New kegger need help

[Shanus]

i just bought a second hand keg setup which im very happy with just and have a couple of questions i need to find out
im looking foward to pouring my first beer

1. whats the best way of cleaning the kegs(the guy i bought them from had beer left in them i have emptyed some and left ones that where full is there any problems leaving kegs empty with the lids of)?

2. is there any good ways of cleaning the walls of kegs i have the old coca cola kegs that you cant get a hand in?

3. whats the best way of testing all the gear so i know it is fine? (would it be ok to fill the kegs with water then conect my air conpressor up to them to make sure they hold pressrue?)

4. i can get a co2 and nitreogen mix bottle from the pub i work at is that good to use or should i use just straight co2? (im brewing corona extra and ciders)

5. is it possable to force carbonated a cider and still get it as good as it comes out of a bottle?

[regan]

1. there is products for keg cleaning a brew shops, what i buy and use is basicly the active ingreedient in napisan without the aroma. give them a good rince out maybe some boiling water or your favoraite fermenter sanitizer for now untill you get your hand on some of that. you wouldnt leave your empty fermenter with the lid off to go mouldy would you?

2. there are breat big bottle brushes out there but i dont own one, the keg cleaning product has always done it for me (my kegs arived clean)

3. sure you could but dont waste too much water on them... 30psi is more then they should ever need to hold, less if you chose not to do fast force carbonating.

4. it works, its more for stouts to get the creamy head but if it comes at the right price and your happy with it why then hell not. give it a go. worst case is you fail and have something drinkable but not exactly what you want then end up paying for strait co2 later.

5. yes, and as with anything in a keg, once you sort things out it should be even better.

[drsmurto]

i just bought a second hand keg setup which im very happy with just and have a couple of questions i need to find out
im looking foward to pouring my first beer

1. whats the best way of cleaning the kegs(the guy i bought them from had beer left in them i have emptyed some and left ones that where full is there any problems leaving kegs empty with the lids of)?

2. is there any good ways of cleaning the walls of kegs i have the old coca cola kegs that you cant get a hand in?

3. whats the best way of testing all the gear so i know it is fine? (would it be ok to fill the kegs with water then conect my air conpressor up to them to make sure they hold pressrue?)

4. i can get a co2 and nitreogen mix bottle from the pub i work at is that good to use or should i use just straight co2? (im brewing corona extra and ciders)

5. is it possable to force carbonated a cider and still get it as good as it comes out of a bottle?

1. Napisan and hot water. Scented or unscented it makes bugger all difference to its cleaning capability!

2. No need. Soak with the above overnight. Mine were full of pepsi syrup, clean as the next day.

3. hook up your gas bottle? you will need one anyway so why not wait till you have one?

4. No. Unless you want very low carbonated corona and cider. ewwwwww! As regan said, they are designed for stouts, red ales etc. Go straight CO2.

5. i have a cider in a keg now that was force carbed. I wouldnt recommend anyone starting out in the world of kegging to prime their kegs with sugar a la bottles.

[Chris]

I fully agree with you on force carbing Doc. I don't know where this idea that using sugar to carb kegs is better came from.

[Shanus]

Thank you for this help i look foward to trying a kegged beer in about a month

[drsmurto]

I fully agree with you on force carbing Doc. I don't know where this idea that using sugar to carb kegs is better came from.

From those wishing to make 'real' ales..... Some people claim they can tell the difference. i doubt it very much. CO2 is CO2.

I just dont see the point of going to the effort to condition beer, get it nice and bright and then prime it. One bump of the keg and you pour cloudy beer.

[lethaldog]

I thought it was just a tight arsed way of not using as much co2
(no i dont prime with sugar )

[Chris]

If people want 'real' ales, they should drop the brewing sugar cr@p and use all malt! And that includes for priming the keg.

I think Lethal's right on this one too.

[PaulSteele]

From those wishing to make 'real' ales..... Some people claim they can tell the difference. i doubt it very much. CO2 is CO2.

CO2 is CO2, agreed. but wouldn't the fermentation that produces the CO2 in a primed beer create the perceptible flavour difference in the primed keg?

I haven't tried it and i don't plan to anytime soon, but I wouldn't discredit it without doing the experiment (I just like experiments, really).

Besides, I think making "Real Ale" is a noble pursuit, however misplaced some people's methods are.

[Shaun]

Quick one on cleaning kegs. It is not recommended to use a chlorine based sanitizers. If left in contact with SS the chlorine will cause it to corrode.

[drsmurto]

From those wishing to make 'real' ales..... Some people claim they can tell the difference. i doubt it very much. CO2 is CO2.

CO2 is CO2, agreed. but wouldn't the fermentation that produces the CO2 in a primed beer create the perceptible flavour difference in the primed keg?

I haven't tried it and i don't plan to anytime soon, but I wouldn't discredit it without doing the experiment (I just like experiments, really).

Besides, I think making "Real Ale" is a noble pursuit, however misplaced some people's methods are.

Real ale is a concept, a tradition. It was done that way in prehistoric times.... according to CAMRA, a real ale must be naturally primed and served via a handpump. As much as i loved 'real ales' when living in the UK, the strict definition leads me to define those doing the defining as anally retentive....

[Chris]

It's great when someone else does it for you... like the Wig and Pen for example...