Keg Force Carbing Methods Illustrated

This has been a fantastic thread....thanks to the OP and other contributors!

Please correct me if I'm wrong here (for the non-shaking method):

1) Cool the purged/filled keg to serving temp.
2) Set at 30psi for a couple days.
3) Vent, set at recommended chart temp.
4) Wait a week or two, drink beer.
5) Start with approx 10' keg-to-tap line (adjust if necessary) to get desired beer:foam ratio.

One slightly off-topic question: exactly how would one dry hop in a Corney keg?

Thanks again!

I dry hop in the brite tank, or secondary fermenter.

If you don't do that, I would put the hops in a hop bag so it does not clog up your lines.

Brewer3401 said:

I dry hop in the brite tank, or secondary fermenter.

If you don't do that, I would put the hops in a hop bag so it does not clog up your lines.

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Thanks for the reply.

That's what Mac and Jack's does with their African Amber...they attach a bag of hops to the stopper on the side of their kegs.

Brewer3401 said:

I dry hop in the brite tank, or secondary fermenter.

If you don't do that, I would put the hops in a hop bag so it does not clog up your lines.

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thanks all, great thread bobby

Brewer, you put the hops in a hop bag, then just leave them in the keg for as long as it takes to finish the keg?

or, do you dry hop while carbing, wait a week or so, then purge, open keg, fish out hop bag, close keg, presurize and finally serve?

If I'm dryhopping in a relative session beer like an American Pale, I'll put whole hops in a nylon bag with some large stainless ball bearings and just drop it in until it's done serving. If it's a bigger beer like a barleywine or an IIPA that may stick around a bit longer, I'll close the bag by twisting the end of a 23" long piece of stainless wire. The bag goes to the bottom and the wire just gets tucked under the top of the keg so that I can fish it out in 2 weeks. In this case, I leave the keg warm and delay carbonation until I fish it out.

Bobby_M said:

If I'm dryhopping in a relative session beer like an American Pale, I'll put whole hops in a nylon bag with some large stainless ball bearings and just drop it in until it's done serving. If it's a bigger beer like a barleywine or an IIPA that may stick around a bit longer, I'll close the bag by twisting the end of a 23" long piece of stainless wire. The bag goes to the bottom and the wire just gets tucked under the top of the keg so that I can fish it out in 2 weeks. In this case, I leave the keg warm and delay carbonation until I fish it out.

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I hope this is the right place to pose this one. If not my apologies in advance.

This is another one of those ..... "Have I ruined my beer?" Questions. Three weeks ago I tried my brew for the first time and it was awful .... a very foamy ... but flat ESB.

I did a force carbonation (also lacked the power of reading and initially kegged with priming sugar as well) So after much reading and looking at everyone's 'kegging guide' I decided that my beer was probably beyond salvage.

Unfortunately business got in the way of cleaning up the keg, emptying the beer etc.

Fast forward to today .... I went to bleed the keg before dismantling it .... hold up? There's an awful lot of pressure in there?

So me being the adventurous type (read fool hardy and suffering from the flu) ... I poured out a glass .... hmmmm it doesn't taste bad at all??? So I connect up the CO2 and pour out some more. Still a wee bit foamy but now at least I can actually see the beer without having to wait for the foam to dissipate.

So the question I have for the learned beersmiths out there ..... Is my beer ok to drink? It's been sitting in a New England garage for 3 weeks not connected up to the gas and not really refrigerated.

Thanks in advance

Your beer is 100% absolutely OK to drink.

jaobrien6 said:

Your beer is 100% absolutely OK to drink.

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Thanks .... 5th pint in and no ill effects to report. One thing I have noticed is that the beer now is less carbonated (almost to the point of being flat)? Yet there is plenty of foam

Icewalker said:

Thanks .... 5th pint in and no ill effects to report. One thing I have noticed is that the beer now is less carbonated (almost to the point of being flat)? Yet there is plenty of foam

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Carbonation is not the only thing that has an influence on head and head retention.

