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   BrewGeeks

Sniffing Airlocks since 2010

A Few Kegging Solutions from BrewGeeks!

2/25/2013

1 Comment

 
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Problem: Regular (non-perlick) taps often stick when left unused for a few days.
Solution: Fill a small spray bottle with vodka or better yet, grain alcohol and spray the nozzle in the end of the tap. Hold a bar towel around the end of the nozzle to prevent dripping. 

Problem: Beer comes out foamy.
Solution: Pull the tap on quickly. This is the number one mistake patrons make at my home bar. If this doesn't work, perhaps the problem is larger. Be sure each tap line is at least 4-5 feet long (longer is preferred). Warm beer will foam more. Finally, serving pressure can normally be very low. I have four taps and my psi is always below 10 and typically set between 5-7. Inspect the liquid side poppet and replace or lube if necessary. 
 
Problem: Keg lid won't seal. 
Solution: Set your PSI to around 30 to "seat" the seal, then you can reduce it it whatever you like. Also be sure to lube the large o-ring with food grade keg lube. If you are still having trouble, try reversing the keg lid 180 degrees and see if that helps. Sometimes exchanging the lid with a different keg will do the trick. Finally, put a coin under one or both of lid arms to apply extra leverage to the seal. Spray some starsan around the o-ring or submerge in a tub to confirm it holds pressure.

Problem: How much beer is in my keg?
Solution: Weigh the keg. A gallon weighs 8.34lbs so that puts a full keg at approx 51lbs factoring in 8.5lbs for the weight of the keg. This works out nicely because there are 52 beers in a keg.

Another solution is to put a temp sensitive strip on the side of the keg which will show you the approx beer level. Moving a keg from cold to room temp will show a condensation line after a few minutes also showing the level. In-line flow meters are another great option albeit expensive.

Problem: CO2 regulator PSI rises slowly over a few days.
Solution: This usually means one or more of the kegs contain beer that is over carbonated--even if only slightly. Be sure to bleed off all the shared head space to be sure the set PSI is maintained. Periodic bleeding may also be necessary.

Problem: How can I bottle from the tap?
Solution: It's easier than you think! First, the beer should be as cold as possible and you should spray and empty each bottle with sanitizer to reduce foaming. Next, set the PSI at the regulator very low (around 2-3) and bleed all the CO2 from the keg to be used.

Alternatively, you can remove the gas side ball lock from the keg and bleed the CO2 until the hissing sound begins to diminish. At this point, there's usually enough CO2 to fill a 22oz or 2-12 oz bottle. It also helps to considerably reduce foaming.

If you have a way to blow a burst of CO2 into the bottle before filling, this will reduce oxygen contacting the beer. Finally, place the end of bottle over the tap and pull the tap handle on very quickly being careful not to overfill. A cobra/picnic tap will also work using the same method.

Related Articles:
Clean Corny Kegs
Rack Beer to a Keg
Organize Keg Supplies
1 Comment

100 Home Brewing Tips

2/22/2013

0 Comments

 
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Not 99, not 101, but 100 Homebrewing tips are ready for the downloading if you have a kindle or kindle app for iOS (regularly $6.99).

Can't vouch for the content but hey, it's free!

Check it out here.



0 Comments

Hop Character Chart

2/21/2013

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Intuition Ale Works posted a nice hop character chart on their facebook page.  Check it out below and head over to their site to see what else they have going on.
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0 Comments

r8rphan's Wort Splitter

2/20/2013

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Here's an idea and project from r8rphan that takes the headache out of splitting up that 10 gallon batch into two carboys!

"I split the output of my CFC into a Tee that goes to the two carboys so they can both be filled simultaneously.... And since for whatever reason, the flow was 'never' equal, I had to sit there for 15 minutes manually pinching the tubes to keep them filling at the same rate.... PITA, hand cramps, etc..

So I made this little doo-hickey that allows me to use a couple 3/8" ball valves.. and then becomes a storage carrier for itself when not in use...

Used it for the first time yesterday, and it is just one of those things that makes brew day a little easier."

[Read More]

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PEW PEW... You Know You Want One

2/1/2013

1 Comment

 
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I can barely count the times I've gone to open a bottle of homebrew and wished I had a real .50 cal bullet to open it with.

If you feel the same way, head over to ThinkGeek and pick one up!

Actually, it's most useful for the braggart friend who constantly gets head shots in Black Ops 2.  Open his next beer with this and win for life!

1 Comment

    Thanks for visiting BrewGeeks!

    This site is dedicated to sharing information about homebrewing and beer. We hope you find something here that helps your brew day go a little more smoothly.

    If you like our site, please help spread the word. We really appreciate it!

    Cheers!


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