reuliss

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but I am new to kegging, and I'm fuzzy on a few points and am hoping for some clarification.

1. My brew software has calculated that I need for force carb at 30 psi. It doesn't give a time duration, and this seems really high, given that most of the online directions I've read have said to carb at your serving pressure for a week or so. Any idea what gives?

2. Also, after I keg the beer, I want to age the beer for a few weeks at fermentation temps. But, I need to chill the beer to carb it. So, once it's carbed, can I then pull it out of the fridge and let it get back to room temp? Will it then hold its carbonation until I'm ready to bring the brew back down to serving temp?

patthebrewer

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Question 1) Try the fool Proof Method. Set it at serving pressure, and forget (for a two weeks that is)
Setting your gasat 30psi is for rapid carbing but you better keep an eye on it, over carb sucks!
Question 2) Yes you can do, what your asking, But why ? cold condition it at
Kegerator temps, while you are gassing it up. Leave it in the fermenter for a little longer, before carbing.

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bdkelly

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30 PSI should only be used when you're doing the "crank and shake" method. If you're going to age it and you have the space, you may as well leave it in the fridge under serving pressure and call it a day. Or, like patthebrewer said, leave it in the fermenter longer before carbing.

I tend to leave things in the fermenter until I have space open in the fridge or need to open up space in a fermenter, then use a modified version of "crank and shake."

b-boy

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I usually just keg the beer, seal the keg with 30Psi of CO2, and put the keg aside to condition. Once it's conditioned I force carb at 30PSI at room temp for a day, hook it up to serving pressure in the kegerator and let it sit for a few days before drinking.

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reuliss

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When you say, "set it aside" do you mean that you unhook it from the CO2 tank and allow the pressure to come don from 30 as it conditions?

wilsojos

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Boost carbing is by no means as exact of a science as set and forget; however, many folks, my self included, use it successfully on a routine basis. My method is to hit it with 30 psi and purge a couple times. Then set at 30 psi for 24 hours, purge, set to serving pressure. Usually ready to drink in 5-7 days.

For conditioning, just hit it with 30 psi and purge a couple times to set your seals. You don't have to chill it at all. Then let it condition as long as you need.

reuliss

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When you condition at 30 psi, do you unhook the keg from the CO2 tank and allow the psi to drop while the beer absorbs the gas during conditioning?

b-boy

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Yes. Pressurize it to seal the keg. Take it off the gas then let it condition. Once it's conditioned, reattach to gas and force carb it.

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wilsojos

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Yes. Hitting it with pressure is just setting your seal so no nasties get in. You will actually carb the beer when you get done conditioning.

Now, you could leave it hooked up.and condition and carb at the same time. You will have to reference the beer style to temperature chart to figure out what pressure to use to achieve your desired co2 volumes. Cold beer has a faster co2 absorption rate than warm beer, I think. So, it will take longer to get the beer carbed at a higher temperature.

reuliss

Recipes 

Thank you!