Carbonation, easy method.

I see a lot of threads with charts and discussions of equilibrium, hose length, purging, shaking, etc. I've had my trials and tribulations with all of these. While the "set it and forget it" method does work, I picked up a new method from a brew shop a few years back that I would like to share.

**Note: This does not produce an EXACT CO2 volume, it gets things to a range where you try it, and if you like it you stop**

Step 1: Put your fridge between 35-40 degrees Fahrenheit
Step 2: Set your psi between 35-40
Step 3: Leave CO2 on keg for 36-48 hours

Time for drinking.

Steps for a good pour

Step 1: Shut off CO2 to the keg and blow all the headspace (it is currently way to high to pour at 35-40psi)
Step 2: Turn your CO2 back on and set your regulator at 2-5 psi, I set mine at 2.
Step 3: Fill the head space (leave CO2 on until you stop hearing the sound of it going into the keg)
Step 4: Turn the CO2 off, pour, enjoy.

There WILL be a bit of foam (up to a glass) but the beer will flow great, and will be well carbed. You can even bottle it using counter pressure fillers or blichmann beer guns. When your pouring pressure dies down and the beer comes out real slow, just flip your switch on you regulator and reload the head space (similar to pumping the tap on a keg at a party) and then turn it back off and enjoy.

I have used this method for 2 years now and it has never failed me. No over carbonation issues, no shaking, and takes very little time.

Hope this helps people.

This will be argued back and forth forever most likely with the "best" method. I say..whatever works for you, then GO FOR IT!

Me personally, 30psi for 24hrs has produced over carbonated beer...so I do 30 for 12hrs and then drop it to the proper level of co2 I want that will work for serving. Lowering to below the volume levels on the chart will eventually lead to under carbed beer as your beer will want to reach equilibrium. So, if you go too long with only 2psi, it will become less and less carbonated over time. All depends how long a keg will last you.

For me, I too do not leave my gas on my kegs. Though with that said, every time my serving pressure seems to get low, I hit with whatever psi i used to carb/serve. For example, if I have my keezer set at 40 and the psi calls for 12 for proper carbonation, I'll hit it with 12psi until I no longer have gas entering the keg.

This works for me, but as I said earlier, do whatever works for you because once you dial in your own process, that works the best for me regardless how epic someone else's process works.

That's not easy. This is easy: set chiller to 34°F, set CO2 to 12 psi, connect gas lines, let sit for two weeks. Et voila!

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

That's not easy. This is easy: set chiller to 34°F, set CO2 to 12 psi, connect gas lines, let sit for two weeks. Et voila!

Cheers!

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This.

True but then I might as well use dextrose at room temp. So as you sit waiting for your beer, I'm already done mine and on to the next one! Boom! Roasted. =D. Nah that method is great too

NorsemenRugby58 said:

True but then I might as well use dextrose at room temp. So as you sit waiting for your beer, I'm already done mine and on to the next one! Boom! Roasted. =D. Nah that method is great too

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"Roasted"?

You must be new here.

While you're screwing around with your green overcarbed beer, all six faucets on my keezer are serving nicely aged and perfectly carbonated brew - while the kegs one stage back in the pipeline are carbonating in one of my beer fridges.

Try to keep up...

Cheers!

Pouring at 0 psi. I wonder why you get a full glass of foam ( sarcasm) but I do wonder why you are fine with that.

I have found with the set and forget method, that I been fine for a few weeks, and then for some reason a leak develops and I find my co2 tank empty. I've become anal about it now. I check...recheck...and then recheck again....ALL THE TIME. It's just more comfortable for me to now force carb high...set at serving..then take it off the gas. Adjust gas as needed for comfortable co2. Once there, charge kegs everyday with 12psi or whatever carb level is. When gas stops entering keg, turn everything off.

Adds a bit more work, but this is my hobby. I enjoy tinkering anything related with my beer or the equipment to serve it in :rockin:

noob1, I seem to have the same affliction as you do. Set and forget was my preferred way, but seem to be plagued by the odd phantom leak here and there. Very frustrating! So now my valves remain off when I'm not serving...

Brewnoob1 said:

I have found with the set and forget method, that I been fine for a few weeks, and then for some reason a leak develops and I find my co2 tank empty. I've become anal about it now. I check...recheck...and then recheck again....ALL THE TIME. It's just more comfortable for me to now force carb high...set at serving..then take it off the gas. Adjust gas as needed for comfortable co2. Once there, charge kegs everyday with 12psi or whatever carb level is. When gas stops entering keg, turn everything off.

Adds a bit more work, but this is my hobby. I enjoy tinkering anything related with my beer or the equipment to serve it in :rockin:

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TRG said:

noob1, I seem to have the same affliction as you do. Set and forget was my preferred way, but seem to be plagued by the odd phantom leak here and there. Very frustrating! So now my valves remain off when I'm not serving...

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Instead of messing around with the gas, serving pressure, etc., etc., the best long term solution would be to pinpoint the leak and eliminate it.

I attempt to find the leaks with soapy water or star san. I have found them in the past. But this last time, I had everything fine and it was sealed perfectly for about 2 weeks. Came home on a Friday and went to pour a pint and noticed a little bit of a slow pour. Went to see if I happened to turn off the gas and sure enough, co2 empty. So, not sure when and where it developed, but it did after holding fine for 2 weeks. I am just paranoid now so I do it this way which works for me. As mentioned, I like to play with my beer stuff anyways as it's my 1 hobby I can't seem to get enough of. So, doesn't bother me all that much.