (fingers crossed!)

[@dbd1964]

Another great video Don! One thing that peaked my interest was the hole in the side of the frige for your pressure line.. Did you research where to drill or just take a shot in the dark? I want to do the same with mine but am a bit worried about hitting a coolant line. BTW. The first all grain I did following your procedures was fantastic. I didn't hit the target OG/FG but it was some of the best beer ever. Thanks!

[@FernandezCycles]

Man I love it here, its funny that your in Oregon. I am from California but I lived about 20 minutes from the border of Oregon (Brookings). I really miss the area and the ocean, but I enjoy life no matter where I am. I am going to attempt cask brews as soon as the funds come together. Spotted Cow style clone will be first in line when I get everything settled in the new place in Glendale. As for now I'm brewing a special batch of Graf. Should be ready to go (and hopfully drinkable) by Turkey day

[@BaileyForLife]

I'm about to keg my first batch and I have a corny keg that was from coke and it doesn't have a pressure release ring on it just 3 holes. How do I bleed the air our of it? I was told that cokes kegs only have a emergency pressure release? Great Vid by the way, great job in showing things up close and detailed

[@donosborn]

@Cambone13 how so? the sample glasses? if so, dang you're a critic. they were clean enough. cheers.

[@donosborn]

@jswanson737 Not really. I just use whatever the standard tubing that NB sells for a keg tapping kit (originally came with picnic taps). "Contains a ball lock liquid/out disconnect, a plastic faucet head, 5 feet of 3/16" tubing. This causes a flow resistance of 10 psi and reduces foam in the glass."

[@MrSweetWort]

Alpine FYF? Nice vid Don! Keep spreading the good word!

[@donosborn]

@kpot2004 You can serve it right away, but it will take a week + to get fully carbonated. I leave it at 30 psi for about a day, turn it down, hook up the beverage out tubing, and start drinking it right away. (Oh, I lower the pressure to 10 psi at that time). It will not be fully carbonated, but it will have some carbonation, and it is drinkable. :)

[@jswanson737]

Great video man, I love the way you make things realistic and simple. I have read quite a bit about "no-foam" tubing, and the huge difference that 3/16" ID tubing makes vs. 1/4" ID. Any opinions on this? I'm a little weary that my first kegging adventure might be marred by Ace Hardware 1/4" ID tubing...

[@donosborn]

It depends on the beer style, but not on the fact that it is in a keg. That is a really big fresh hoppy IPA starts tasting not quite as good after 4-6 weeks, but the beer will still be good for months. Most of my beers are in the keg for a 2-3 months before they empty out. cheers.

[@7DeFinitive7]

Another top video, thanks. For my first ever batch and kegging I force carbed at 30psi, rocked it back and forth for a few mins, maybe I'll just do it your way, 30psi for a day or two then 10-12psi serving pressure.

[@donosborn]

I'm sure there are plenty of diff ways to do it. You'll figure out what you like best and are comfortable with and there you go. Glad you like the vids. Cheers.

[@paulmckinnon2735]

I just purchased a keg kit and will try your method good work.

[@bigfatkeeper]

We have to meet that fridge on our next trip to MN. Great Vid as usual. I noticed there was still quite a bit of star san foam in the keg. Thats no big deal right? Just curious.

[@donosborn]

@kpot2004 No i don't. that will be absorbed by the beer because it will not be fully carbonated in that time. I open up my other lines (to the other kegs, I close them when ramping up the psi so high to the new keg) and then the regulator drops. I adjust it to be about 10 and then just leave it. It might take a little tweaking over the next few days up or down but its not a big deal. good luck.

[@donosborn]

@aldojags No I don't have to do that. I turn off the gas to the other kegs when I have the new keg set to 30 psi. Otherwise after one day or two, I turn the psi down, then open up the gas to the other kegs, and it works just fine. cheers.

[@acharles331]

Great video, very informative. First time brewer, I have been reading and doing research on the process of brewing beer. Seems like a pretty straight forward process. What would you say are common first timer brewing mistakes people make? Any pointers for me? Does the beer wart ferment in the keg or does it sit in a car boy first?

[@donosborn]

Most beginners ferment in plastic buckets, but yes either a bucket or carboy for fermenting the wort. As for tips, make sure everything is 1) clean and then 2) sanitized. Read and follow directions. Watch the fermentation temperature so it doesn't get too cold or too hot, based on what yeast strain you have (you have probably a 10 degree window). Otherwise, try to Relax, Not Worry, and have a Homebrew (as Charlie Papazian says).

[@donosborn]

@cornwejf It sounds like DWD for sure. Did i say in the vid if I was listening to some show that I had been at? If so, it's possible. Otherwise I guess I'm not sure.

