To Prime, or Not to Prime

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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unlicensedbrewer
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To Prime, or Not to Prime

Post by unlicensedbrewer »

Hey everyone,
I am going to be switching to kegging my beer and had a few questions.

I was wondering whether or not to use priming sugar to help carbonate the beer, or just force the Co2.

If I was to age the beer for extended amounts of time, could I reduce or possibly eliminate the sediment?

I was also reading about the beergun, and just wanted to hear some thoughts on it. Thanx for any help...
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Legman
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Re:To Prime, or Not to Prime

Post by Legman »

I switched to kegging earlier this year, and it's great! :mrgreen:

There's no need to use priming sugar when you keg. Just force carbonate it.
Unless you filter (and there's really no need to), there will always be a small amount of sediment in whatever you put it in. If you use priming sugar, you may just produce more of it. Just rack carefully as possible.
When you keg, shorten your dip tube about a half an inch. This will help stop most of the sediment from coming up into your beer. The first pour usually has some in it, but after that, it's all good.

I rack mine from the fermenter to the keg and in about 2 weeks in the kegerator, it becomes crystal clear.
McGuireV10
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Post by McGuireV10 »

I'm very new to homebrewing but I have a keg fridge with two faucets, and I've been wanting to switch to the keg route fairly soon. Does the addition of all that priming sugar really contribute no taste to the final product? I always assumed it must alter the taste. No?
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brewmeisterintng
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No change

Post by brewmeisterintng »

The quantity of priming sugar (corn sugar) will have little to no impact on the flavor of the beer. There may be more sediment as result of the yeast activity. Some folks are concerned about using sugar and use DME to prime. I keg and use CO2 only as it keeps the process simple. Transfer to keg, bleed of air, leave for week, and serve. :lol:
McGuireV10
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Post by McGuireV10 »

Shoot, I was getting ready to bottle a batch, but I might just go pick up a keg and start right out that way...
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brewmeisterintng
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Bottling Day is a thing of the past

Post by brewmeisterintng »

When I say "Day" it took four hours from start to finish bottling a five gallon batch with bottle prep and all. Now I have it in the keg in 30 minutes. I have all the stuff to bottle and have thought about bottling from time to time but I remember what a pain it was and that some of the bottles seem to condition faster than others. Now I have to find a proven method of how I will bottle a few if I am going to compete in a competition. I have read about CFBFs, beer guns and whole made devices. I am not convinced that the carbonation level will be maintained without oxidation for prolong periods.
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