Fass Frisch Mini Kegs
Your new mini kegs are an easy and convenient way to enjoy your homebrewed beer. They are a simple to use alternative to bottling. Mini-kegs are durable and portable. You'll be welcome at any party when you arrive with a keg of cold homebrew under each arm!
First, make beer. Then follow our simple kegging instructions. Make sure your beer is finished fermenting before you keg. If in doubt, wait a few more days, or use your hydrometer. Don't keg beer that's not completely fermented. It will overcarbonate the beer, causing a dangerous situation.
Kegging Instructions
On kegging day (formerly called bottling day!), prepare your kegs by cleaning them well with warm water and B-Brite, and sanitize as you would with bottles. You'll need 4 kegs to handle a 5-gallon batch.
In the bottling bucket, prime your beer with 3 ounces of priming sugar. This is different from the priming rate for bottles. If you have a 5 ounce package of priming sugar from a homebrew kit, discard two ounces. Do Not use the entire 5-ounce package of priming sugar! After the beer is primed, fill the mini kegs to about an inch short of full. The beer needs that bit of headspace, or it won't carbonate properly. You can use your botting wand and siphon to fill the kegs.
Close the top of the mini keg with the rigid two-piece bung. The bung is made of two pieces of hard plastic, one small piece, the center, is pushed inside the larger outer bung ring to complete the assembly. The bung is shipped to you assembled. Wet the bung with some clean water for lubrication, and push the bung into the top of the keg.
Now, put your full kegs someplace at normal room temperature for a couple weeks. Don't leave the kegs in a cold basement for the first two weeks or the carbonation will take a very long time to develop. After two weeks, you can move the kegs to a cooler space (not in the fridge yet). After a total of three weeks, or longer, you can chill a keg in a fridge, and then tap it.
To Gravity Dispense
There are two dispense options. First, you can dispense the beer from the bottom of the keg with the integral dispense valve. Simply pull out the valve and twist to pour. Your first beer may be cloudy from the priming yeast. This method is only good for occasions when you will consume all the beer at one sitting (get friends to help- please). Keep the keg cold while you are drinking to prevent excessive foaming in the keg.
To Dispense with a CO2 Tap
Read this entire section first, before beginning to tap the keg.
Chill the keg. Assemble the dip tube onto the tap head as shown in the photo on the box.. You will insert the dip tube into the center of the two-piece bung. This will push the center part of the bung into the keg. You will retrieve it later, after the keg is empty. With your left hand hold the dip tube in the middle. With your right hand, hold onto the tap head. Push the dip tube straight down into the bung center, with the tap guided by your two hands as stated.
Push the tap assembly all the way down until you can clip the plastic holders onto the rim of the can. Make sure the regulator is set to the off position. That's the narrow point on the scale. Unscrew the CO2 bulb housing. Insert a CO2 cartridge. Screw the housing back on. You'll hear a hiss, that's good!
Dispense a beer before turning the CO2 on. With each beer you dispense after the first, you can add a little CO2 by turning the valve on for a moment. Or, if you are pouring continuously, leave the valve on as you pour. If the beer is too foamy, use less CO2.
When you finish serving for the day, turn the CO2 valve off. You can keep beer in the tapped keg for weeks, provided you keep the keg cold. If you are not using the keg for a few days, you must turn the valve on for a moment to top-up the CO2 pressure in the keg.
Think Safety
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