Force Carb Guidance

i have 2 kegs that i will be kegging this weekend...i wanted to just put my co2 and 12 psi and let it go for 2 weeks then drink but i need it before that time.

i have a party next saturday i need these two kegs to be drank at...these 2 kegs are done with fermentation so it is good to go to keg.

question...what are some good ways to get these kegs carbed quickly so we can drink from them and hopefully not have the beer taste blah or not carbed...

any help is appreciated...

Force carb is easy. Set it to about 15psi, hook it up till it stops hissing, disconnect it, shake the crap of the keg, hook it back up till it stops hissing, disconnect it, shake the crap out of it, repeat.

It will still taste like new beer though. Only way to get around that is if you filtered or cold crashed before kegging, even then it still needs time to condition, but it will take less time to condition.

I'd go completely the other way and not shake. Ever.

I'd set the kegs in the kegerator (not moving them at all, since you want the sediment to settle and this also will be a cold crash, so more sediment will settle out). Then place the regulator at 30 psi for 36 hours. After 36 hours, purge the kegs, turn it to 12 psi. The next day, pour off 6 ounces from each tap (to get rid of the yeast sediment and other stuff) and then pour a couple of ounces and check the carbonation and clarity. By day 5-7, it should be perfect.

I carb my beers cold in as little as 48 HRS by doing 1 day at 30 PSI
Then drop the regulator down to 20PSI for another 24HRS.

And that it it's carbed, If you want a little more carbonation do both days
at 30PSI

I rack to keg, set @ 30psi and let it sit like that overnight. The next day, leaving it @30 psi, I grab a beer and sit with the keg in my lap and rock it back and forth for a few minutes, check the carb level and continue until I reach my desired level of carbonation. Works every time.

thx...here is my plan then.

fyi...i am going to cold crash for last 32 hours in the primary right before i siphon to the keg...hopefully it all settles by then so i can siphon as little gunk as possible.

after i cold crash i am going to siphon straight to keg and NOT shake...but put psi at 30 for 24 hours and then purge...then psi at 20 for 2-3 days.

sound good?

Sounds great!

TRIPLEMSU said:

thx...here is my plan then.

fyi...i am going to cold crash for last 32 hours in the primary right before i siphon to the keg...hopefully it all settles by then so i can siphon as little gunk as possible.

after i cold crash i am going to siphon straight to keg and NOT shake...but put psi at 30 for 24 hours and then purge...then psi at 20 for 2-3 days.

sound good?

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20 psi for 2-3 days might overcarb the beer. I'd be more conservative and only go 20 psi for one day, maybe two at the most.

ok so when i carb at 20 psi for a day do i purge it after and bring it down to say psi 12 and leave it alone???

i should i just bring it down to psi 12 and not purge????

When you drop the pressure down to 12psi purge the tank down to 12psi also.

drhookmec said:

When you drop the pressure down to 12psi purge the tank down to 12psi also.

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Right. I go 30 psi for 36 hours, purge and reset to 12 psi.

If you're going with 30/20/12, purge between each reduction.

Yeah, I learned the hard way to avoid the shaking your keg with high pressure. I wasted a lot of beer trying to get the carbonation to settle down after that. I usually do like Yooper. 30/20/12-ish.

I love all the different methods.
If I have to get it carbed quick, I set it at 40 or 50, lay the corny on its side with co2 still hooked up and rock it back and forth with my feet, until I can't here anymore co2 going in. Usually takes 15min. At this point its definitely carbonated but if I throw it in the kegorator and leave at 12 it turns out perfect.

Jay1 said:

I love all the different methods.
If I have to get it carbed quick, I set it at 40 or 50, lay the corny on its side with co2 still hooked up and rock it back and forth with my feet, until I can't here anymore co2 going in. Usually takes 15min. At this point its definitely carbonated but if I throw it in the kegorator and leave at 12 it turns out perfect.

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Don't you have a problem with foam?

Do you haft to let it sit for a day or so for the foam to settle?

One thing that has not been mentioned because I was either taught wrong or everyone is assuming you'll do it is to purge the O2 out of the keg before force carbing. I was told do this so you do not oxygenate the beer.

I'll hook up the CO2 at 12 PSI until it stops hissing, purge, then setting the PSI as desired for the amount of time desired. I used to try to force carb quickly but in all honesty, I am never in a hurry anymore and after I purge the O2 I set it to 8 PSI and forget it. By the time it's ready, it's also conditioned. Everyone has great suggestions for quickly carbing your brew.

drhookmec said:

Don't you have a problem with foam?

Do you haft to let it sit for a day or so for the foam to settle?

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Kind of. Right after I Carb it and get it in the kegorator, I burp the corny a couple times before I put the co2 back on. When I pour a pint, I set the co2 at 6. Letting the excess pressure out and pouring slow definitely helps with the foam. I only do this becuase im extremely impatient. When I'm done I set it 12 and forget about it till I'm ready to drink.

Do you guys mean bleed the gas off of the keg when you guys say "purge the keg"?

Why do that? Wouldn't the beer absorb the extra co2?

I'm trying my first hand at force carbing (36 hr at 30 psi then 12 for a week) now so I thought I'd ask.

texag06ish said:

Do you guys mean bleed the gas off of the keg when you guys say "purge the keg"?

Why do that? Wouldn't the beer absorb the extra co2?

I'm trying my first hand at force carbing (36 hr at 30 psi then 12 for a week) now so I thought I'd ask.

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This is to avoid over carbonating the beer.

When you drop the pressure of your regulater down to 12psi
the pressure inside the keg will still be at
30/20psi(witch ever you had it at last) so this extra pressure needs to
be purged off to avoid over carbonating the beer.

When you purge the keg, your forcing co2 into the empty keg and purging the o2. Co2 is heavier than air so it settles at the bottom. Fill it up and pull the release valve a few times. This keeps you from oxygenating your beer.

When I release the pressure its because I'm using way more pressure than I should in order to accelerate the process.

Yooper said:

Right. I go 30 psi for 36 hours, purge and reset to 12 psi.

If you're going with 30/20/12, purge between each reduction.

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Do you fill to 30psi then disconnect the gas line, or set to 30psi and let it connected for 36 hours?

cbehr said:

Do you fill to 30psi then disconnect the gas line, or set to 30psi and let it connected for 36 hours?

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You have to leave it connected, in order for the beer to absorb the gas. It "forces" the carbonation into the beer.