Keg Force Carbing Methods Illustrated

Williams 728
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peterlonz said:
It's just my opinion but two things frequently not mentioned:
1) Set & Forget requires the gas regulator to be permanently "on".
A possible consequence of this, is that if there is even a minute gas leak, you can lose the complete contents of your CO2 gas tank which is expensive & very annoying.
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Yes, a leak is ALWAYS a possibility, but not a likelihood if you set up your system properly. When I first got into kegging, I had a leaky regulator that was nearly impossible to check. But, since getting that little problem repaired, I have gone 2 years on a 20lb tank that serves 4 taps as well as boost carbing, pushing cleanser, and pushing Star San. I leave the gas on 24/7. I lost $20 worth of CO2, and fixed the problem... Things happen, but I am of the opinion that one shouldn't fear every possibility no matter how remote.
 
peterlonz said:
It's just my opinion but two things frequently not mentioned:
1) Set & Forget requires the gas regulator to be permanently "on".
A possible consequence of this, is that if there is even a minute gas leak, you can lose the complete contents of your CO2 gas tank which is expensive & very annoying.
How likely is this; well it happened to me within a month of moving to kegs. Had I carefully done a soapy water gas leak; YES, the leak proved to be so small that this leak test was not likely to detect it. How many possible leak points are there - well count them up there are many & most rely on rubber O rings which do deteriorate.
2) If you just apply a relatively high pressure (50+ psi , say) to a more or less constant head space such as applies to a newly kegged (but cooled) brew, it's possible with a bit of experience to get quite close to the desired carbonation level within a week or so, although subsequent additions of gas at progressively lower pressures are required over perhaps another week.
I can't give a positive guide on this just yet, but it's relatively easy in practice & so far I have not over-carbed to any significant extent.
Not as precise as "set & forget" but easy & much less risky.
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I think you got burned too early. You should try to get back to a balanced system IMO. it is fine to boost carb to get up to carb, but guessing like you have suggested can't be easy to master. shutting off lines in between would be enough to make me go back to bottling. Almost 2 years on my kegging system and happy to say no leaks, even with my boost carbing method. Balanced system and happy.

Never thought I would hear "set & forget" referred to as the "risky" method
 
I agree, a balanced system is happy perfection. Turning on and off the gas is a huge PITA.
 
I had a leak on my first keg due to a bad pressure release valve. Just posting so other noobs know to spray down potential leak areas before walking away. I use a spray bottle of star san
 
wilsojos said:
I'm reluctantly trying something different this time. I cold crashed my ipa for a few days. Transferred to my keg yesterday and set at 30 psi. Dropped back to 11 psi after 24 hours...hope it works out. This is only my second kegging. My goal was to get it carbed a little faster than three weeks. Maybe one week with this method?
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So what I ended up doing was 3 day cold crash, set a 30 psi for 24 hours last Friday, dropped back to 10 psi but did not purge and it sat like that for 24 hours, purged and left at 10 psi. I'm drinking the Chinook ipa right now and it is spot on.

Cheers!!
JW
 
Ok, I have finally got my kegerator system up and running. As soon as I get pics from off my iphone and onto a host site, I will try post in the bragging thread.

I do have a problem that I need to address. here is my basic setup.

5# CO2 tank outside my chest freezer (13' Kenmoor). 6" collar, with tubing running from tank to 4-way manifold mounted on the back. These have approximately 3' hoses going to my four different kegs.

I only have 2 perlicks, and the other two taps are picnics until SWMBO allows me to buy two more.

All the kegs will be hooked to 10' of 1/4" ID tubing to faucet.

At this time, I have the two picnic taps running (A Whiskey Scottish Ale and a Aged Oak Porter). The perlicks will be hooked to a friend's Black IPA (He didn't relaize he was quite short on bottles) and a Honey Kolsch.

OKAY..... I mentioned something about a problem. The Aged Ported is pouring like a champ, but the Scottish gives a hiss and then sounds like it's trying to re-carb my keg. Nothing coming out.... except for a few spits of foam. both these lines and taps are new. Any thoughts on what might be causing a problem with the scottish?