[@MoskiHomebrew]

nice classic shoreline brewery sticker too! I grew up in that area! Good video, and info too!

[@donosborn]

Cool you are from there. Some friends and I did a Midwest Brewery tour a number of years ago and we stopped there. Glad you like the vid.

[@graymalkin26]

Great video...question for you, if you leave for a week and detach, how does carbonation hold up using a picnic dispenser for an evening, planning an outdoor bbq.

[@donosborn]

If you have everything properly set up it will hold pressure indefinitely I imagine. That is, if you take off the CO2 line in, or the beverage line out, the seal in the poppets should spring up, and keep the seal true. It should not lose CO2 pressure.

[@rb8058]

Nice video! Do you ever sugar prime your kegs instead of force carbonating?

[@donosborn]

I did it one time as an experiment. It did get carbonated. But then of course you put it on gas to keep dispensing. Maybe it would be something to try again for fun, to see if the carbonation "feels" any different, but yeah I only did it once. Cheers.

[@esetter86]

Don, what is your opinion of the carb tabs? I started kegging but would still like to bottle at least a 6 pack for competitions. Seems like people either love them or hate them.

[@donosborn]

I don't see how that would make a difference. The only air you will have is the air between the top of the beer and the cap. The rest of it gets pushed out either way. Do you mean because of the initial "splashing" that might occur? If so, I have never noticed it and I've been bottling 4-6 bottles for each batch this way for maybe 7 years.

[@donosborn]

@xxparsley I know you do. I think of you when putting the Phish on in the background. You are the number one guesser I think. :) The first song you hear (over a few clips) you might be able to guess. It's from early August 2010. Yeah the hair is getting long. 1.5 years now. Oh, same camera. Same settings. It does a reasonable job for a point and shoot digital. Canon Powershot 870 IS.

[@donosborn]

@EclecticDiscus Glad you like the vid. As for nitro, I'm not a huge fan. I think it makes all beers served on it to have a similar taste. From Bodingtons to Guinness to Shakespeare Stout, they lose some of their individual character and just become a "nitro creamy beer" to me. Plus, it costs a lot, and I would need a beer gas mix (different regulator, canister, etc etc). So that is your answer. :)

[@ateurtrk79]

I saw how your CO2 line goes through the side of the fridge. How did you figure out where to drill and not hit any cooling lines?

[@maxmorter]

i miss living in wisconsin being back in oregon is sad because we cant get spotted cow i found a few close clone recipes though

[@donosborn]

@charliehart83 No you do not have to do that for a keg. You have a CO2 tank that puts CO2 into the beer. You can "prime" a keg like you prime bottles if you want, but most people who keg do not do that. cheers.

[@brianwillit6752]

nice starflyer 59 sticker! do you keep the pressure at 10 psi until keg has been fully dispensed?

[@donosborn]

Yes. I just run it at 10-12 for regular serving. I only have it cranked up to ~30 (with all other lines to other kegs closed) for a day or so on a new keg to jump start the carbonation process. Cheers. Glad you like the sticker. :)

[@brianwillit6752]

great. I have retired from bottling and am getting ready to transfer an IPA to keg for the first time. great video. Cheers!

[@cornwejf]

Also, near the end of you video is that DWD from 8/14/10 at Alpine?

[@donosborn]

You could naturally carbonate in a keg. It would be like a bg bottle conditioning process. But then to dispense you would eventually need more CO2 to push it out. The only option to this would be if you were to put it in a cask, naturally carbonate it, and then let gravity pour it out. the problem would be it would lose carbonation quickly and you would want to drink it pretty much in 1-2 days. Cheers.

[@donosborn]

@MrSweetWort Holy smokes, what a most excellent call! You are dead on. Good ears.

[@Cambone13]

@donosborn see how the bubbles stick the sides of the glass around 0:10 ? clear sign of dirty glasses. usually the dishwasher is the culprit.

[@donosborn]

@melvinvswaldo That would not be advisable for long term storage because you would be oxidizing it. It might be ok for a couple weeks but would start tasting worse. Even if you used a counter pressure filler (co CO2 is involved), I don't think it is preferable to bottle conditioning for long term aging. And if you do use one, it's rather complicated, more so than just bottling a few at kegging time, imho. :) cheers.

[@donosborn]

@cp5027 Mine are in the fridge, but they would not have to be (to get carbonated).

[@sirtom68]

You have some good videos bro. I enjoy learning. Question, this is a pretty old video, so do you still stand by using starsan pre mixed? I mean, would you say it can be used over several times before flushing it down the drain? A lot of debate about that. I think I trust your judgment. Would like to know if you have changed your mind, or if you still use it like that with no problems. Thanks for the videos. Nice to see people who know what they are doing.

