How To Carbonate Beer in a Keg?

So you want to learn how to carbonate beer in a keg? You’ve come to the right place! Kegs are an easy and efficient way to carbonate and store your homemade beer.

Freshly-carbonated beer from a keg is a great way to enjoy your homebrew with friends.

Whether it’s for special occasions or just for your own pleasure, having draft beer on tap at home will make any gathering more enjoyable.

The best part is that it doesn’t take much effort to get started.

In this article, I’ll explain the process from start to finish so that you can enjoy your own freshly-brewed draft beer.

What You’ll Need: Keg, CO2 Tank, Regulator & Hoses

To carbonate and dispense from a keg you’ll need some basic equipment:

• A Cornelius (also known as “corny”) keg or a larger commercial keg
  A CO2 tank
  A regulator with hoses

Connect the CO2 Tank To The Regulator and The Keg

Begin by connecting the regulator to one end of the hose using the flare fitting on the regulator. Attach the other end of the hose to the keg using either a pin lock or ball lock connector (depending on the type of keg).

Then connect the CO2 tank to the regulator using an additional hose with fittings on both ends. Finally, turn on the gas by twisting open the valve on top of your CO2 tank.

Testing The Pressure

Before filling your keg with beer, it’s important to test that everything is hooked up correctly and working properly. To do this, place your thumb over one end of the hose connected to your keg and turn on the gas.

You should feel air flowing through. If it’s not blowing freely, turn off the gas and check all connections for air leakages and tighten as needed until you have an airtight seal before proceeding.

Filling The Keg With Beer

Once everything is set up properly and checked for leaks, fill up your Cornelius or commercial keg with room-temperature beer using either a bucket or bottle filler depending on what type of container you stored your homebrew in (bucket or bottles).

Make sure that all connections are tight before pushing beer down into it with force if necessary so that there are no air bubbles that could spoil flavor later down the line.

Carbonation Levels and Serving Temperatures

Once all of your equipment is setup correctly and your homebrew has been filled in its new vessel, you can begin carbonating it! You can adjust carbonation levels by adjusting pressure using dials on top of the regulator while noting pressure readings displayed (typically 30-35 psi).

And serving temperature should be between 40-50°F depending on style/preference (adjustable via thermostat if applicable).

Common Troubleshooting Issues And Solutions

If you experience any issues while setting up or running consumption lines such as lack of pressure due to poor connection/insufficient amounts of gas – try cleaning all lines thoroughly before trying again (as even small amounts of sediment can cause problems).

If still no luck – check sealant around valve/connections for crack/leakage point with soap & water solution applied during the process – then try again after ensuring all components are securely fit together tightly.

Conclusion

With just a few pieces of basic equipment, anyone can now easily carbonate their homebrew in a keg at home! All you have left now is just plugging in cold lines & enjoying freshly tapped brews whenever you’d like! So good luck & cheers!