Hoping to have all four running for a gathering this weekend...
 
Hoped I could figure all this out without posting but I'm thinking it ain't happening.

My background:
New to kegging. First time around I cold crashed for 2 days, racked to keg and set it and forget it @ 11 psi (per carb chart) for 2 weeks. Carbonation seemed pretty darn good and I can't say I noticed a huge change from week 2 to week 3. Pretty much exactly what Bobby said in the OP.

My epiphony:
I started thinking there might be a way to use a sort of hybrid method of starting with a higher psi then backing it down. Came back here and read further into the thread noticing that many others are already doing this but using different starting psi's and there's some nuances in the overall technique here and there too.

My equipment:
Only have one keg and co2 bottle/regulator right now and the whole works is housed inside the fridge. Fridge runs at about 38 degrees and I have to open the fridge to pour a pint. The hoses are whatever were provided in a kit I bought from the LHBS but it's just a party tapper which is either 6 or 8 ft in length (at work now, can't verify). I can say with confidence though that I can pour at 10-12 psi with no problems.

My question:
Based on the above info, can somebody offer advice on how to shorten time in the keg while still ending with good results? Is that even a reality or is it truly a crapshoot still? Seems kind of like the process has been honed a little by the users of this forum and I'd like to get to the bottom of it if that's the case. Just put a new keg in the fridge about 12 hrs ago and would love to up the psi, then back down later but I feel like I need a push in the right direction.

Thanks in advance...really did try figuring this out by reading but I'm just not quite confident to proceed.
 
35 psi for 48 hours will get you close (without going over :rockin:). Dial it back down to 8-10psi and you're good to go.
 
PLOVE said:
35 psi for 48 hours will get you close (without going over :rockin:). Dial it back down to 8-10psi and you're good to go.
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So at the end of 48 hrs, release some pressure from the keg and dial into a typical maintenance psi right? How long do you typically leave it at the final psi then before it's ready to drink in your experience?
 
wilsojos said:
So what I ended up doing was 3 day cold crash, set a 30 psi for 24 hours last Friday, dropped back to 10 psi but did not purge and it sat like that for 24 hours, purged and left at 10 psi.
Click to expand...

Rookie question here but how exactly do you do that? Whenever I try to drop the psi without purging, the regulator is reading the keg psi still so I have no idea how many turns to adjust my regulator downward to get a "would be" 10 psi. Only way I've had success is to purge enough pressure from the keg to get down under my target, then adjust the valve as needed to ease the psi up to the target.
 
hops2it said:
Hoped I could figure all this out without posting but I'm thinking it ain't happening.

My background:
New to kegging. First time around I cold crashed for 2 days, racked to keg and set it and forget it @ 11 psi (per carb chart) for 2 weeks. Carbonation seemed pretty darn good and I can't say I noticed a huge change from week 2 to week 3. Pretty much exactly what Bobby said in the OP.

My epiphony:
I started thinking there might be a way to use a sort of hybrid method of starting with a higher psi then backing it down. Came back here and read further into the thread noticing that many others are already doing this but using different starting psi's and there's some nuances in the overall technique here and there too.

My equipment:
Only have one keg and co2 bottle/regulator right now and the whole works is housed inside the fridge. Fridge runs at about 38 degrees and I have to open the fridge to pour a pint. The hoses are whatever were provided in a kit I bought from the LHBS but it's just a party tapper which is either 6 or 8 ft in length (at work now, can't verify). I can say with confidence though that I can pour at 10-12 psi with no problems.

My question:
Based on the above info, can somebody offer advice on how to shorten time in the keg while still ending with good results? Is that even a reality or is it truly a crapshoot still? Seems kind of like the process has been honed a little by the users of this forum and I'd like to get to the bottom of it if that's the case. Just put a new keg in the fridge about 12 hrs ago and would love to up the psi, then back down later but I feel like I need a push in the right direction.

Thanks in advance...really did try figuring this out by reading but I'm just not quite confident to proceed.
Click to expand...

