Force Carbing - Upside down?

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Cpt_Kirks

Cpt_Kirks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
3,704
Reaction score
60
Location
Lakeland TN
If I go to force carb, but turn the keg upside down when I pressurize the keg to 30 psi, won't the gas be forced to bubble up through the beer to get to the headspace?

Won't that help speed up the process?
 
I was thinking that myself actually... curious of the answer. From what I've read, if you can turn it on it's side, it will have more surface are/CO2 contact which would be even better. Of course, unless you have a fill size fridge to do this in (carbs better under cooling) it's hard to have a keg on it's side under pressure while being chilled.
 
Cpt_Kirks said:
If I go to force carb, but turn the keg upside down when I pressurize the keg to 30 psi, won't the gas be forced to bubble up through the beer to get to the headspace?

Won't that help speed up the process?
Click to expand...
If you are willing to try that, you might as well connect the CO2 to the liquid disconnect and carbonate that way. Either way risks getting beer in your co2 line, but turning it upside down almost assuredly will.

As far as being a speedier process? Let us know. :D
 
Baron ken said:
If you are willing to try that, you might as well connect the CO2 to the liquid disconnect and carbonate that way. Either way risks getting beer in your co2 line, but turning it upside down almost assuredly will.

As far as being a speedier process? Let us know. :D
Click to expand...

Wouldn't 30 PSI of CO2 keep the beer out of the line?

I was thinking of hitting it with CO2 outside the fridge, upside down, then unhooking it, shake, repeat.
 
Cpt_Kirks said:
Wouldn't 30 PSI of CO2 keep the beer out of the line?
Until the pp of CO2 hits equilibrium and then you just have an open system - the beer will most assuredly pour back down the line.
If you threaded fittings on your disconnects its easier just to put the CO2 on the beer line and bubble it up from the bottom.
Click to expand...
 
You will get far better levels of carbonation by laying the keg on its side than you ever will by bubbling the CO2 through the beer. And I certainly wouldn't want to risk the chance of beer making its way into my regulator!
 
giligson said:
Until the pp of CO2 hits equilibrium and then you just have an open system - the beer will most assuredly pour back down the line.
Click to expand...

Until it hits equilibrium there will be more pp coming from the tank side- keeping the beer out of the line.

After they equal out, the beer will be able to flow back.
 
It will help, slightly. The bubbles will be large & won't provide much extra surface area. You can buy diffuser stones for kegs that produce very small bubbles, but you need one for each keg.

Shaking helps much more. If you can't shake a full keg, you can lay it across a piece of closet rod and rock it.
 
I was shaking my keg last night to help it carb and I got beer in my gas line. Is that a big problem? Do I need to do anything about it?
 
Coastarine said:
I was shaking my keg last night to help it carb and I got beer in my gas line. Is that a big problem? Do I need to do anything about it?
Click to expand...

It's a problem if it gets into your regulator. You may need to tear it apart and clean it out. Do you have a check valve?

Not directing this at you Coastarine- If you go through the trouble of brewing and properly aging a beer, what's one more week going to hurt? Please people, quit shaking, rolling and otherwise molesting your cornies. It's not worth it.
 
wildwest450 said:
It's a problem if it gets into your regulator. You may need to tear it apart and clean it out. Do you have a check valve?

Not directing this at you Coastarine- If you go through the trouble of brewing and properly aging a beer, what's one more week going to hurt? Please people, quit shaking, rolling and otherwise molesting your cornies. It's not worth it.
Click to expand...

I'm a cornie molester. :eek:

Well, it was my first two batches, and I want to drink them! Seems to have worked, too.

I will be nice to the next two batches, they are lagers and will have to sit in the keg for a month, anyway. I will just hit them with about 14 psi the last week or so.
 
This is what I did last night- I had an Dry Irish Stout that I was done fermenting in a corny that I put a stainless steel 'Sure Screen' on the dip tube. Pressurized sanitized corny, pressurized my brew, out to out jumper, and bled my brew to the new keg. I kept venting for awhile after all the liquid was transferred, so that the CO2 was being injected through the out tube and bubbling up through my brew (I then blasted the in side with 30 and tossed it in my kegorator).

On a side not, man look at all the grog and yeast at the bottom of that keg! This was an experiment with the screen for the first time, but I am very anxious to see how clear this beer will be- I think I might be purchasing some more! (Northern Brewer)
 
Long time cornie molester, never had any problem with beer in the line. When you lay it on its side place it so the gas in is at the 12 0'clock position this will help prevent liquid from going back up the line.
Order of steps
1.Fill
2.Purge headspace
3.Chill overnight
4.Crank and shake
5.Let rest to stabilize
6.Relieve pressure to dispensing pressure and tap
7.DRINK
 

Similar threads

F
Need help with regulators/ co2 tank
Replies
9
Views
453
Bobby_M
Bobby_M
We2smart
HELP! Whats the best way to do a closed transfer of Carbonated beer to keg?
Replies
5
Views
471
DuncB
D
S
Force carbing mini kegs in series
Replies
11
Views
461
mac_1103
mac_1103
Gadjobrinus
5 lb down in the red after overnight?
Replies
5
Views
208
Gadjobrinus
Gadjobrinus
Clint Yeastwood
Spunding Valves on Storage Kegs?
Replies
15
Views
527
odie
odie
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top