Det finns några olika möjligheter för dig om du vill brygga ditt öl på fat. Om du har bråttom med ölet (till en fest i helgen) och det kommer att drickas upp inom ett par månader, då är konstgjord kolsyresättning det bästa valet. Naturlig utveckling av kolsyra kommer enligt Coopers mening att ge dig ett bättre öl, men lagringstiden är betydligt längre (flera veckor jämfört med flera dagar). Rätt gjort kommer naturligt kolsyresatt öl hålla lika länge på fat som det gör i flaskor (åtminstone ca 2 år). Öl som kolsyresatts på konstgjord väg kommer att försämras efter några månader.
Denna text är hämtad från Coopers Brewerys' hemsida:
Natural Conditioning
Clean and sanitise the keg thoroughly.
Prime with sugar at the rate of 4g per litre.
Rack via a piece of sanitised, flexible tubing so that the beer runs to the bottom of the keg. Leave 5 – 10 cm of headspace at the top.
Seal the keg and purge the headspace with CO2 then give it a shake.
Maintain brewing temperature for a week, then allow the beer to condition for at least several weeks.
Refrigerate for a week then pressurise at required pouring pressure 35 – 100 kPa, depending on your system. (Fifty litre kegs through a temprite or miracle box may require up to 300 kPa).
Artificial Conditioning
Clean, sanitise, purge (purge by connecting the CO2 bottle to force the air out of the keg) and rack as per the natural conditioning procedure, without the priming sugar.
If you are in a hurry for the beer, seal the keg, pressurise to 300 kPa and shake it about 100 times (for an 18 – 20 litre keg) with the gas connected. If there is no rush or you’re not feeling energetic, leave the gas connected with the regulator set at 300 kPa for 2 – 3 days. CO2 will be absorbed more quickly if the beer is refrigerated.
Place in the fridge for several days then adjust to pouring pressure. The beer will be drinkable as soon as it is cold, but will improve for several weeks in the fridge.
For crystal clear beer, rack into a sanitised, airtight, food grade container (flush with CO2 first) and refrigerate for a week. Once the beer is clear, keg and carbonate artificially.
Troubleshooting
Degassing the keg over a day or two will usually rectify over-carbonation. Agitate the keg and release the CO2 several times a day until the beer has reached the desired level of carbonation. If the beer is pouring badly but appears to have little or no carbonation, check to ensure that there are no kinks or holes in the beer and gas lines. Contrary to logic, heady beer can be a result of low gas pressure and increasing the pressure via the regulator will often fix the problem.