Cidamaster (sp?) a few pages back details a way that definitely works. If you don't crash before, i.e. kegging at room temp, start the psi at 50-60 for 24 hours. When that's done, remove the air-in hose and purge the headspace pressure. Then set it at your normal serving pressure and reattach the hose. Let it sit for a few days to even out. This process has worked fine for me.

Cheers, and good luck!
 
hops2it said:
Rookie question here but how exactly do you do that? Whenever I try to drop the psi without purging, the regulator is reading the keg psi still so I have no idea how many turns to adjust my regulator downward to get a "would be" 10 psi. Only way I've had success is to purge enough pressure from the keg to get down under my target, then adjust the valve as needed to ease the psi up to the target.
Click to expand...

I have a double regulator with 3 gauges. One to tell how much gas is in the co2 tank and one for each out line. I can adjust the pressure to the keg by turning down until the gauge reads serving pressure.
 
hops2it said:
Rookie question here but how exactly do you do that? Whenever I try to drop the psi without purging, the regulator is reading the keg psi still so I have no idea how many turns to adjust my regulator downward to get a "would be" 10 psi. Only way I've had success is to purge enough pressure from the keg to get down under my target, then adjust the valve as needed to ease the psi up to the target.
Click to expand...

Easiest way is with a valve between your regulator and your keg. Turn the valve 'off', set the regulator pressure to your desired serving pressure, turn the valve 'on', purge the excess pressure in your corny, and you're good to go. To purge just do a quick pull on the corny top valve. The goal is not to depressurize completely, this certainly risks breaking the head gasket seal. You merely want to release excess.
good luck
 
smellie_hippie said:
Ok, I have finally got my kegerator system up and running. As soon as I get pics from off my iphone and onto a host site, I will try post in the bragging thread.

I do have a problem that I need to address. here is my basic setup.

5# CO2 tank outside my chest freezer (13' Kenmoor). 6" collar, with tubing running from tank to 4-way manifold mounted on the back. These have approximately 3' hoses going to my four different kegs.

I only have 2 perlicks, and the other two taps are picnics until SWMBO allows me to buy two more.

All the kegs will be hooked to 10' of 1/4" ID tubing to faucet.

At this time, I have the two picnic taps running (A Whiskey Scottish Ale and a Aged Oak Porter). The perlicks will be hooked to a friend's Black IPA (He didn't relaize he was quite short on bottles) and a Honey Kolsch.

OKAY..... I mentioned something about a problem. The Aged Ported is pouring like a champ, but the Scottish gives a hiss and then sounds like it's trying to re-carb my keg. Nothing coming out.... except for a few spits of foam. both these lines and taps are new. Any thoughts on what might be causing a problem with the scottish?

Hoping to have all four running for a gathering this weekend...
Click to expand...
I had a similar problem. Turns out a short section of my beer line that passed too close to the cooling elements had frozen. You can either dunk it in a pot of warm water for a minute or two (if it's coiled), or wrap the section in a warm rag.
 
Just to report back, I had great success with the 30 psi for two days, then reduce to serving psi method. Most definitely will be my modus operandi moving forward. I was drinking beer in 4 days from kegging and it tastes great. I now plan to pull a pint every day for the next couple weeks to check for improvement over time. Who am I kidding though, I'd be pulling those pints anyway, the improvement thing is just an excuse. :D
 
My two day at 30 was a dry hopped ipa and I definitely think it mellowed and tasted much better after 11-15 days. But, it was drinkable and enjoyable after day 6.
 
My two day at 30 was a dry hopped ipa and I definitely think it mellowed and tasted much better after 11-15 days. But, it was drinkable and enjoyable after day 6.
 
Really hoping someone can help me solve this CO2 maybe-issue...

I just put my first beer in my keg, then followed the steps I was given in the keg kit instructions I got from Midwest Brewing.

I have a 5 lb CO2 tank, and when I connected the regulator the "high pressure gauge" read 875-900 (don't remember exactly, but I just swapped out my empty for a full tank this morning).

