Beginner’s Guide to Kegging Home-brew [What It Is, And How to Make One]

Did you make this beer yourself? It’s superb! These are the words every homemade brewer wants to hear when other beer lovers sip their brew. Brewing is not just a process; it is a religion and a way of life for others.

As a first time brewer or kegger, there are several processes, information, and mannerism you must know before kegging (I understand you have several questions too, I will get to that)

Is Kegging Home-brew Worth It?

If you are a religious brewer, several people would have pitched in their two cents on what you do. You would have heard questions like:” Why Can’t You Get Your Brews from The Local Store?” “Have You tried bottling?” “Is kegging Homemade Brew Worth It?” To answer one of these highlighted questions, yes kegging homebrew is worth it, and here are the reasons.

Saves Time

Can you compare the time spent when filling a crate of 12oz bottles to filing just one keg? Every brewer understands the stress and time bottling consumes. An average keg can contain over 5 gallons of brew, while a bottle contains 12oz at most. Kegging allows you to focus on other activities rather than spending the entire day washing, sanitizing, distilling brews, and corking up bottles.

It is Tidier

Filling up bottles with beer is not only time-consuming but also messy. Over spilling due to bubbling of the beer and scattered beer bottles around that allow microorganisms to breed are some of the few problems bottling involves. As a homemade brewer, it is nearly impossible to sanitize a bottle properly; why not get a keg that will save you from the stress of filing and packaging.

Faster Beer Carbonation

Beer carbonation in bottling is done by priming each clean bottle with sugar. In kegging, it requires adjusting the pressure calibrator to your desired figure (most carbonation occurs around 20-40 PSI). From this explanation, which process is worth it? KEGGING OF COURSE. In kegging, beer carbonation only takes 12 hours or 3 days, while bottling takes a week or more.

Longer Shelf Life

Brews in kegs have a longer shelf life than brews in bottles.

For a pasteurized brew in a keg, the shelf life is around 90-120days,

For unpasteurized draft beer is around 45-50 days.

Kegging provides you a quality brew that can last for over 3 months. For a well-bottled beer, the average shelf life is lesser than kegging unless it is refrigerated constantly.

Kegs Are Indestructible

Did you hear that sound? You go down to the basement to see a batch of bottled brew shattered. You then wonder the cause of the explosion; is it too much priming sugar or an infection in the mix. For a beer to explode in a keg, the desired pressure should be around 120-130 PSI, and that is almost impossible. Even if the batch of brew reaches this pressure, the keg chamber will crack or leak rather than exploding into shreds.

Allows For Easy Secondary Fermentation

To brewing newbies, secondary fermentation is referred to as THE AGING PERIOD. It is this length of time whereby the beer ages (after the primary fermentation) after it is transferred to a secondary container. In bottling, after creating your perfect batch of beer, you are expected to transfer it into another container for secondary fermentation. Bottling requires the use of two or more containers, making it stressful and untidy. Kegs are big enough to contain massive brews, and it also allows for secondary fermentation. Kegging does not require extra containers and is less stressful, as it also serves as a dispensing unit.

Makes You Look Cool

Have you seen the beauty of a keg? The cylindrical vessel with its well-built and attached components? Although kegs’ primary use is for beer and brewing, we cannot dispute the fact that it adds to the beauty of a place. The presence of a brew keg speaks volume of your dedication to beer; the oohs and wows from your friends and families is definitely worth the price.

With these aforementioned benefits, I’m pretty sure any serious brewer will want to start kegging immediately.

What Do I Need for Kegging Homebrew?

A keg, yes, that’s right, you need a keg. Although a keg is the main equipment for kegging, other essential equipments contribute to successful brewing, and they include;

The Keg

It is popularly called Cornelius Keg or Corny for short. It is made of stainless steel and has two connections (or openings) called quick-disconnects. These openings allow tubes to be attached to them, and each tube openings have a different purpose. The first opening is for the tube that supplies CO2 into the keg for carbonation, while the other is for dispensing the keg into bottles or cups for drinking.

An average quick-disconnect has two types of locks; a ball lock or a pin lock. Usually, the measurement of a corny keg was 36 gallons, but, in the US, the average measurement of a keg is 5 gallons (maximum).