Also, try pressuring up on your cold beer and see what psi reading you get when you hear gas going into the keg (at 35F, you should not hear any gas until you get over around 12 psi - for a middle range carbonation)

You may have an O-ring leak, or some other type of leak.

Are you leaving your pressure at dispensing pressure all of the time ?

When not dispensing, you have to bring the pressure back up to the level that you carbonated initially - around 12 psi or so.

Brewer3401 said:

Carbonation is not the only thing that has an influence on head and head retention.

Also, try pressuring up on your cold beer and see what psi reading you get when you hear gas going into the keg (at 35F, you should not hear any gas until you get over around 12 psi - for a middle range carbonation)

You may have an O-ring leak, or some other type of leak.

Are you leaving your pressure at dispensing pressure all of the time ?

When not dispensing, you have to bring the pressure back up to the level that you carbonated initially - around 12 psi or so.

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Thanks for the pointers. I'd messed up and left the pressure off the keg. Thankfully I had willing hands to polish off the keg on Saturday night

Now have a saison in the fermenter so will take a stab again once that's ready to keg.

Weird. The current issue of BYO has an issue from Andy Sparks where it says that the "set and wait" method of carbing will reach full carbonation is 2-3 days. I really hope that was a misprint and he meant to say WEEKS. Nope. It goes on to say "will result in perfect carbonation in about a week". It's not a week and it's certainly not 2-3 days.Ugh. Horrible misinformation.

Bobby_M said:

Weird. The current issue of BYO has an issue from Andy Sparks where it says that the "set and wait" method of carbing will reach full carbonation is 2-3 days. I really hope that was a misprint and he meant to say WEEKS. Nope. It goes on to say "will result in perfect carbonation in about a week". It's not a week and it's certainly not 2-3 days.Ugh. Horrible misinformation.

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If you know what your constant temperature and psi is, (and you're not in a bind for time), I'd let it sit at conditioning pressure for 3 weeks.

I've done it - beer is great.

I do 35 F at 12 psi - blonde ale.

Check your chart to see what ranges the total volumes of CO2 should be, depending on what style of beer you brewed.

Bobby_M's point was that the info printed in BYO is wrong. They said "2-3 days" and "about a week". Both are wrong.

48 hours at 30 PSI and 5 days at 10-12 PSI gets things pretty close in a week without shaking but that is certainly not "set and forget"

ok, I'm jumping into the full kegging plan. A few weeks ago I bought a 2.5 gal corny with the co2 cartridge dispenser, have corn sugar in that keg right now, filled it right out of the bottling bucket, 3/4 cup sugar in 5gal. This will fit nicely in the kitchen 'fridge complete with co2 dispenser and when empty will be refilled from one of several secondaries in the queue.

I am intrigued by the fast carbing techniques described in this thread, can I assume that the smaller keg does not change any of the methods? At least there is less beer to loose during experimentation...

I have a 30lb co2 tank and a single gauge regulator that reads up to 60lbs, so yesterday I ordered a ball lock gas line and a used 5 gal soda keg from NB, also the o-ring kit and lube.

While I was browsing various equipment sites I came across this caution which I have not seen in this or other threads..... so I am looking for some feedback or comment on why I do not see this info reflected in these forums...

Notes:
(from http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/kegerator-conversion-kits-pid-RCK-LC-V.html )
"Most domestic draft beer is not pasteurized, so it must be kept cold. The temperature must be maintained between 36-38°F, and the temperature must be maintained all the way to the faucet. Temperatures above 38°F will cause foam and promote sour/cloudy beer. If the temperature rises above 50-55°F, bacteria growth rapidly begins to spoil flavor and cloud the beer. Simply put, keg beer storage can be compared to milk storage: "If it is not kept cold, it will spoil."

That caution doesn't make sense to me. Putting beer into a sanitized keg, oxygen displaced by CO2, and storing at room temp should be no more injurious to your beer than priming and bottling it and storing it at room temp.

I've always stored mine at room temp and never had a problem.