I was reading about force carbonating (unfortunately saw this thread only a few minutes ago) and wanted to try that out. I set the psi to 20, connected the gas line to the gas in post, dropped it in my keezer, and went swimming for a bit. When I got out about 90 minutes later, the high pressure gauge was reading 625.

I should note at this point that I sprayed every connection point with Star-San to spot any bubbles, and couldn't see anything. I also disconnected the regulator to the CO2 tank, reapplied pipe tape on the male threads of the CO2 connector, and tried to tighten each part a little more than it was before, which mostly didn't help as I'm rather anal about super-firm connections in the first place.

Now here's where I need some help - if that high pressure gauge is anything close to a "here's how much CO2 you have left" gauge (I know there's more to it than that), I'll be screwed in about 4-5 hours, yes? Or does that gauge also work off the pressure levels in the keg, and at 20 psi is it the sort of thing where I'd expect to see a fast burn of CO2 as the keg is pressurized, and then a very slow loss of CO2 after that as the beer and keg headspace get increasingly saturated?

I'd have searched more around the internet but I didn't exactly know what to search for...hopefully someone here can help me out, I definitely don't want to fly through a whole tank in a few hours, and I'm worried that if I can't find the problem I'm going to need a new regulator. Not looking to spend more money on things I bought new.
 
The high pressure gauge is basically a thermometer. The pressure depends on temperature. It dropped because the co2 in your tank got cold. It will stay at that pressure without changing for months(as long as the co2 stays the same temperature) then drop like a rock to zero when the tank empties.
 
kehaar said:
The high pressure gauge is basically a thermometer. The pressure depends on temperature. It dropped because the co2 in your tank got cold. It will stay at that pressure without changing for months(as long as the co2 stays the same temperature) then drop like a rock to zero when the tank empties.
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How utterly useless. There must be some applications where that gauge is useful, but I'm gathering that the homebrew world and the place where that gauge is an asset don't intersect.

Thanks for the response!
 
according to http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

at 38 degrees F my beer needs 12 lbs of psi to reach 2.57% carbonation

or is it at 38 degrees F my beer needs 2.57 psi to reach my estimated carbonation level in 12 days

I'm quite confused in this chart I have only "burst" carbed before, and I'm looking on getting a specific carbonation level for my competition brew.

a couple questions I have

how long do i leave my beer carbonating?
are the numbers at the top of the table from 1-30 my psi?
what do the numbers in the colors representing?

I don't know how how many people visit this sticky so I will be posting this in the general beer forums, I'm quite distressed. I was looking to start carbing early today
 
You need to set your pressure to 12psi to achieve 2.57 volumes co2 (carbonation level).

You should leave it at 12 PSI until you finish drinking it.

It is best to wait 2-3 weeks before drinking. It takes that time to carb up and let the sediment drop out.

The numbers in the colored area of the chart are volumes of co2.

Good luck.
 
kehaar said:
You need to set your pressure to 12psi to achieve 2.57 volumes co2 (carbonation level).

You should leave it at 12 PSI until you finish drinking it.

It is best to wait 2-3 weeks before drinking. It takes that time to carb up and let the sediment drop out.

The numbers in the colored area of the chart are volumes of co2.

Good luck.
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That makes sense, but if I leave my co2 at 12psi I'm pouring straight foam out of my tap. What am I missing or doing wrong?
 
Peloton said:
That makes sense, but if I leave my co2 at 12psi I'm pouring straight foam out of my tap. What am I missing or doing wrong?
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Some things to try:

1. Make sure you are opening the tap all the way. Don't half open the tap to slow the pour. That causes tons of foam. Open all the way and fill until you think you are about to overflow. Then close the tap quickly. That is counter intuitive but true. It is also different than serving keg beer at a kegger where there is no co2 pressure just a hand pump.

2. How long are your lines? When I started kegging mine were 5 feet long. I would get 3/4th glass of foam. Going to 10' really helped. When I had 5' lines I turned the pressure down to 3-4PSI when serving. Burp the keg before the first pour though. Then turn back up when done serving. You can leave at 3-4PSI for a few days without any problems.