[@donosborn]

Thanks. Oh yes, most definitely. I am unaware of any debate whatsoever on this? What I was told is you can take a pH strip and measure it. As long as it is a certain level of acidity, it is "good" to sanitize. I would say I probably use it for brew day, racking, and kegging for at least 2 batches, maybe 3. So that is, say, 6-9 times before I decide to make a new batch. Now, you do have to keep it clean, so to speak, but if it is, you can use it many times over. cheers.

[@esetter86]

Don, after you have it set at 30 PSI for a day and a half do you have to vent the keg before you set it to serving PSI?

[@kmosh2]

I see your using a 5# co2 tank, how long does a tank like that last you before needing to refill.

[@donosborn]

@Cambone13 Yes I know about bubbles on the sides of glasses. They were "clean" but just not superbly clean. I guess if that is the worst criticism I receive (for something as trivial as that), I'm doing all right. :)

[@FrankBlood]

+1 for the phish tee! thanks for the great videos, brother.

[@h00dsy1]

Thanks for sharing man, great vid for a noob taking the keg plunge. Sick setup btw!

[@donosborn]

I'm glad it was helpful. Good luck with your kegging. Thanks.

[@cogeek797]

Old video. Love the shom. This popped up on vids I may like. Weird how you can veg out on videos about things that you've done a million times. Glad to see I'm not the only one who bottles a few bottles before throwing the rest in the keg. Noticed your old kegerator has a Wilbur's sticker. Let me know if you want a new one for your new fridge. Maybe we can do a sticker trade

[@donosborn]

Thanks for the comment. I couldn't even say where I would have gotten that sticker, probably someone sent it to me. My current beer fridge is pretty caked in stickers from a call out I did where I asked people to send them to me to put on it. I will admit I got out of the bottling habit. I found I had all this really old beer around that I forgot about and it wasn't that great. I decided I'd rather just have a few more glasses of it out of the keg. But it is a fun idea. Cheers.

[@cogeek797]

@@donosborn Totally get it. Luckily I live in Wyoming and it is actually my brother that lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Usually the bottled beer I will send home with him or save it for camping and hunting trips when hauling a keg around isn't an option.

[@bananaman752]

i am a home brewer and i'm some what new still, i started out with extract kits and i am doing pretty damn good with it, i am about 10 kits in and everyone was pretty damn good..my question is do you have a video on how you built you kegerator?

[@donosborn5411]

Sounds good. As a matter of fact I do. Search YT for donosborn beer fridge and it should come up. Cheers.

[@rkiseriii]

While you have the keg pressure turned up to 30 and the others are shut off, is it possible to still dispense beer from the other kegs?

[@TheRoastGlint]

"Lets Keg a Stout!" I find myself saying that in my head all time. Like a song that gets stuck in your head. Make some t-Shirts donosborn I will gladly buy one.

[@donosborn]

Ha. Funny. Well, I would not hold your breath for a shirt. :) But thanks.

[@RichardCockerill]

i like your way of doing things

[@jwupun]

This maybe a silly question but can you keg and dispense without a CO2 system?

[@donosborn]

@dannymosquito Glad it has inspired you. Good luck with the spousal clearence. That is often the hardest part. :) Oh, I just made a "how to make a kegerator video" too.

[@donosborn]

@th1nonlydg88 Got that from my VT beer buddy. :)

[@Play_Nice]

thank you for this video, I'm about to keg for the first time and I found this video very helpfuk.

[@Play_Nice]

helpful*

[@donosborn]

+Gregory Bimbiras glad to hear it. good luck with your kegging.

[@atlehman69]

You're a Wisco native I'm assuming with the New Glarus 6 pack. Same here, I'm from Appleton. Anyway, love the vids, thank you and keep it up.

[@donosborn5411]

Thanks man. Yup, spent most of my life in Amery. So I make it back there several times a year and pick up New Glarus. Go Packers.

[@Homebrew58]

you only need to wet the surface of your equipment with starsan. I only pour a cup or so into my kegs and then swirl it around. You can make up much less solution at a time.

[@ConcreteScout]

How long will a keg like that, stay fresh for in the fridge?

[@donosborn]

@dimebaggdaniel New Glarus is one of my favorite all around breweries. I like most of the normal stuff, and I really like all of the experimental Thumbprint and R&D stuff they do. Dan is the man! Good luck with kegging and brewing. cheers.

[@donosborn]

@bigfatkeeper Yeah you will have to meet it. :) No big deal on the foam. If you think of how much liquid all that foam would condense down to, and then if you think about how much actual star san chemical would be in that small amt of liquid (you use 1 oz of chemical in 5 gallons of water), the amount that would be there is negligible, and does not affect the taste at all. cheers.

