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So you’ve been learning to brew beer and have made it on to kegging. You’re either someone who started out bottling their beer, or you’re starting with kegs right off the bat. In any case, making the switch to kegging your beer can be a daunting task – there is new equipment and processes that you aren’t used to. Fortunately, we’ve taken a lot of the guesswork out with this helpful guide!
Below you will find all things you need to set up your very own beer keg. In this article we will focus on 5 gallon corny kegs with ball locks. I will go into some differences between keg types and disconnect types but you will be in better shape if you have the corny keg with ball lock.
Quick jump guide
Step 1. Equipment needed to build a keg
Step 2. Assembly
Step 3. Adding beer to your keg
Step 4. Carbonating your beer keg
Step 5. Enjoy!
Step 1. Equipment needed to build a keg
There are 3 main components to setting up a keg. There is the keg itself, the stainless steel body that holds the beer. There is the hosing for gas and liquids, and lastly the CO2 source and regulator.
Note: I’ve linked to a lot of these products on Amazon, I’ve only linked to products that I use and trust.
Keg
- Corny keg
- This is the beer holding vessel itself. They vary from 2 ½ gallons on up to 10 gallons in size with the most common homebrew size being the 5 gallon. They commonly come with a rubber base and rubber handles to help with transport.
- Do not worry if there are blemishes, dents, or scrapes, as the cosmetics of the keg do not affect functionality. The most important thing to a keg is its ability to stay sealed.
- Note: all of the below items under “keg” will come with a new Cornelius (corny) keg
- Dip tubes (gas and liquid)
- Gas in dip tubes are short and not meant to dip into the liquid, this is the port that gas enters the keg to pressurize and carbonate.
- Beer out dip tubes are long and extend the length of the keg. They are curved to reach the indent at the center of the bottom of the keg. You gotta get every last drop!
- Dip tubes come with O-rings that may wear out over time
- Keg posts and poppets
- These screw on to the top of the keg and are the method of connection for either ball or pin locks. Poppets sit inside the keg posts and are spring loaded seals that remain closed unless ball/pin locks are attached.
- NOTE: keg posts differentiate in size and appearance for liquid and gas ball locks. Remember the rule of G’s. Grooved kep posts are for Gas lines.
- Keg posts and poppets both have O-rings that may wear out over time
- Lid with pressure relief valve and O-ring (pictured bottom right on equipment image)
- The lid is often oval shaped and requires an O-Ring to properly seal the keg. The lid has a handle lock, however once carbonated and pressurized the lid is very difficult if not impossible to remove. That is why you must ensure you have a pressure relief valve. This will allow you to release the pressure to open the keg after carbonating if needed.
- To properly seal the keg, insert the lid without locking. Turn on CO2 and allow the pressure from the CO2 to force the lid against the O-ring and keg hole. During this time, adjust the lid to a proper fit with no sound of gas escaping.
CO2
- CO2 bottle
- These can be purchased at your local welders shop, homebrew store, and online
- When purchased online they will come empty, you must go to a homebrew store or welders shop to get it filled
- Standard sizes are 5, 10, and 20lb tanks. For starting out, 5lb tanks are a good bet as they are more cost effective and last 10-12 kegs worth of beer. 10lbs can last 31-44 kegs worth and 20lb tanks can last 60+ kegs worth.
- CO2 Regulator
- The regulator restricts the amount of CO2 flowing out of the tank and into your beer.
- Beer requires certain levels of carbonation and you can reach those levels with a regulator
- The regulator will tell you the pressure inside your tank (measured in PSI) and the pressure in your keg (also measured in PSI).
- Standard serving pressure is from 8-12 PSI, but carbonating levels vary by peer.
- Use this helpful pressure vs. temperature carbonation level guide here
Hoses
- Liquid line (pictured bottom left on equipment image)
- This is PVC tubing found online, at a local homebrew store, or at a home improvement store. 3/16” inner diameter hosing is most commonly used as the carbonation levels can change with wider or thinner tubing.
- Liquid barb fittings are ¼” in diameter so it will be a tight squeeze
- ¼” swivel nut must be used for ¼” barb fitting
- Gas line (pictured top left on equipment image)
- This tubing is thicker, more durable, and has a wider inner diameter than gas tubing. Gas line has greater pressure flowing through it so it must be a stronger or reinforced material.
- Gas barb fittings can be either ¼” or 5/16” in diameter as gas tubing is wider.
- Select proper swivel nut based on barb fitting size.
- A ¼” gas barb fitting uses a ¼” swivel nut
- A 5/16” gas barb fitting uses a “ ¼” swivel nut for a 5/16” barb”
- The nut size is the same for the threaded area, but the hole opening is larger for the larger barb
- Ball lock disconnect (flare of barb)
- Please read this guide on the difference between flare and barb disconnects
- The quick disconnect is what connects your hosing to your keg posts. When attached, beer and gas will flow freely through the hoses and keg. When disconnect, a spring valve inside seals the disconnect preventing loss of gas or leakage of beer.
