Pressure setting

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jpinachio

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Hey guys, I just got my kegerator up and running everything is great so far. My question is if you don't use your kegerator for a week or so what is the proper pressure setting for the beer? Or should you just turn all the pressure off.
 
"Set it and forget it."
I keep mine at a reasonable serving pressure, around 8 psi.

I will start keging also and I was wondering, if you need like 20 psi to carb the beer, and let it sit at 8 psi for serving, the beer does not lose it's carbonation ?
 
SimBrew said:
if you need like 20 psi to carb the beer, and let it sit at 8 psi for serving, the beer does not lose it's carbonation ?

I don't force carb. I keg the beer, place the keg in the 34F keezer, and hook up the CO2 with a setting of, for example, 8 psi. After 2-3 weeks (usually closer to 3), I connect the beer line, & not only is the beer conditioned but it's perfectly carbed.
 
Spreadhead said:
I don't force carb. I keg the beer, place the keg in the 34F keezer, and hook up the CO2 with a setting of, for example, 8 psi. After 2-3 weeks (usually closer to 3), I connect the beer line, & not only is the beer conditioned but it's perfectly carbed.

Uh, unless you're priming with sugar after your beer is "done" you're force carbonating. Forcing pressurized CO2 into your beer is force carbing, regardless of the PSI.
 
wittmania said:
Uh, unless you're priming with sugar after your beer is "done" you're force carbonating. Forcing pressurized CO2 into your beer is force carbing, regardless of the PSI.

Well ok then. You got me. I think most people think higher psi when talking about force carbonating but maybe I'm wrong.

I do a nice gentle force carb.
 
Well ok then. You got me. I think most people think higher psi when talking about force carbonating but maybe I'm wrong.

I do a nice gentle force carb.

Much better. :cross:

I do agree with you that the set it and forget it method (pick your target PSI and let it get there over a few weeks) results in better beer. However, I don't always have enough of a pipeline in place that I can wait that long to start serving to thirsty friends. I have a second gas in port that I put through the lid of my corny, with a hose barb on the other side. From there I have a piece of silicone tubing and an aquarium aeration stone I picked up from the local fish store (plus a brass weight to keep it at the bottom). I crank the PSI up to about 25-30 PSI and most styles carb up to acceptable levels within 18 hours or so, and faster if the beer is already cold when I hit it with the gas.

Even when getting it drinkable as quickly as possible, I have to admit that it ends up a fair amount better by the end of the keg than the beginning. Of course, most of my friends don't know to look for things like clarity and can't notice the taste difference anyway. I decided awhile back to stop trying to make "perfect" beer in every case. Do you like it? Do your friends like it? Good enough!
 
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