Step 1 : Clearing Your Beer Clearing your beer gives you a very professional looking and tasting brew especially with lager, pilsener, draught and bitter beers. Clearing is optional for beer types such as Wheat, Ales and Stout. However if you choose not to clear your beer it is recommended to age your beer for a month or so before consuming to remove the “green” yeasty flavour from your beer.
There are two methods for clearing your beer: Method 1 (Finings): 1. Dissolve 1 pack beer finings in 1 cup hot water and add to a secondary sterilised fermenter or clearing drum. 2. Transfer (rack) your beer from your primary fermenter to secondary fermenter or clearing drum using a tube connected to the tap of your primary fermenter, 3. Close the lid of on the secondary vessel and leave to settle for at least 3 to 4 days (no longer than 7 in hot weather). 4. Rack beer into 19L keg with your transfer tube connected to fermenter tap 5. Proceed to carbonation step
Method 2 (Filtering Using What’s Brewing Ultra Clear Filter (pictured right) Please note you will need at least 2 x 19L kegs to filter your beer. 1. Transfer (rack) beer from the primary fermenter to a 19L Keg 2. Ensure tap on filter is closed 3. Connect beer filter IN disconnect (opposite to filter tap) to full keg. 4. Pressurise full keg to 100Kpa (15PSI) 5. Connect OUT Disconnect to empty keg ma 6. Depress red button on the top of the filter to fill filter cartridge with beer 7. Turn red filter tap half on to start the flow of filtered beer 8. Ensure the filter cartridge remains full if it starts to empty, reduce the out flow with the filter outflow tap. 9. When finished disconnect kegs and proceed to carbonation step
Step 2 : Clean and Sterilise Your Keg and Beer Line 1. Put 100ml Keg and Line cleaner into the empty keg and add 10L hot water. 2. Shake keg to ensure to wash the inside. 3. Stand keg upright and depress the valve on top of the out (beer) post to fill the dip tube with cleaner. 4. Leave sit for about 10 minutes then invert the keg and leave stand another 10 minutes. 5. Empty the cleaner from the keg and rinse with 5L hot water repeat step 3 to rinse the inside of the dip tube. 6. Empty water from the keg you are now ready to fill with delicious beer. 7. Clean your lines every week by attaching your keg with cleaner in it, pressurise keg to 50Kpa (7psi), attach your beer line and flush about 1 liter of cleaner through the tap. Leave soak for 10 minutes then flush with clean water in the same method. DO NOT USE SODIUM METABISULPHITE (SODIUM MET) TO STERILISE YOUR KEG IT WILL RUST
Step 3 : Pressure Testing 1. When keg is full of beer connect gas line to the in post and pressurise to 280 Kpa (40psi) pull the pressure release valve for 2 seconds to purge the oxygen from the keg. 2. Using a spray bottle with washing up detergent mixed with water spray all connections and relief valve if it foams up, you have a leak. Please contact me for spare parts. ALL ‘What’s Brewing’ kegs come with 12 months warranty. IF YOU DO NOT CARRY OUT THIS TEST AND YOU DEVELOP A LEAK YOU CAN LOSE YOUR ENTIRE GAS BOTTLE IN A MATTER OF HOURS
Step 4 : Carbonating 1. Place your full keg in your fridge and connect CO2 gas at 280Kpa (41psi). If you have a very cold fridge such as the Kegerator it only needs to be around 260Kpa (39psi). 2. Leave connected to gas bottle (with gas turned on) for 48 hours. In a Hurry ? You can force CO2 into the beer by shaking the keg 1. Once the keg is COLD attach the gas at 300Kpa (44psi) 2. Shake the keg vigorously for around 4 to 5 minutes. 3. Take the gas off and leave to settle in the fridge for half an hour. 4. Release pressure and connect tap to test for correct carbonation 5. If not gassy enough repeat process 30 seconds at a time. Remember to leave settle at the end of each 30 second shake
Step 5 : Pouring
Step 6 : When Your Finished for the Night 1. Disconnect you beer line 2. Wind the gas up to 100Kpa (14psi) (This keeps carbonation in the beer otherwise it will go flat especially towards the end of the keg). 3. Disconnect the gas and turn your gas bottle off
Trouble Shooting Problem 1 : The Beer is very heady but tastes flat Solution: The beer is over gassed and you are loosing all the gas in the head. 1. Disconnect the keg and take out of the fridge 2. Shake keg for about 15 to 20 seconds 3. Leave stand for 10minutes and release pressure from pressure relief valve 4. Repeat until beer pours well (If it is extremely over carbonated this could take 10 to 20 repetitions).
Problem 2 : The beer looks dead and tastes flat Solution: The beer is under gassed 1. Do the quick carbonation as per ‘In a Hurry’-section in 30 second intervals or 2. Connect keg at 300Kpa (44psi) for another 4 to 6 hours 1. After 48 hours wind pressure control knob out completely (If you are not drinking immediately disconnect your gas and turn gas bottle off otherwise it will over carbonate) 2. Purge excess gas from keg 3. Connect your beer line and open the tap completely 4. Slowly turn the gas up till it is pouring nicely. This should be between 30Kpa (4psi) and 50Kpa (6psi) 5. If pouring with too much head slow down a bit 6. Finally drink up and enjoy If anything else goes wrong, ring and ask for help!