- Swivel nut for flare
- Barb fitting for flare
- Pin lock disconnect note:
- Pin lock kegs require different kegs and different locks. These can be used but are not discussed in this article
- Hose clamps
- These are used to make a secure fit for the tube on the barb, be sure to slide these onto the hose before putting the barb fittings in the hose. These can be tightened down to ensure there will be no leakages of gas and/or beer. Don’t be worried if the hose bites into the rubber tubing
- Picnic tap
- This is the easiest-to-use method of pouring beer from your keg. Simply pull back the lever and pour! More advanced methods require setting up beer taps and handles.
The hoses are one of the more complex parts of setting up your kegging system. Fortunately, Amazon sells pre-assembled gas/liquid lines WITH disconnects! This is a great find I very much wish I knew about when first I got into kegging. Note the gas line has a swivel nut/barb which you may not need for your regulator. If not it can be removed.
Step 2. Assembly
The below steps show you how each component of the keg are put together, however you need to read the “adding beer” section to find the order of putting the below components together. Accidentally turn on the gas before your lines are secure and you may have quite a mess on your hands!
Keg
- Insert dip tubes
- The shorter gas dip tube goes in the port labeled “IN”
- The longer beer dip tube goes in the port labeled “out”
- Secure poppets inside keg posts and screw on to ports
- Grooved keg post is for Gas IN port
- Ungrooved keg post is for liquid out port
- Use wrench to tighten be careful not to over-tighten and strip the posts
CO2
- Ensure CO2 and Regulator are both in “closed position
- Wrap teflon tape around CO2 tank threaded valve
- Secure regulator onto tank valve. Tighten with a wrench until snug.
Liquid Line
- Slide (2) hose clamps onto the tubing, not to be tightened yet
- Build quick disconnect assembly
- Grab your black ball lock flared quick disconnect, the ¼” swivel nut, and the ¼” barb fitting
- Slide the barb into the swivel nut, and screw the swivel nut onto the threaded flared end of the quick disconnect
- Dip your liquid line in hot water for 15-20 seconds to soften it up
- Slide the quick disconnect/barb assembly into the hose
- Tighten down your hose clamp around the barb with a flathead screwdriver
- Dip the other end of the line in hot water for 15-20 seconds to soften it up
- Slide black picnic tap into the hose
- Tighten down your hose clamp around the barb with a flathead screwdriver
Gas Line
- Slide (2) hose clamps onto the tubing, not to be tightened yet
- Build quick disconnect assembly
- Grab your gray ball lock flared quick disconnect (REMEMBER RULE OF G’s), and the ¼” swivel nut with ¼” barb fitting, OR, the ¼” swivel nut for 5/16” barb fitting and 5/16” barb fitting
- Slide the barb into the swivel nut, and screw the swivel nut onto the threaded flared end of the quick disconnect
- Dip your liquid line in hot water for 15-20 seconds to soften it up
- Slide the quick disconnect/barb assembly into the hose
- Tighten down your hose clamp around the barb with a flathead screwdriver
- Slide the other end of your hose onto your CO2 regulator barbed valve
- Tighten down your hose clamp around the CO2 valve with a flathead screwdriver
Step 3. Adding beer to your keg
- SANITIZE!!!
- Sanitize everything the beer will come in contact with, including the keg, ball locks, liquid line, and transfer tubing. At this time, ensure your keg is assembled.
- Fill your keg with 3 gallons of water mixed with ¾ oz StarSan. Shake everything up and seal with your lid and o-ring.
- HELPFUL TIP: you can attach your gas disconnect and run CO2 into your keg and allow it to push sanitizing solution through your liquid lines
- Empty solution and remember, don’t fear the foam! The sanitizer is food-grade and it’s OK if some is left over
- Transfer beer to keg
- HELPFUL TIP: fill your keg with CO2 before you transfer. This will reduce the amount of oxygen the beer comes in contact with, thus reducing the chances of oxidation.
- Transfer beer to keg with sanitized transfer tubing
- Seal the keg
- To properly seal the keg, insert the lid without locking the latch. Turn on CO2 and allow the pressure from the CO2 to force the lid against the O-ring and keg hole. During this time, adjust the lid to a proper fit with no sound of gas escaping.
- Add liquid line
- Attach your liquid quick disconnect and with CO2 applied, run your picnic tap for 1-2 seconds to get out any remaining sanitizer in your lines
Step 4. Carbonating your beer keg
Congratulations! You now have warm, flat, keg beer!… Time to carbonate! One perk of having a keg is you can drastically reduce the time taken to carbonate your beer. While bottles take 2 weeks of conditioning, kegs take a fraction of that time. Please visit this helpful guide for more information on proper carbonation levels and to learn how to force carbonate.
- A simple method is to set the CO2 regulator to 20PSI for 7-10 days and leave it
- Place your keg in a kegerator or fridge to cool to serving temperatures
Step 5. Enjoy!
Congratulations you’ve gotten your keg set up and have drinkable beer!
Cheers!