3. Did you accidentally over carb? If you used the shake method or set to high pressure for a short period (1-2 days) you could have over carbed. If that is the case there are ways to back down the carbonation. Basically you disconnect the gas and burp your keg every 1-3 hours until the beer is back to a servable pressure.

4. There are other possibilities like warm lines.

I hope this helps.
 
kehaar said:
Some things to try:

1. Make sure you are opening the tap all the way. Don't half open the tap to slow the pour. That causes tons of foam. Open all the way and fill until you think you are about to overflow. Then close the tap quickly. That is counter intuitive but true. It is also different than serving keg beer at a kegger where there is no co2 pressure just a hand pump. -----I'll give this a try.

2. How long are your lines? When I started kegging mine were 5 feet long. I would get 3/4th glass of foam. Going to 10' really helped. When I had 5' lines I turned the pressure down to 3-4PSI when serving. Burp the keg before the first pour though. Then turn back up when done serving. You can leave at 3-4PSI for a few days without any problems. ------the lines in my kegerator are about 5 feet also. I'll see about replacing them with longer lines.

3. Did you accidentally over carb? If you used the shake method or set to high pressure for a short period (1-2 days) you could have over carbed. If that is the case there are ways to back down the carbonation. Basically you disconnect the gas and burp your keg every 1-3 hours until the beer is back to a servable pressure. -----I don't think this is my problem as my foaming trouble has been consistent with all my home-brewed and commercial kegs.

4. There are other possibilities like warm lines. -----kegerator and tower are well insulated, don't think this is the trouble.

I hope this helps.-----thanks for the input, I'll make some adjustments and see what helps./quote]
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Definitely get longer lines. 9-10 ft should do it. Makes sure its the thick walled beer lines. Not the ones that often come with the picnic taps from some retailers
 
to all who are trying to find out a quicker way to carb (ie, 50 psi for 20 hours, or 30 psi for 36, etc etc), how confident are you that you are actually hitting those correct carbonation volumes? Obviously, each style has a recommended serving temp and carb level. To those who are trying to rush things and find shortcuts, are you just "happy" with whatever carbonation you deem appropriate? Carbonation levels can make or break a great beer.

Trust me, and I am with you, I would love to be able to carb up a keg in a day or so, but for an english mild at ~ 1.5 volumes, i would be so nervous to overshoot that, and thus go through the dreaded fixing phase which imo just wastes so much beer (at least in my experience when I use to burst carb)

Does it matter on style for you guys? or is it just whatever beer you have, you're OK with the carb levels that you hit. Either way is fine of course, haha, its your beer, and I would never tell someone to do something different. I am just curious.
 
can someone make a calculator? Inputs: Serving Temp, line length and diameter, and desired vols (im sure im missing something). Outputs: Burst carb PSI levels and time. that would be awesome (joking of course, but would be neat)
 
I used to force carb and it got me drinkable beer in short order, but it wasn't ideal. I did that when I was kegging at a friends house and we had a lot of people drinking the beer and it was hard to keep up with the consumption. Now that I got my own keggerator, I'm a set and forget convert. I just put it at 10-12 psi and give it a week. Sure, you can cheat and start to pull a beer off after a couple of days but it tastes best when it's at least a week out. I don't do much different for different styles, but that's probably the next thing I'm going to start paying attention to.
 
D-urb said:
I used to force carb and it got me drinkable beer in short order, but it wasn't ideal. I did that when I was kegging at a friends house and we had a lot of people drinking the beer and it was hard to keep up with the consumption. Now that I got my own keggerator, I'm a set and forget convert. I just put it at 10-12 psi and give it a week. Sure, you can cheat and start to pull a beer off after a couple of days but it tastes best when it's at least a week out. I don't do much different for different styles, but that's probably the next thing I'm going to start paying attention to.
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My beer was never fully carbed in a week going this route. More like 3 weeks. 2 days at 30 psi and then another 5 days at 12 psi gets me where I want to be
 
flabyboy said:
My beer was never fully carbed in a week going this route. More like 3 weeks. 2 days at 30 psi and then another 5 days at 12 psi gets me where I want to be
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Glad to see I'm not alone. I tried this, and then went right back to boosting my beer. To each their own I guess :mug:
 
