New to kegging: force carb question

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cieje

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I got everything setup last night, siphoned 5 gal beer into sanatized pin and lock etc... hooked the gas up set to 30psi, let some air out (hopefully enough) from the keg... it's all been sitting in the fridge now 20 hours)

But I forgot to roll or shake the keg around.

Is there anything special I should do since I didn't shake it around? I had planned on setting it to 20 psi at 24 hours then to 10ish at 48 hours.

thanks,

-cj
 
You want to chill the keg before shaking it. Co2 absorbs into the beer at cooler temps. Now is when you want to take it out and shake it for 3-5 minutes, hit it with 30 psi again and repeat the shake. Everytime you hook it back up and hit it with gas, you'll here how much gas was absorbed by how much gas goes in. If you do that 3 times and let it sit under pressure, you'll have beer in the morning.
 
If you have the time (and patience), just vent the keg, then set it at 12 psi and wait a week. It's the easiest way to force carb and you won't overcarb it.
 
EdWort said:
If you have the time (and patience), just vent the keg, then set it at 12 psi and wait a week. It's the easiest way to force carb and you won't overcarb it.

I agree:) even 2 weeks if your not in too much of a hurry! I've noticed when you try to carb a keg to quick ( 2-3 days) you will end up with a foamy beer maybe for entire keg:-( take your time, wait and brew more beer! Keep a flow coming! You can never have to much beer waiting. Cheers

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk
 
You want to chill the keg before shaking it. Co2 absorbs into the beer at cooler temps. Now is when you want to take it out and shake it for 3-5 minutes, hit it with 30 psi again and repeat the shake. Everytime you hook it back up and hit it with gas, you'll here how much gas was absorbed by how much gas goes in. If you do that 3 times and let it sit under pressure, you'll have beer in the morning.

Oh, ok... so based on your response I didn't do anything wrong. The beer was ferm temp, I transfered to the corny, and it's all been under 30psi pressure for 20 hours in the fridge with NO SHAKE.

So when I get home I'll just disconnect it, shake it 3-5 minutes, apply gas @ 30psi... and do that 3 times then set to 12 psi over night I guess

-cj
 
You want to chill the keg before shaking it. Co2 absorbs into the beer at cooler temps. Now is when you want to take it out and shake it for 3-5 minutes, hit it with 30 psi again and repeat the shake. Everytime you hook it back up and hit it with gas, you'll here how much gas was absorbed by how much gas goes in. If you do that 3 times and let it sit under pressure, you'll have beer in the morning.


Interesting method... I've been afraid to shake my beers for fear of over-carbing them. I'll have to try this sometime. I usually just make sure I have a week to carbonate it: chill for a day, set it at 3 x the volume that I want for 24 hrs, bleed the excess, and set it at the pressure I want for the rest of the time.

Bender- do you notice a sourness from the carbonic acid if you doing it this fast?
 
I am somewhat anxious... so I was wanting to force carb. It's my first real homebrew (really 2nd... first batch was infected) and first attempt at kegging.

If I over carb by mistake can I just let the gas out and set it at 12psi and let it sit a week or 2?
 
If you overcarb you will be constantly venting the keg. Each time the headspace will seek equilibrium in pressure to what's in solution. It takes time & to de-carb when you overcarb. Carbing also changes the characteristics of the beer and that takes time too, so if you hurry up and force carb it via a few tricks, your beer will taste different today than it will two weeks from now.

Your patience will be paid back in spades if you do it the slow way. It's all I do anymore.
 
Your patience will be paid back in spades if you do it the slow way. It's all I do anymore.

Very much agree.

If you want to rush it, I gave you the steps. However I don't rush it. I set it and forget it.
 
EdWort said:
If you overcarb you will be constantly venting the keg. Each time the headspace will seek equilibrium in pressure to what's in solution. It takes time & to de-carb when you overcarb. Carbing also changes the characteristics of the beer and that takes time too, so if you hurry up and force carb it via a few tricks, your beer will taste different today than it will two weeks from now.

Your patience will be paid back in spades if you do it the slow way. It's all I do anymore.

Listen to EdWort!
Don't Rush A Good Thing!!

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk
 
Why do you want to shake it? That's like buying a coke and shaking it. Why on earth do you want to?

If it's been at 20 psi for a day, you can vent it and reset it to 12 psi and have carbed up beer by tomorrow. If you shake it, you can have foamy overcarbed beer that will take a week to be ready to drink.

Don't shake!
 
Bender- do you notice a sourness from the carbonic acid if you doing it this fast?

Sorry, missed that one. I notice a much better product by setting and forgetting but that is more likely due to conditioning time. We all know that last pour is the best one.

