72 replies to this topic

[CaptRon]

So I'm just curious, for those of you that keg, do you force carb or use priming sugar?Vote and discuss why one way or the other.

[xd_haze]

Force... I'm so impatient.mike h

[harryfrog]

Force.I honestly never thought about using priming sugar. I guess I could save $.20 worth of CO2...

[kbhale]

I found it a lot more easy to sugar prime my kegs than force carbonating. Lot more convenient to have a carbonated keg waiting to consumed than force carbonating. I'm just not into shaking a keg any more and the fewer trips to Airgas the better.

[ncbeerbrewer]

The whole idea behind kegging is the luxury of carbonation under gas opposed to sugar. If you are going to use sugar you might as well stick with bottling. I keg all my beer and then fill them in bottles if I want with a counter pressure filler. Sugar carbonation is too inconsistant. Kegging to me is using the force method.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I use the CO2 although I do it the slow and gentle way, no shaking the keg or anything like that.

[BarelyBrews]

I use the CO2 although I do it the slow and gentle way, no shaking the keg or anything like that.

This is what i do also, usually i just throw it on and wait the seven days or less.Quickly grew tired of the shaking method.

Edited by Kegdude, 16 June 2009 - 03:14 AM.

[RommelMagic]

Force here too. Less slurry in the keg, no need to cut the diptube, faster, adjustable

[stlinch]

Force. The nice thing about kegging is no yeast sediment.

[Stout_fan]

Force. The nice thing about kegging is no yeast sediment.

A BIG +1

[stellarbrew]

Force. The nice thing about kegging is no yeast sediment.

A BIG +1

+1 more

[43hertz]

Absolutely force. Even carbonation is one of the factors that pushed me towards kegging in the first place.

[MolBasser]

Force. For all the above reasons.BrewBasser

[Thirsty]

Force, although I am going to try adding priming sugar to belgians when kegging, getting a nice shaken mix, then bottle before carbed, so I can gey a true 3-3.5 vols in ytripels and strongs. I will probably bottle a case off of the keg, then force the remaining. Bottle gunning over 2.5 vols is next to impossible.

[MtnBrewer]

I almost always force carb the slow way. I have primed once and didn't have any problems with it but didn't see any advantage either. Will probably do it again some day but until then I force carb in the lagering fridge.

[3rd party JKor]

I've heard myths and legends of keggers who prime, but have yet to see one with me own two eyes.No offense, kbh, but I just don't get the point of priming in a keg, unless for authenticity of a certain brew....and I force carb low and slow, just like on the smoker.

Edited by JKoravos, 16 June 2009 - 07:16 AM.

[Big Nake]

Force at about 30 psi for 48 hours. One big reason I went to kegging is the "beer-from-secondary-to-beerglass-in-2-days" thing. No green-beer flavor, no wondering why your keg is not carbing because it's too cool or there isn't enough yeast, etc. Cheers.

[chuck_d]

I found it a lot more easy to sugar prime my kegs than force carbonating. Lot more convenient to have a carbonated keg waiting to consumed than force carbonating. I'm just not into shaking a keg any more and the fewer trips to Airgas the better.

Except for the fewer trips the better, I disagree with everything you say I find it far easier to dial-in my carbonation with force carbonation rather than priming; in fact that might be the biggest advantage to me, the degree of control I get over carbonation. A carbonated keg can sit around just as easily if it was forced, primed or naturally carbonated. Shaking is only necessary if you want to carbonate overnight, which is something that can never be done with priming, but it isn't necessary to do either; you can just wait on it like you do priming.

[Deerslyr]

I refuse to vote because I do both. It all depends on what is on tap and what I think is coming off of the tap sooner rather than later. You really should have had a "both" option on there.

[Deerslyr]

The whole idea behind kegging is the luxury of carbonation under gas opposed to sugar. If you are going to use sugar you might as well stick with bottling. I keg all my beer and then fill them in bottles if I want with a counter pressure filler. Sugar carbonation is too inconsistant. Kegging to me is using the force method.

Dude... not entirely correct. Apparently it's been a while since you have cleaned and santizied 50 bottles!!! Sugar carbonation is not inconsistent and this is the first time I've heard anyone complain of that. The only complaint I have ever heard is that there is a miniscule amount of slurry that needs to be cleaned out... and frankly, I see that after I finish a force carbed keg as well. If you asked a hundred homebrewers which was easier in totality (i.e. cleaning, santizing, preparing the sugar, racking, etc.), sugar priming 50 bottles or 1 keg, I would bet 100 would say a keg. Force carbing a keg is great if you don't have the time. Sugar priming a keg is great if you do have the time. And as someone else mentioned, it's nice to have it on hand. Last one I had ready to go... all I had to do was put it in the fridge and within 24 hours it was chilled and ready to go.Don't mean to be starting a war here, but I completely disagree with you about the luxury thing.