CO2 Tank

With great responsibilities come significant actions. If you like to go big, get a CO2 tank. They are perfect for brewers who own multiple kegs and weigh around 2.5 -20 pounds. The size of the tank depends on the number of kegs to be carbonated. A full tank should read 800-1000 PSI and should be refilled when the PSI drops to half or almost half of its initial value.

CO2 Regulator

A CO2 tank deals with the pressure that needs to be regulated constantly. A CO2 regulator is a valve that lowers and increases the released pressure when necessary. For successful beer carbonation, the supplied pressure must be ideal, and only a regulator can provide this ideal level of pressure. They come in different sizes and have two dials; one for regulating the supplied pressure and the other that reads the pressure available (whether 700,1000PSI, etc.)

Beer Dispenser

It is also called a beer faucet or tap. It allows you to dispense the brewed beer directly into your desired container.

Temperature Control Unit

This equipment is optional, and most brewers don’t own it. It determines the temperature of the brew, and it is cheap and very effective. It is excellent when you need to determine the temperature during fermentation.

Is kegging easier than bottling?

For old brewers who passed through the standard brewing ritual, you can attest that kegging is easier than brewing. To back this claim, lets quickly run through the normal process of bottling:

The first step is getting the bottles. Let’s admit; this is one of the most stressful parts of the process. Gathering bottles from the recycling box or from the old batch you brewed earlier or from a cookout you organized is highly time-consuming.

After a successful gathering, you then have to wash, de-label, separate the good from damaged bottles and finally sanitize (ugh! this process has already aged me).

Then, priming the sanitized bottles with sugar. Who wants a non -carbonated, bland, and non-foamy beer? (Not me tho). Every bottle needs to be correctly pre-primed before filling.

The filling is the following process that will test the will of any human. The need to avoid over-bubbling and spillage, the mess that dried beer creates, and the stickiness that follows are heart-wrenching. Then finally corking it up.

This entire process takes hours and requires extra effort, while kegging does not. Let’s look at the process of kegging:

Dissemble the keg before using. Before dissembling, the keg releases the unreleased pressure that has been trapped by rotating the valve (most kegs have this valve). When you disassemble, keep every part and ensure you remember how they were placed.

Wash and sanitize the keg after dissembling. No one wants the mess of their former brew tampering with their new one. Even if you have a new keg, clean it properly, as there are factory chemicals that may tamper with the quality of your batch.

I recommend using hot water and a detergent. The detergent should be eco-friendly and alkali to avoid a reaction with the stainless steel. The perfect detergent that suits this description is PWB (Powdered Brewer’s Wash). After creating a solution with hot water and PWB, soak the keg and the parts for some hours, preferably overnight. Then, rinse properly. Sanitize afterward by filling the keg with a water solution containing a good brewing sanitizer and water for some minutes.

Fill the clean keg with your brew.

This process is less stressful, tidy, and faster than bottling. So, yes, kegging is easier than bottling.

How To Fill a Keg with Homebrew?

So now you have this badass brew that needs to be kegged, and you are wondering how to go about it. Just follow these easy steps:

Filling a keg with a siphon

Okay, you know how to siphon your brews into bottles; this process is like it. The siphoning will take place through one of the quick disconnects from the fermenting vessels’ lid. Slowly remove the existing pressure in the keg by releasing the valve carefully; ensure you cover any hole or gaps on your fermenting vessel with a foil to avoid introducing oxygen into the brew. Insert your clean and sanitized hose into the keg, making sure the ends touch the bottom of the keg, and observe how the beer is transferring from your container.

Filling with a keg, a fermenting vessel that has a tap

The tap allows you to siphon easily without removing the lid of the vessel. It reduces the chances of oxygen being introduced into the fermented batch. In this process, release the existing pressure in the keg and insert the hoses to the tap of the fermenting vessel connecting it to the keg’s quick-disconnect. Note that if the PSI value of the keg is greater than the fermenting vessels’ value, siphoning will not take place, and the brew in the fermenter might be disturbed.

Note that when filling, do not overfill. Leave a certain amount of gap between the tip of the keg and the brew (I recommend filling ¾ of the keg). Overfilling can destroy your regulator, cause oxidation in the beer, and give room for the beer to bubble out through the dispensing disconnect.

Conclusion

Every brew lover should own a begging system at home. It is very efficient, cuts out all the stress bottling requires, and produces a well-carbonated brew with a longer shelf life. Although it costs a few hundred dollars, the function it performs supersedes its financial value.