So since this thread originally started I'm sure some info has changed. I just purchased a keg setup so I want to make sure I will be doing everything correctly.

I will have a few kegs but only 2 at a time on tap so I had a few questions.

If I keep a beer in primary for 4 weeks and just drop it in the keg from room temp...what is the fastest (but still efficient) method to get it carbed and at my desired pressure? Do the roll and carb at 30 psi method and have it sit in the fridge for 2 days then serve?

Also, what if I just kegged after 4 weeks and let the beer age a little in the keg until I had a space for it in the kegerator. Should I precarb it a little and just let it sit? Not sure how it will affect the beer just sitting at room temp in a keg.

I would follow the carbonation chart.
If you have 2 weeks, keep whatever pressure the chart says then you'll have a fully carbonated beer.
When you refrigerate the beer, just disconnect the CO2 and leave alone - it will be at maintenance pressure regardless of what temp the beer goes to (assuming you don't have any leaks in the keg)
Remember to take all pressure off, then apply dispensing pressure before serving.

The thing is I don't want to wait 2 weeks. If I wanted to wait 2 weeks I would just bottle.

I just want to know if the 30 psi fill and roll method will work for a keg that is going directly into the fridge and left alone for 48 hours...will that carb it enough?

Then also what to do with a keg that is filled but can't be put into the keg until there is room. Should that keg be filled a little and then left at room temp or just let it sit then do the fill and roll method when puttin it into the fridge.

I'm thinkin just fill and roll since it will be too hard to know how much pressure is in the keg after sitting for however amount of time it would be,

IPAAAA said:

The thing is I don't want to wait 2 weeks. If I wanted to wait 2 weeks I would just bottle.

I just want to know if the 30 psi fill and roll method will work for a keg that is going directly into the fridge and left alone for 48 hours...will that carb it enough?

Then also what to do with a keg that is filled but can't be put into the keg until there is room. Should that keg be filled a little and then left at room temp or just let it sit then do the fill and roll method when puttin it into the fridge.

I'm thinkin just fill and roll since it will be too hard to know how much pressure is in the keg after sitting for however amount of time it would be,

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I racked 2 beers last night. After the kegs were filled, into the fridge they went. Connected the gas line and set the pressure to 30 psi. When I get home tonight, I'll drop the pressure to the desired serving pressure, and drink. It won't be 100% fully carbed, but it'll be close enough and in another day or two it'll be where I want it. I'd rather drink slightly under-carbed beer for a day or two (if there's nothing else on tap) than overcarbing. No shaking involved.

That is good to know. Is that what a lot of people on here are doing to carb their kegs?

What about leaving full kegs uncarbed at room temp...what is the procedure for that?

IPAAAA said:

That is good to know. Is that what a lot of people on here are doing to carb their kegs?

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Srsly, I don't know. It's something that I started doing. I'd rather not speak for others.

IPAAAA said:

What about leaving full kegs uncarbed at room temp...what is the procedure for that?

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As long as the keg is sanitized and purged of oxygen, I'd think an uncarbed keg would cellar for a while. Mine tend to not stick around long enough to know for sure.

what are the equations governing gas diffusion?

Hugh_Jass said:

Srsly, I don't know. It's something that I started doing. I'd rather not speak for others.



As long as the keg is sanitized and purged of oxygen, I'd think an uncarbed keg would cellar for a while. Mine tend to not stick around long enough to know for sure.

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Just trying to get an idea for what guys do to quickly but yet still properly keg and let the beer I guess you can say "marinate".

There is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving a keg of beer uncarbonated at room temperature. So long as you purge the O2 with CO2, you should be fine. I typically leave my full kegs that are aging or can't be hooked to the tap for whatever reason at room temperature until I am ready to drink. As a matter of fact, I will be brewing a barleywine this weekend. It will go in the keg once fermentation is complete to age for a year (uncarbonated and at room temperature). Oh, and by room temperature, I mean about 66F. But I don't see a problem with the low 70s. I plan to dry hop the barleywine right before tapping it.

