kanzimonson
Well-Known Member
I've screwed up quick carbing so many times that I've been trying to figure out a good way to do it. Usually I'm waaaay too patient and I'll lay the keg in my lap and shake it until it's super overcarbonated. Overcarbonating is the worst because it takes so long to decarbonate a full keg when you have so little airspace.
So I finally developed a method that works for me - nothing too revolutionary here but might work for other people.
I hook up the CO2 and set it to 30psi. I leave the gas connected, and pick the keg up, hold it sideways, and shake it while I'm standing. And then I shake it until I start to get tired. Then I disconnect the gas, pick it back up, shake it a few more times to dissolve the head space, and put it back down.
Then I hook up the gas again, this time set to about 22psi. Same thing - shake until tired, set it down, disconnect, shake a few more times.
Hook it up at 15psi, and then I shake until I'm absolutely beat tired. Usually I'm serving at 12psi so I figure if I accidentally overcarbonate at 15 that's not a big deal.
I like this method because the safety check of "when I get tired" usually means that I won't sit there with it on my lap and ruin it. I'd estimate it's about 2-3 minutes of shaking before I decide I'm ready to give up. It's the burn in your forearms from holding the top and bottom of the keg that gives first.
I've done this a couple times now and it actually gets the beer to a level that's juuuuust under the perfect carbonation, and I don't mind waiting a day or two for it to finish up. Give it a try!
So I finally developed a method that works for me - nothing too revolutionary here but might work for other people.
I hook up the CO2 and set it to 30psi. I leave the gas connected, and pick the keg up, hold it sideways, and shake it while I'm standing. And then I shake it until I start to get tired. Then I disconnect the gas, pick it back up, shake it a few more times to dissolve the head space, and put it back down.
Then I hook up the gas again, this time set to about 22psi. Same thing - shake until tired, set it down, disconnect, shake a few more times.
Hook it up at 15psi, and then I shake until I'm absolutely beat tired. Usually I'm serving at 12psi so I figure if I accidentally overcarbonate at 15 that's not a big deal.
I like this method because the safety check of "when I get tired" usually means that I won't sit there with it on my lap and ruin it. I'd estimate it's about 2-3 minutes of shaking before I decide I'm ready to give up. It's the burn in your forearms from holding the top and bottom of the keg that gives first.
I've done this a couple times now and it actually gets the beer to a level that's juuuuust under the perfect carbonation, and I don't mind waiting a day or two for it to finish up. Give it a try!