Kegging/Force Carbing Help-Beer is Sitting in Purgatory!!!

This is my first time kegging and am having issues with force carbing. Maybe someone can help. Here's what I did:

- Filled Pin Lock Keg
- Set PSI at 35 and rocked keg for 15 minutes (I know 35 is a little low)
- Stopped gas flow
- Went to release pressure as everyone suggests and beer/foam came flying out-like 20 feet.


So how do I release the pressure without losing beer? What else can I do?

How full is it?

35 is pretty high. Most brewers won't go above 30.

It sounds like you've got lots of foam from the shaking and co2. I'd let it sit still and rest for a few hours, or better, overnight. Them check the pressure and bled off any excess.

Just to clarify, leave the gas disconnected while it rests.

Also is it cold?

Hit it with 30 psi for 48 hours no shacking after 48 hours bleed off set to 10 psi and your good to go

Another suggestion for bleeding on pin locks that are too full (or full above the gas diptube) is to tip the keg at an angle where the gas post is the highest point AND then bleed the pressure. You might get a small spurt of beer that's stuck in the gas diptube but it should stop almost instantly.

30 is the usual range for burst carbing (force carbing is simply using external co2; burst carbing is using external co2 and carbing it quickly).

My usual method of carbing is to set the keg in the fridge at 20psi. Leave it for 48 hours. Bleed excess pressure. Set back on ~8-10psi. After the first 48 hours, the beer is about 85% carbed. After another 48 hours (4 days on co2, total), the beer is 100% carbed. Of course, no carbing method makes conditioning move any faster

Thanks for the input.

The beer was around 45 when I added C02. I got ahold of friends friend who kegs and he says he normally just puts it at 30 psi for 48 hours then lowers it to 10-12 psi until its carbed. Ive started that so I'll see how it goes then try some of these other methods with the beers to come.

Thanks again

BrewWNC said:

Thanks for the input.

The beer was around 45 when I added C02. I got ahold of friends friend who kegs and he says he normally just puts it at 30 psi for 48 hours then lowers it to 10-12 psi until its carbed. Ive started that so I'll see how it goes then try some of these other methods with the beers to come.

Thanks again

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At 45° and 30 psi, the equilibrium carbonation level is 3.8 vol, which is really really high. By shaking for 15 min at that temp and pressure you've likely reached something close to that level, and severely overcarbed the beer. Leaving it at the increased pressure is only going to make it worse. My suggestion would be to let it settle without any gas pressure at all overnight, then bleed the pressure, and then try a sample to see where your carb level is. When you realize how overcarbed it is, leave the gas off, and vent the pressure every time you think of it for the next several days, and then try another sample to see where it's at.

If you decide you need to shake it again (which I don't reccomend) you need to do so at serving pressure so that you don't overcarbonate it. Leaving it at 30 psi for 48 hrs with no shaking is an alternative to shaking at serving pressure. Doing both results in a firehose of foam coming out of your faucet.

So I didnt see your post until this morning and had already left the pressure at 30 psi all night. After I read your post and stopped gas flow.

I tested it now (almost 16 hours since first adding air and shaking) with no gas going to it and it pours quite well and is only slightly below the carbonation I want.

So now what? Should I release pressure or just start gas flow at 10-12 psi (its a American ale)? Or am I just waiting to see what happens?

- Went to release pressure as everyone suggests and beer/foam came flying out-like 20 feet.

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take a tube cutter and cut your gas dip tube short, I cut mine so the just stick out of the keg

and they do not even have to be that long

My usual method of carbing is to set the keg in the fridge at 20psi. Leave it for 48 hours. Bleed excess pressure. Set back on ~8-10psi. After the first 48 hours, the beer is about 85% carbed. After another 48 hours (4 days on co2, total), the beer is 100% carbed. Of course, no carbing method makes conditioning move any faster

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what he says

all the best

S_M

BrewWNC said:

So now what? Should I release pressure or just start gas flow at 10-12 psi (its a American ale)?

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Yes. Except instead of a random 10-12 psi, you need to choose the serving pressure that matches your desired carbonation level and the beer storage temp. There are many carbonation charts and calculators out there for this purpose.