
Would you like to learn how to start kegging your own beer? Kegging your homebrew saves time and money and offers a very convenient way to serve your beer. This article walks you through the basics of purchasing a kegging system, filling your kegs and serving your kegged beer at home.
Purchase a Beer Kegging System
If you don’t already have a beer kegging system, you can purchase one from your local homebrew store or a major online brewing supply store. A kegging system consists of a keg, a CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas tank, a pressure regulator and two hoses. One hose feeds CO2 gas into your keg inlet, and the other hose brings the beer from the keg to your tap. Keg sizes vary, but the most popular size is the 5 gallon Cornelius or “Corney” keg.
If you are just starting out with kegging your own beer, it is best to purchase a complete starter system from a single store. Complete systems typically run less than $200 for an initial setup including all of the supplies mentioned above. Several popular brewing supply stores that sell kegging equipment can be found on our links page. Once you have your kegging system you will need to fill the CO2 tank with CO2 from a local beverage supply or gas supply store.
Filling a Keg
Give your keg a thorough cleaning before use, as many used Cornelius kegs have soda residue present. Pressurize the keg with gas once and check for leaks by applying a small amount of soapy water around the hose fittings and valves. Sterilize the keg with a stainless steel-safe agent such as iodophor before filling. Fill the keg by siphoning from your homebrew fermenter, being careful not to splash or aerate the beer.
Once the keg is full, put the top on it and pressurize the keg using your CO2 tank. Purge any remaining air in the keg and displace it with CO2. Do this by pressurizing the keg with CO2, then release air using the release valve on the top of the keg. Repeat this 4-6 times to make sure that all of the air is out and replaced by CO2. Once the keg has been pressurized with CO2, you can store it in this configuration for several months as long as the keg has no leaks.
Carbonating the Keg
Kegs must be stored under pressure and refrigeration to carbonate properly. I use an old refrigerator to keep 3 of the 5 gallon kegs on tap at all times, and I’ve drilled a hole in the side of the fridge so I can keep the CO2 tank on the outside. To calculate the carbonation pressure needed, put a thermometer in your refrigerator and leave it for a few hours. This will give you your carbonation temperature.
Next, using a Carbonation calculator such as BeerSmith (Carbonation item on the Tools menu), enter the volumes of CO2 desired to set the carbonation level (2.4 is a good starting number to use), enter the refrigerator temperature and volume of beer. BeerSmith will calculate the CO2 pressure needed to force carbonate the beer. If you don’t have access to a carbonation tool, start your system at 10 psi of pressure and adjust it later. Set your CO2 tank regulator to the desired pressure, hook it to your keg and place the keg in the refrigerator. Again, it is not a bad idea to check your lines and connectors for leaks if you have not used the system before. The keg will begin to carbonate in a day or two and reach full carbonation within a week.
Enjoy Kegged Homebrew
You are now ready to enjoy your kegged homebrew! Always pour your beer down the side of the glass and open the tap fully. If you find that the carbonation level is too high, simply dial your CO2 pressure down a bit. If the beer is too flat, adjust the keg pressure up a bit. Invite some friends over and enjoy fresh homebrew from the tap!






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Hi there,
Thanks for the article it has some really useful information in there! A while back I brought a home brewing kit and for a while now I have been brewing my own traditional ales, It has been a big hit with my friends and family who now actually pay for their bottle. I wanted to add that extra touch to my ale so I designed my own beer labels and had them printed by a British labels company who did a excellent job. It has made my beer bottles look really great!
Does anyone know how to tell how much beer is left in a cornelius keg in a home brew system? Is there a way to tell? Thanks
The easiest way to measure the amount of beer is to weigh it. If you know the weight of your empty keg you can calculate the amount of liquid left. BeerSmith has a weight to volume calculator to do this, but you can approximate it using the density of water as a baseline.
I just put my CO2 pressure regulator at 10 PSI and leave it. I force carbonate this way and pour this way. It usually gives me about 2.2 to 2.4 carbonation volumes according to BS! it works great for me! CHEERS
hi im going to start brewing in kegs soon,im looking at getting some keg of ebay,whot should i look for to spot bad kegs?.
Thanks
Generally I go with 5 gallon soda kegs (Corney kegs) as these are the cheapest. Its hard to inspect kegs over the internet, but once you get it home you should check all of the rubber fittings, clean the keg thoroughly and do a pressure test for leaks running it at 25 psi – use some dish soap and water along the seals to look for bubbling leaks.
I currently have a kolsch in my primary fermenter (extract partial boil), and was considering on going straight to a keg for a short lagering as the secondary/condition phase instead of a glass carboy. How much time would you suggest on letting it lager before force carbonating? I was thinking somewhere in the 3 week range, being that it’s not really a lager/pils. Thanks.
Generally you lager from 2-4 weeks at cold temperature. It depends slightly on the yeast and style as some yeasts require longer periods of lagering.
Hi I’m going to use my keg for the first time (i bought used keg) and i’m thinking about sanitizing it with NaOH solution, is it safe for stainless steel and rubber o-rings? What should be the concentration of NaoH solution and time of sanitizing ? Thanks.
Hi – I don’t know as I have not used NaOH before. Personally I prefer Iodophor for sanitizing kegs.
Hello I am a home brewer and new to this blog (I actually find it very good).
First of all let me tell you I am down in Baja Mexico and I have a 15 gallon standard keg, there are no Cournellius kegs down here, and I have the equipment to make 5 gallon batches, I usually use two glass carboys as primary and secoundary fermentors and then transfer to bottles.
The question is, can I make a 5 gallon batch of beer and pour the beer into the 15 gallon keg for carbonation (and serving subsecuentaly)?????
I know I could upgrade my equipment to make a 15 gallon batch, but it costs money, and what bothers me most is time, hahahahaaaa, I want to use my new (used) kew and CO2 System.
Thank you very much for your time.
Salud
Francisco
Yes,
A 15 gal keg of beer can hold 5 gallons as long as you pressurize and store it with CO2.
I just kegged my homebrew for the first time in a brand new setup. It’s sitting in the fridge force carbinating away. My question is, once it’s conditioned, what’s the best way to keep it.
Can I leave the gas on and keg tapped at all times? or should I turn the gas off and untap at the end of my drinking sessions?
thanks
You can actually leave the gas off if you have no leaks in the system (always check for leaks when you set it up). It should hold its pressure reasonably well unless you are storing for a very long time.
I kegged by beer for the first time, it was great for about a week or two. It wasn’t producing a head when poured so I turned up the CO2 to about 11psi. Now it taste bad, I believe it is over carbonated. My question is can I fix this by turning the CO2 off for a while?
You actually need to draw some gas off the keg. If you turn off the CO2 and then let gas out of the pressure valve it will eventually go down. Let some gas out each day until your keg reaches an acceptable carbonation level.
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