RogueGoose85 -

In word, NO. I don't think that anyone who is impatient enough to force carb (me for example) cares much about hitting stylistic CO2 volumes. Just getting down to drinking faster. . . It should be possible to more precisely calculate burst carb CO2, after all we're only talking about temp, pressure, and time, but I haven't seen anything.

The compromise would seem to be to use high pressure carbing to quickly get you close to the number, and then dial back and finish with the correct PSI. The only issue would be making sure you don't overshoot.
 
For the stouts i think it matters a bit more especially if your pushing through with beer mix and a block plate faucet... Cause if you dont hit it right it will be too flat and i dont think the mix is absorbed... With all others styles i too use the 24 hour 30 psi and then i usually cut off co2 all together without releasing any pressure in the keg for a few days... Then its time to set to 10-12psi and relieve the pressure and pull one.. It usually does well...
 
Hm, let's see who can help me get a solution for this:

I have a kegerator which I just recently equipped with a second faucet and a two way CO2 manifold. I've deduced that I really only have two options to carb.

Given this situation: I have one keg already on tap, properly carbed, and at the normal 10-12psi serving pressure... now I want to carb my keg that just finished fermenting.

Method #1: attach second air line to new keg. Apply CO2, relieve, repeat (purge O2). Turn off this lines CO2. Rack beer into keg, secure lid. Allow to cool to 37F. open the new kegs valve on the manifold (12psi is now applied to the beer). Leave for 2-3 weeks to slowly carbonate at 12psi.

Method #2: attach second air line to new keg. open the new kegs CO2 manifold valve and apply 12psi CO2, relieve, repeat (purge O2). Turn off the new kegs CO2. Rack beer into keg. Let keg cool to 37F. Turn off the CO2 to the keg currently in operation, and open the valve for the new keg. Up gas to 30psi, and roll the keg on the lap for 10-15 mins while the pressure is applied. Purge the keg to release pressure. Drop regulator pressure to 12psi. Make sure both manifold valves are open. Let sit for a week for complete carbonation.

I was hoping I could have the keg sit for 24-48 hours at 30psi as this seemed like the quickest most effective and foolproof method, but this would force me to shut off the air to the currently working keg (otherwise overcarbonation would occur). If I did do this, would anything happen to the currently kegged beer? It wouldn't go flat right? (theres no oxygen in there... so why would it?). I guess it would just mean that no one could drink it!
 
RogueGoose85 said:
to all who are trying to find out a quicker way to carb (ie, 50 psi for 20 hours, or 30 psi for 36, etc etc), how confident are you that you are actually hitting those correct carbonation volumes? Obviously, each style has a recommended serving temp and carb level. To those who are trying to rush things and find shortcuts, are you just "happy" with whatever carbonation you deem appropriate? Carbonation levels can make or break a great beer.

Trust me, and I am with you, I would love to be able to carb up a keg in a day or so, but for an english mild at ~ 1.5 volumes, i would be so nervous to overshoot that, and thus go through the dreaded fixing phase which imo just wastes so much beer (at least in my experience when I use to burst carb)

Does it matter on style for you guys? or is it just whatever beer you have, you're OK with the carb levels that you hit. Either way is fine of course, haha, its your beer, and I would never tell someone to do something different. I am just curious.
Click to expand...

No offense man, but the tone of your comments/question is kinda off. Like people who have the skill to boost carb aren't as savvy a beer snob as you. Just the same I will assume you didn't have a bad intention.

The answer to this yes for me, I carb to style using boost techniques. I am not happy with a beer unless I am carbing to the level it should be (carb levels make a huge impact on a brews presentation). Boosting for a general amount of time will get you more or less carbed. With experience you can control your outcome very closely because carbing even with a boost method takes hours (usually 24 hours or more) and not minutes. If you have read this thread you would have seen that many people do this with great success.