I haven't rushed a beer in awhile. I much prefer giving them 2 weeks to carb on 12 psi. But I have been in the OP's shoes too. No home brew to drink but a keg full of it..........Babylon Sister............SHAKE IT!
 
But I have been in the OP's shoes too. No home brew to drink but a keg full of it..........Babylon Sister............SHAKE IT!

This. exactly. I think I'll go the quick route this time and by the time the beer is actually good in like 3 weeks my next batch will be ready to keg =)

thanks all for the info. In the future I will definitely set and forget per everybody's advise.
 
So it seems to have worked. Last night I disconnected the gas, rolled/shaked the keg for like 2-3min, attached gas at 30psi, waited till I didn't hear gas flowing and repeated. I only did it 2 times so as not to over do it then set the gas to about 10psi.

Now this is the first real homebrew I've had... But the carbonation seems fine and beer is serving well.

Thanks for the tip! Next time I'll probably naturally carb
 
I've force carbed numerous times. I've had mixed success; I usually end up with a wild keg that I spend time trying to "calm" down. I've since developed more patience and now just set it and forget it for a week. I've had much better pours since then. Either way beats bottling beer! Have fun and good luck.
 
"Force carbing" doesn't mean shaking the keg or turning the gas up high, although some people do that.

Force carbing means using co2 to carb up the beer, and not "naturally" carbing with priming sugar or wort.

I force carb all of my beers. I set my kegs in the kegerator at 12 psi. That means they will carb up in a week or two. That is also "force carbing".
 
Thanks Yoop. That's a pet peeve of mine. Co2 tank=force carb. Yeast farts=natural carb. I'm working on a comprehensive keg carbing "something".. I'm not sure if it will be an article or a video just yet but I'm still not happy with the Force Carbing Illustrated thread because it's obvious a lot of people didn't quite get the message. In any case, I'm doing a lot more illustrating this time.
 
"Force carbing" doesn't mean shaking the keg or turning the gas up high, although some people do that.

Force carbing means using co2 to carb up the beer, and not "naturally" carbing with priming sugar or wort.

I force carb all of my beers. I set my kegs in the kegerator at 12 psi. That means they will carb up in a week or two. That is also "force carbing".

Then maybe the "shaking the keg or turning the gas up high" shouldn't be called simply "force carbing". Maybe it needs a new or more descriptive term.

Although I am just beginning, I of course knew there were 3 primary ways to carb in the keg: natural in ferm-like temps with sugar/etc, co2 based in the fridge with 12psi for 1-2 weeks, or co2 based in the fridge but with high pressure "forcing" the beer to carb more quickly than the other methods.

I propose it to be called Quick Carbing

-cj
 
Pretty much every time I have rapidly carb my beers by over-pressurizing and shaking has given me the wild foamy beer. Impatience has gotten me nothing. I now just set the co2 pressure to the appropriate setting for the given style and temperature and have had really good results. I do set the gas line to the outlet of the keg and vent the pressure relief valve from time to time just to bubble the co2 through the liquid. Don't know if this help or not but....
 
I think it was Bobby that posted the different methods of Force Carbing. He calls it Burst.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-force-carbing-methods-illustrated-73328/

Right on, but I'm certainly not the first person by a long shot to recognize this method. Frankly I don't sit on any authority to coin words any more than the next guy but I did notice there was no regularly referred to term for this rushed methodology. Whatever you want to call the opposite of "set and forget" is fine with me but just NOT force carbing.

I'm documenting another version called "batch carbing" but I think I'm inviting a whole new level of confusion at the same time.
 
Then maybe the "shaking the keg or turning the gas up high" shouldn't be called simply "force carbing". Maybe it needs a new or more descriptive term.

Although I am just beginning, I of course knew there were 3 primary ways to carb in the keg: natural in ferm-like temps with sugar/etc, co2 based in the fridge with 12psi for 1-2 weeks, or co2 based in the fridge but with high pressure "forcing" the beer to carb more quickly than the other methods.

I propose it to be called Quick Carbing

-cj

I usually call it "burst carbing" but "quick force carbing" would work.
 
I understand that co2 is absorbed more quickly at low temperatures but will it still absorb at room temperature so long as the pressure is set to the correct value for the given number of atmospheres of co2 desired and temperature?
 
I understand that co2 is absorbed more quickly at low temperatures but will it still absorb at room temperature so long as the pressure is set to the correct value for the given number of atmospheres of co2 desired and temperature?

No, CO2 is not absorbed more quickly at cold temps. I don't know why people think this. More CO2 is absorbed at lower pressure at lower temps, but as long as the pressure is set according to the chart, based on desired volumes, the rate of absorption is the same.
 
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