couple kegging questions

ok in a few weeks I will be kegging my first batch (amber ale) my questions are....

What do I set my regulator to as far as psi goes once my beer is in my keg?

can I set my co2 tank in my keezer?

how many days with co2 pressure to my keg will it take till my beer is carbed?

I think thats my only questions so far... this is my first kegging experience. I bottled my first batch and those turned out awesome! so if you have any other advice that I should know please feel free to share. thank you!

1. It depends on how you want to carbonate your beer. If you want to use the set and forget method, you find the correct pressure for your beer temp and desired carbonation levels, set it to that, and let it sit for 2-3 weeks and it will carb up perfectly. Use this chart to find out more: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Or some people do a more "forced" method of carbonation by setting it at higher pressures for a shorter period and/or shake the keg to try and get it to absorb more CO2 even faster. Although this isn't as much of an exact science.

Also, your serving pressure not only has to do with how carbed up your beer gets, but you need to take into account your beer line length. Too much pressure for the given length of line will give you problems and nothing but foam. So you also have to counter your pressure with your line diameter and length. More info on that: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f84/beer-line-length-pressure-calculator-35369/

2. Yes you can put your CO2 tank in the keezer.

3. As mentioned above, if you set and forget at the target pressure from the start it may take a few weeks to reach your desired carbonation level. If you try and force it, you can often have beer carbed up and ready to serve in just a couple days.

I generally have it set to about 8-10 and it takes me about 10 days to get it to where I want it. With my set up anything above 10psi means I end up with half a glass of foam.

i ordered my beer line through midwest supplies it came with the courney keg ball lock and just a standard pouring spout on the end of it. thanks for the links i will check that out! I was looking at youtube videos and one guy said he runs his tank at 14 psi for 2 days and his beer is carbed? does that sound about right? I dont think I need to force carb it I am pretty patient as far as the brewing process goes. I waited the proper amount of time with my stout and the end result was PERFECT! So hopefully this one is just the same!

so when you set it at 10 psi you are putting the keg and the co2 tank in your fridge/keezer set up... and after the 10 days you disconnect the co2 line and you are good to go?

802VermontHomebrew said:

i ordered my beer line through midwest supplies it came with the courney keg ball lock and just a standard pouring spout on the end of it. thanks for the links i will check that out! I was looking at youtube videos and one guy said he runs his tank at 14 psi for 2 days and his beer is carbed? does that sound about right? I dont think I need to force carb it I am pretty patient as far as the brewing process goes. I waited the proper amount of time with my stout and the end result was PERFECT! So hopefully this one is just the same!

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No, 14 psi for two days at fridge temps won't carb up the beer. I set mine at 11-12 psi and it's carbed up ok in a week, but better in two weeks. At 10 days, it's pretty well carbed up. My fridge temp is 39 degrees.

If I'm in a hurry and the beer is ready but not carbed, I'll set it for 30 psi for 36 hours, purge and reset at 12 psi and it'll be pretty good. That's the only "hurry" I ever do. I don't shake the keg, or blast it with higher pressures, etc, because I don't want to risk foam and being overcarbed. The nice thing about letting it sit at least a week or two is that you won't have a carbonic acid "bite" from quickly burst carbing, and the sediment will all come out in the first couple of ounces since it's settled well by then. I pour about 2-3 ounces, dump that since it's mostly sediment, and then have perfect pours until the keg is gone.

If you ordered a kit you should be in the ballpark at least in terms of line length and all of that provided you are carbing up a typical beer that needs 12 psi, give or take a few. Even so, you will want to check your pressure/temp/line length setup to make sure you don't get into an issue with excessive foaming since just a few degrees or psi can make all the difference.

As far as time goes, here's a good chart that illustrates the possible carb times for the various methods:



The entire thread has a lot of good info in it here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-force-carbing-methods-illustrated-73328/

So, as for someone who told you they set it to 14 psi for just 2 days either likes flat beer or was lying to you

802VermontHomebrew said:

so when you set it at 10 psi you are putting the keg and the co2 tank in your fridge/keezer set up... and after the 10 days you disconnect the co2 line and you are good to go?

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It doesn't matter if the co2 tank is in the kegerator or not. It's the temperature of the beer that matters. To carb up at 10 psi, it should be kept cold in the keezer.

You don't disconnect the co2 line- you leave it connected. Otherwise, your beer will go flat and you won't have any way to dispense it.

802VermontHomebrew said:

so when you set it at 10 psi you are putting the keg and the co2 tank in your fridge/keezer set up... and after the 10 days you disconnect the co2 line and you are good to go?

Click to expand...

No, you keep the gas hooked up to the keg. You need the continuous pressure to force the beer out of the keg. Most of the rest of the CO2 gets absorbed into the beer which gives it the desired carbonation.