You don't get brownie points for waiting 3 weeks for your beer to carb (it doesn't make your beer taste better). Boosting isn't a shortcut, it is a repeatable method and skill you should strive to achieve.
 
CidahMastah said:
No offense man, but the tone of your comments/question is kinda off. Like people who have the skill to boost carb aren't as savvy a beer snob as you. Just the same I will assume you didn't have a bad intention.

The answer to this yes for me, I carb to style using boost techniques. I am not happy with a beer unless I am carbing to the level it should be (carb levels make a huge impact on a brews presentation). Boosting for a general amount of time will get you more or less carbed. With experience you can control your outcome very closely because carbing even with a boost method takes hours (usually 24 hours or more) and not minutes. If you have read this thread you would have seen that many people do this with great success.

You don't get brownie points for waiting 3 weeks for your beer to carb (it doesn't make your beer taste better). Boosting isn't a shortcut, it is a repeatable method and skill you should strive to achieve.
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Carbing makes one a beer snob now?!

Seems like a straightforward question to me, does it work for you or not, in terms of hitting carb numbers.

This board has gone ham lately with "no one knows more than me" comments. It's a shame, there used to be a lot of useful discussion on here.

As far as boosting being a repeatable method that everyone should "strive" to achieve, that sounds like an opinion to me. Does that make you a beer snob then?
 
RyanDe680 said:
Carbing makes one a beer snob now?!

Seems like a straightforward question to me, does it work for you or not, in terms of hitting carb numbers.

This board has gone ham lately with "no one knows more than me" comments. It's a shame, there used to be a lot of useful discussion on here.

As far as boosting being a repeatable method that everyone should "strive" to achieve, that sounds like an opinion to me. Does that make you a beer snob then?
Click to expand...

Being called a beer snob is a complement (someone who appreciates all the aspects of a well crafted beer from nose, to carb to finish). Point was that a good boost carber can produce the same cabing result as a set and forget carber - he can be just as good a beer snob.

It is my opinion that any brewer should "strive" to learn all facets of brewing, including force and natural carbing methods.

As for the rest of your post it doesn't make any sense. The only one haming it up is you.
 
I have never carbed (yet!), but from the point of view of dissolving a gas, it shouldn't make a difference which way you carb it, only the temperature, pressure, and time the gas is applied for. The only thing that is really of concern is that blast carbing it makes it much easier to over-carb, much as carbing for 2 days at 30psi is easier to over-carb than leaving the keg at 12psi for 3 weeks. You're taking a risk to get there sooner, and for some people its worth it.

Personally, I'm hoping to boost carb it. If the keg is at my fridges temperature, and I set it to the same pressure every time, and my desired vols of CO2 are the same, then as long as i roll evenly for the same amount of time, I should get the exact same results... simple as that. I've read mannnny of these posts, and quite a few people do it this way as well. They may be like me (dont own a dual product regulator, but a two-way manifold), so they either need to boost carb while cutting of CO2 to the other keg, or decide to wait 2-3 weeks for it to carb at 12psi.

RyanDe680, I think that most people who boost carb are hitting their levels. If not immediately, then within a week at 12psi it'll get there. All the process does is expedite the carbing process, and as long as they don't over carb on the initial burst, then they will always hit it. Its kind of like watching a movie to see a specific scene; all they are doing is fast forwarding. If they stop before, they'll just need to watch at regular speed (12psi) until they get there, if they pass it, they'll need to rewind (however this is much more of a PITA than rewinding a DVD!).

just my 0.02. I think it should produce the same quality beer, the only difference is that the boost carbed beer will be at carbonation levels faster, so when drank right away the beer will be younger. I suspect if you waited the same amount of time the other methods take to reach their carb levels, the taste will be spot on identical.
 
JayMac - well said. You pretty much hit the nail of the head. Control the temp, pressure, time applied and you will be able to sort out the level of carb fairly reasonably, time and time again.
 

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