Dispensing and carbonating PSI questions...

jeepinjeepin said:

Pick a CO2 volume and serving temperature. Those 2 numbers will choose your CO2 PSI for you. Working backwards from 12psi and 40F you are carbing to 2.5 volumes. This is a good all around level for many beers. Leave your temp and pressure alone. If your beer serves foamy you either need a longer tap line or a smaller diameter tap line or raise the dispensing point(this is usually harder than the other two options). If it serves slow or without any head it's just the opposite.

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stratslinger said:

One thing to keep in mind: if you just kegged that beer, 5 days @ 12 PSI will produce mostly flat beer. The set and forget method that you're describing (which is the same one I use!) typically takes 10-14 days to carbonate a full keg, unless you do one of a couple things:

1) Once the keg gets good and cool, shake the hell out of it for a good 5 minutes at a whack, then let it settle. Repeat this a few times over the first few days. I don't understand the physics or chemistry behind it, but the shaking helps the CO2 dissolve more quickly into the beer.

2) Get a carb stone and a short length of hose, attach them to the gas dip tube inside your keg. This diffuses the gas directly into the beer, and will carbonate the beer more quickly. I have one keg equipped this way, and between the carb stone and a couple quick bursts of shaking the keg, I got the keg carbed up in about 3 days at 11PSI.

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homebrewbeliever said:

Really? Damn. Most places where I've read about the "slow carbonation method" say it takes 5-7 days to carb and they mention nothing about shaking the keg. Still, this doesn't mean anything because there is a ton of misinformation on the internet... Anyways, will shaking the keg shorten the lifespan of the beer in any way? Also, I do not have a carb stone, but would it help to attach the gas line to the liquid out anyway so it carbonates from the bottom up? I could see how that would be helpful. And lastly, do I do the whole shaking thing with the gas still attached and flowing?

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Brulosopher said:

I've done the 2 aforementioned methods and settled on a hybrid. I set my reg to 20 psi without shaking an leave it for 2-3 days, then I lower it to "serving" pressure of 10 psi or so and let it finish... I'm usually well carb'd within a week.

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homebrewbeliever said:

Really? That sounds quite doable. Since this is the first time I've kegged anything, when you say you lowered it to serving pressure, do you do that by adjusting the regulator AND bleeding the relief valve on the keg, or do you just change the regulator?

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Brulosopher said:

Your first idea is exactly what I do. It's really easy and works great.

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Yooper said:

At 40 degrees, 12 psi is perfect for most beer styles. That's what I have mine set at, and it works great for me. It may take longer than 5 days to carb up, though, as was mentioned.

If you're in a huge huge hurry, you can set it at 30 psi for 24 hours, then purge the keg and turn it down to 12 psi permanently. That should get you carbed beer in 3-5 days.

Don't move the keg around, and when you pour the first beer the first 3 ounces should be yeasty sludge. Just pour until the beer clears up a bit (about 3 ounces) and dump it and then pour a glass. You should have perfect beer after that!

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homebrewbeliever said:

But do you carb from the liquid in, so it carbs from the bottom up? Or do you carb from the gas-in?

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homebrewbeliever said:

But do you carb from the liquid in, so it carbs from the bottom up? Or do you carb from the gas-in?

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Brulosopher said:

I've heard that makes little, if any, difference. I'm a pin lock guy, so I don't really have that option.

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Bobby_M said:

I completely agree. Giving the beer time to carbonate also let's it drop clear. Don't even hook the dispensing connector to the keg for 3 weeks.

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homebrewbeliever said:

Well you advice does not fall on deaf ears. I will be sure to slow carb my next keg over a few weeks. However, this is my first keg, its not even that great of beer (the recipe was only meh), and I have NO other beer to drink So, I am going to use the method of carbing it at 25 PSI for 24 hours and then lowering it to 12 and letting it sit a few days... I mean, come on, I need some friggin' beer to drink!

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Brulosopher said:

Oh, it never takes me longer than a week to carb a beer. I always use the same method (high psi for a couple days, then 10-12 serving psi for a couple days). Time will certainly help to clear a beer, though mine usually fall bright around the same time it's fully carb'd, 1 week or so. I've heard that carbonation actually facilitates the clearing of beer. Hmm.

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homebrewbeliever said:

So you disagree with what the other HBTers say about high carbing "facilitates green beer?" I personally cant see how it WOULD facilitate green beer, because it would still age the same amount of time (you just might be drinking it a week ahead of time, so you could wait if you really wanted to).

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homebrewbeliever said:

So you disagree with what the other HBTers say about high carbing "facilitates green beer?" I personally cant see how it WOULD facilitate green beer, because it would still age the same amount of time (you just might be drinking it a week ahead of time, so you could wait if you really wanted to).

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day_trippr said:

The actual statement was: "Don't use the shake methods it promotes drinking green immature un aged brew"

I don't think you're getting what he said...

Cheers!

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Bobby_M said:

I completely agree. Giving the beer time to carbonate also let's it drop clear. Don't even hook the dispensing connector to the keg for 3 weeks.

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chumpsteak said:

I completely agree with this statement. I just wish i could make myself do it. My beers are usually carbed in a week ambut dont taste great. After 3 weeks theyvare crystal clear and delicious. After 3 1/2 weeks the keg is empty....crap. seems like i only get a few days of perfect mature beer. Need to work on that whole self control thing.

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