first batch is almost ready to keg...i hope.

I'd go ahead and put it in the keg and dry hop it, then let it set a room temp for a few more days then put it in the keezer.

 

Agree with @fuzzbalz , after racking I leave the keg at room temp for at least one full day, give those yeasties one more chance. How is your burping technique? Recommend you give it 3-4 good burps, the loss of CO2 is negligible when your keg is near full. If dh'ing in the keg you prefer to control the temp in the mid-60s to low-70s to speed up hop-oil absorption. Expect some sediment in the keg. Given time, temp, and gravity this will take care of itself. Control your urges to drink too soon . . .

Finally, are you positive you have no CO2 leaks? Now is a good time to pressurize an empty keg, shut off your tank master valve, and see if it holds presssure for 48+ hours.

 

I agree with what's above. Of course, make sure everything is cleaned and sanitized. I usually rack to Keg using an auto siphon, purge the o2 and then set the CO2 to around 10-14psi for about 2 weeks. Again, resist the urge to try it. You can try it in a week in and see that there the carbonation has increased, however once you're at the 2 week mark you should be at proper carbonation.

 

Agree with everything except the auto siphon part...I drain to keg via spigot and will never go back to an auto siphon unless waterboarded. : )

 

As a professional brewer I strongly recommend that you make a nice barbecue with some awesome steaks and share that IPA with your friends. Have fun!

 

1st batch is 10 gallons and it's getting kegged.

You don't piss around bro.

Hope you didn't skip the yeast starter part.

 

Yes, all my fermenters now have spigots...I racked with an autosiphon for years, but found it tedious and resulted in more oxidation. Oh, ...and I'm lazy, too and draining into a purged keg is just soooo much easier. Cheers

 

I use spigots. So much more convenient than an autosiphon. I've been using them for several years and haven't found any reason not to use them.

I gravity drain into a completely sealed and purged keg through the out port and infuse CO2 into the headspace of the sealed bucket during the transfer. It works well with respect to minimizing oxygen pickup.

Since you can take a gravity sample through the spigot, you don't have to remove the fermenter lid. Most of the time, my fermenter lid doesn't get removed until the beer is transferred.

 

Are you using a bucket or better bottle (or something else)?

 

7.9 and 6.5 gal. buckets...I really like the wine buckets (7.9 gal ones) ...no blow-off required, you can stack a smaller bucket inside for storage, and they come in handy if your volumes are a little generous. : )

 

Are you going to miss your first born? I can only assume that was part of the deal.