HELP or new years will be ruined

I have two batches of beer that I am ready to force carbonate for the new year and the last batch i did got a very bad off flavor from the co2 I get my co2 from airgas and I can taste this co2 taste from the gas right out of the bottle, I am using a 20 lb tank but I think it is just the co2 taste I know that co2 is tasteless and colorless but I remember from dumber times in my life doing whippetts off of co2 charges for pellet guns and they had the same taste, am I using a poor quality co2 or did I use to much pressure to carbonate last time? last time i used 30 psi and then I tried to save it by cutting off pressure and letting it sit but it didnt help after a month I threw the batch away but I only have a few days left before new years and I need this beer force carbonated


Is there any hope???

Thanks

Dodgeguy

When was the last time you cleaned and sanitized your co2 balllocks and co2 lines? with out check valves on the ball locks there is always a possibilty that beer made its way up into the co2 lines and that is where the off flavors are coming from. I would start by cleaning every thing that runs from the regultor to the keg. You can take the ball locks apart and clean them inside and out. be careful when you unscrew the back cap as there is a spring inside and it can shoot out if you are not ready for it.

If you have check valves on your ball locks then you shouldn't need to worry about the co2 lines but i would still clean the ball locks. I only mention this because I think that the co2 ball locks are the most over looked peice of equipment when it comes to cleaning. I know that one from experience. *hits self in head one more time*

Cheers

You're either using CO2, or CO2 mixed with something else. There's no such thing as good or poor quality CO2.

If you can't figure it out, I vote for Irish car bombs to start the night off them nobody will even care about any off flavors

http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/gas-equipment-pid-770SG-L1300.html I use this, cheap insurance if you ask me. I live in a rual area and have to trade tanks with a welding shop, no telling where these tanks have been.

What psi should I set it at for carbonation in 3 days???

i'd go with chill the keg, set 20psi on the regulator, and shake like crazy. Just remember to reset your regulator back to serving pressure after you get your desired carbonation. You'll probably want to do a couple shake sessions too. Shake it up like crazy, wait a few hours, test it out, shake like crazy, wait a few hours...etc etc.

dodgeguy said:

What psi should I set it at for carbonation in 3 days???

Click to expand...

Personally, I'd avoid shaking.

You can set the PSI at 30-35 and leave it be for 36-48 hours...depending on the "heaviness" of the beer. A big malty beer will take a bit longer, but a lighter blonde ale or wit will be pert-near completely carbed inside of 36 hours.

Make sure the beer is chilled to serving temp.

Relax, you have plenty of time to carb it up...and enough time to knock down the carbonation if you over-do it.

rather than shake it, gently roll it on its side, to increase the surface area between beer and gas.

also, that 'CO2' bite you're tasting is indeed from rapid force carbing. its carbonic acid, and it does mellow out over time (a few days)...which is why carbing for 10-14 days doesn't produce the bite, but carbing in 24 hours does...until it mellows out after several days.