[@paulgledhill6781]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasmitchell2011]

I noticed that with your sanitizer, you never actually rinse off any of the residue from your parts and tubing used with the keg. How important is it to ensure that I have gotten all sanitizer residue before it comes in contact with my wort? Or is really not a problem? I guess I have it in my head that sanitizer is a cleaning chemical and typically you wont want that in a beer you'd be drinking....

[@donosborn]

With Star San, no rinsing is necessary. The foam would contain such a small amt of chemical after it would go back into liquid that it is of no concern. It is common practice for that sanitizer, at least. Go read about if you need to rinse Star San and I think that is what you will find. Cheers.

[@donosborn]

Thanks. No need to do that. Remember, the beer has no pressure when you start, so having it at a higher pressure for a day or so is just bringing it up to "normal" beer pressure. It should not be excessively carbonated. Normally I just have it at 30 psi for maybe 24 hours. The beer is still kind of flat then, and will carbonate fully at the 10 psi after several more days (or a week). cheers.

[@d123p61]

Not kegging yet but this sure makes me want to .Cheers

[@danielwalters1151]

so u don't use bottling sugar,just c02?

[@charliehart83]

im very novice at brewing but when i bottled my first batch and i had to put the sugar in the batch in order to bottle to create the co2 right? do you have to do that for a keg?

[@JCHaywire]

15 minutes now allowed, dude! Ain't that great!

[@esetter86]

How long do you have to leave it at 10PSI before you server?

[@christophermallon7642]

When you test with ph strip what reading are you looking for ? Thanks

[@donosborn]

I found this: "Solution must remain at a pH at 3 or below to maintain proper sanitizing level." But I also saw someone say they believe that 3.5 or below is good enough.

[@erniecf]

Phish in the background, nice. Good vid man.

[@danielwalters1151]

I used a third cup of priming sugar.purged it,and set it aside.its not connected to co2

[@donosborn]

Right. I just hooked up the CO2 and eventually it carbonates.

[@musicbymark]

You really only need to get the surface wet - no need to FILL carboy or kegs. Just a cup / 5-10oz. of starsan is plenty... then shake it up and dump it. Just need to coat surfaces to sanitize. Most of my sanitizing of smaller surfaces is a quick dip or just spraying. I keep some in spray bottle all the time (I've verified this w/ makers of StarSan). Distilled water (w/o all the minerals that cause it to stale) will make starsan last forever. They say the clearness / clarity is what (also) indicates viability. Neat idae using litmus papers / testers. Have to try that.

[@donosborn]

***** Yeah I don't fill something all the way up (like I assume some people might). I usually do it half way then flip it. I also use star san for some time before retiring it. I'd say like 9 diff times maybe? But I hear you. Always different ways to do it. The main thing is to get it sanitized (after it's already clean of course). cheers.

[@donosborn]

Look for my "how to build a kegerator" video. In that vid I talk about that process. cheers.

[@reddogales9029]

Bloody great video/advice. Going to key my first ale today and will follow this Many thanks. Subbed

[@donosborn]

Glad you found it helpful. Man those glasses are dirty in the beginning. But hopefully the rest of it is solid advice. Cheers.

[@StratBeer]

Nice job on kegging Cheers

[@donosborn]

+Strat Beer Thank you.

[@planetscott1]

that first bottle will be oxidized. You should fill your hydrometer jar first so it can fill the tubing and bottling wands and remove the air to prevent the oxidation.

[@Matowix]

what do you think of plastic pet bottles for homebrew ?

[@donosborn]

+Matowix do you mean for storing? I guess I haven't thought about it. For long term storage you probably wouldn't want to use them, but if you just wanted to carbonate in some and drink, I suppose it would be ok. I have never thought about it though. Probably search Google for a better answer. :)

[@Matowix]

donosborn I use them for my beer. I noticed you do a few bottles each brew and wondered if you ever used the plastic because it's convenient but if you are keeping them for a year maybe glass is better.

[@donosborn]

+Matowix The ones I bottle are for longer term storage, so yeah I think glass is probably best.

[@donosborn]

@ernieball29 Thanks man. Cheers.

[@futureddshanley]

What a great video' and great backgroud music! PFL

[@donosborn]

Thanks! But, they were sample glasses, not full pints. :) cheers.

[@jordandelwell]

Which Phish album was this?

[@donosborn]

Took me a while to place it, but it's the Greek "Simple" from 08-06-2010. That is also the show with a super tight "Cities." If you're at all a fan but not familiar with that show, check it out. :)