finally kegged!

super jazzed about getting the first brew in a keg tonight. made a kolsch about 2 months ago that has just been sitting, waiting for the keg set up to be completed. i have high hopes for it.

my force carbing technique (talked with the fella at the LHBS about doing it this way, let me know if you see any red flags):

purge o2 a few times

give it a final shot at 30 psi, crash cool it, release pressure next day, store at serving pressure with co2 on for 5 or so days and pull me a pint...

sound OK?

Sounds fine, but I don't think it'll be carbed up enough in 5 days at serving pressure. More like 10-14 days.

You can also try doing the same thing, up to sticking it in the kegerator. Then, put it back on 30 psi for 36 hours. Release the pressure, and reset to serving pressure (usually 9-12 psi) for 2-3 days. Then it should be perfect!

sorry yooper, i'm a little confused, this is all new to me. i put it on 30 psi and put it in the fridge this afternoon. so, you're saying after it cools connect it to the co2 and set it at 30 for 36 hrs? and all this time, do you leave the co2 going or put it at 30 psi and disconnect?

android said:

sorry yooper, i'm a little confused, this is all new to me. i put it on 30 psi and put it in the fridge this afternoon. so, you're saying after it cools connect it to the co2 and set it at 30 for 36 hrs? and all this time, do you leave the co2 going or put it at 30 psi and disconnect?

Click to expand...

Keep it on the gas. As it carbonates, more gas goes into the keg and dissolves into the beer. A little more goes in as the beer carbs up. If you remove the gas, it can't do that.

You can set it at serving pressure to carb up (like Ronco says, "set it and forget it!") but it'll take about 10 days to 14 days. If you're not in a hurry, that's a good way to do it. If you're a little hurried, you can give it 30 psi for 24-36 hours, then pull the pressure relief valve, and reset it to serving pressure. That'll get you carbed up beer in 5 days or less.

I'm not a shaker, but I know that some "fast carbers" shake the keg and emply other methods to fast carb. I don't want to risk foam and overcarbonation, so I'm a slower carb kind of girl.

YooperBrew said:

I'm a slower carb kind of girl.

Click to expand...

She wants a carber with a slow hand...

Conway Twitty anyone?

eschatz said:

She wants a carber with a slow hand...

Conway Twitty anyone?

Click to expand...

And for all anyone knows, you're one of those fast carbers- a high pressure shaker! My momma told me to watch out for those kinds.

YooperBrew said:

And for all anyone knows, you're one of those fast carbers- a high pressure shaker! My momma told me to watch out for those kinds.

Click to expand...

Did you just call me a greaser?

Yoop, you wouldn't understand. I'm from the other side of the tracks... :rockin:

Ok, Android, we're done stealing your thread! Are you still there?

If you have questions, feel free to interupt!

right on, thanks for the info. 30 psi it shall sit for a few days.

will the beer continue to age once it's carbed up and ready to serve? or does cooling it kinda halt that process? the reason i ask is i'll be serving this keg at a party in three weeks and i was wondering if i should wait to cool and carb it. it's been aging in secondary for over a month, so i'm sure it's doing well already.

and steal away, especially if conway twitty is involved.

Sorry about the hijack!

Personally I put my kegs at 30 purge and shake for a couple of days. I usually have a drinkable beer fully carbed in 3 days. Just shake a couple of times a day.

You ass (see avatar), you don't shake it!

If the party is weeks away, you can just "set it and forget it". Put it at 12 psi and forget about it.

Cold does slow down the aging process. If it's not quite finished tasting yet, it's best to keep it warm and allow it to condition. But if it's a kolsch, cold conditioning is almost expected. It'll smooth it out, and give it some lager-like characteristics, especially if you used Kolsch yeast. Carbonation doesn't affect conditioning. So you can "lager" it on the gas and it'll carb up while it lagers.

wonderful, it shall lager away. thanks for the info.