Kegging the Bodacious Brown

Today I kegged the Brown Ale.

Yesterday I got the CO2 tank filled and cleaned the keg. I got the CO2 tank filled at Security Engineering. I was unsure who to go to to get it done. I did a real quick internet search and it was one of the ones that came up. I remembered that dad had told me to hit them up once I saw it on the interwebs. Also, I like helping out the little guy. So I'll give them my business. They were busy so I dropped it off and came back in a half hour or so. Even then they weren't ready.

I asked the man to educate me a little about the tank. I learned that my tank was made Dec 2010. This means that in Dec 2015 I need to retest or replace the tank. Also, I learned that my tank was a 5 lb. tank. They fill tanks based on weight. Once I got the tank in my hands I noticed it was cold. The magic of physics.

I got the tank home and filled the keg with some cleaning solution (water and oxyclean). I then plugged the CO2 tank in and at first nothing happened. Then, I twisted the regulator screw and bam, water out the spout. I couldn't stop it. The pour spout would not close. Water on the floor. Water on my kegging instructions. Water everywhere. I figured out the pouring spout top is screwed on and it was loose. Once that was sorted out, everything was all good.

So I filled the keg with cleaning solution and sealed it up and shook the heck out of it. Then I opened it up to scrub the inside of it. I can't fit my arm in there to do it. I thought I might get little Rachel to come over because I was sure I could fit her in there. Ellie told me no. That's when I figured I could fill the bath tub with cleaning solution and dunk the keg. So I did. And it let it soak for a few hours. And then I got a sponge and scrubbed the heck out of the outside. It looked better than before.

Ok so next day comes and I get everything cleaned and sanitized. First thing I think to do is to check the other beer. Here are the results:

Trippel - Gravity = 1.010
Notes: It smells better. Notice I said better. Not good. I think that nasty cat piss smell is not an infection but rather the yeast. I think I'll need to let it be for a while.

AltBier - Gravity = 1.017
Notes: Tastes delicious. Best beer yet! Not too hoppy.

Final Gravity of the Brown was 1.019. This gives an ABV of 6.4%. I tasted the sample and it tasted like a well hopped brown ale.

Ok. So now I'm trying to get the beer out of the fermenter. I sterilized the keg and tubing. MoreBeer included this siphon which fits over the carboy and then you blow to start the flow. Only I'm too retarded to know this and I think that you are supposed to suck. This meant that with every breath I was inhaling nearly pure CO2 and my lungs did not like that. I eventually give up and do it the old fashioned way. Once for the experience of doing so. Educational and all that.

So I filled one of the vinyl tubes with starsan solution and then dump it in the carboy. I then let the solution flow out into the starsan solution pitcher until there was beer. Then I moved the tube over to the keg and let it go. And it went all right. Fast. Too fast. It looked to splash around a bit and that is not good at this point. A lesson learned here is the following: Put the carboy up higher. Use books, step ladders, whatever.

Eventually I got it all in there and put the lid on it. It is currently in Ellie's closet and pressured to 12PSI.

Then the fun came of cleaning that carboy. The yeast on the bottom looked kinda gross. I tried to show Rachel but that was a failure. Currently, the carboy is sitting in the sink with oxyclean soaking in. I may let it sit overnight.

Overall success I'd say. The real judge of that will be this weekend when I drink it. Still not sure how I'm going to cool it yet. I'm trying to get a chest freezer but if not I guess I'll need to go old school and fill a plastic garbage can with ice and dunk it in.

On a side note I tried the light ale today. I threw it in the freezer for a couple of hours so it was nice and cold. It was still flat. Other than that it was good. I'm hoping it will improve by next weekend.