So you would siphon in the beer then lock the keg and then purge? How do you go about purging the keg?

IPAAAA said:

So you would siphon in the beer then lock the keg and then purge? How do you go about purging the keg?

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Suffice it to say that your keg, dip tubes, posts, etc should all be sanitized and the washers greased. Fill the keg and seal. Push CO2 into the keg (I usually set it to about 20 PSI or so. Once you stop hearing CO2 going in, turn it off and pull the release valve for about a second. Turn the CO2 back on and repeat this about 3 times. Your keg is now purged. Some people don't turn the CO2 off and just pull on the release valve 3-4 times to purge the O2. If your keg is properly sealed and has no leaks, then all is well.

Hook up the gas line, turn on gas, open the pressure relief valve, allow gas to flow through valvev until you think all the ambient air has purged, close valve, pressurize tank...easy.peesy.japaneesy

Thanks guys.

Thats What I do I dial up the psi to 30 which seals the lid to the keg get it cold for a day or two disconnect the gas bleed the pressure off the keg set the pressure to serving psi then wait
If I've shaken the keg in the first day it doesnt seem to hurt but Later after its been cold a few days If I shake the keg it can turn out over carbed So I just leave it at my serving psi like 8 or so or less and it gradually comes to perfect carbonation over time like a week or two I don't mind drinking the beer as its coming into form I think drinking it as it carbs will teach you how it transforms
This post is amazing Bobby M is experienced I've kegged for 3 years and pretty much learned by trial and error In the beginning I went overboard shaking some kegs and it overcarbed em Experience has put me on the side of just being patient and leaving the psi at like 5 or 8 which is how fast i like to serve the beer at and it just comes into form over a week or two Patience pays off as the beer is still delicious early on but it gets better over time Eventually its perfect I like in this forum how it gives creedence to what i was learning through doing I do one keg at a time but Now I'll put my second batch of 5gallons on c02 in the basement at serving psi and when one keg is kicked I'll have one ready downstairs as opposed to having to wait all over again for a new one to carb up Bobby M Thanks For all this Info It's Awesome !!!!!! Virginia Wolf

So I just got my beer kegged and my co2 filled. I don't have my kegerator completed yet but I still want to fill the keg with co2.

I am using the carbonation chart from this page http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/ForceCarbonation.html and it says at 70 degrees I need about 30 psi and the rolling method to carb the beer up to about 2.2 volumes.

So if I do this and don't put the keg into a fridge it should be fine right? Would I have to put some more co2 into it when I pop it into the kegerator?

How long are you leaving it on 30psi?

HoppedIPA said:

How long are you leaving it on 30psi?

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Based off that link only counting to 100 then I'm gonna pull it off the co2 till the kegerator is built.

Only brewed 2 batches so far but kegged both of them i did something similar to first batch but beer was about 48 degrees and i also shaked it when counting and when i put it back on co2 24 hours later it has less than 2 psi in the tank and was very flat. i ended up leaving it on @ 12psi for about 4 days and then it was much better.. who knows really.. i know i dont.. 2nd keg i did same thing but left on co2 @ 12 psi for 24 hours and that night it was much closer to good enough.. now its been 2 weeks and its perfect !

Hmm...well I am trying to figure out what I can do but I guess I might just have to wait till I can cool the kegs.

IPAAAA said:

So I just got my beer kegged and my co2 filled. I don't have my kegerator completed yet but I still want to fill the keg with co2.

I am using the carbonation chart from this page http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/ForceCarbonation.html and it says at 70 degrees I need about 30 psi and the rolling method to carb the beer up to about 2.2 volumes.

So if I do this and don't put the keg into a fridge it should be fine right? Would I have to put some more co2 into it when I pop it into the kegerator?

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If your beer is in the keg at 70F, you'd want to leave 30psi connected for 3 weeks or until you get the beer colder (whichever comes first). That will get you your 2.2 volumes of carbonation. You can rock the keg during this time if you'd like and it would speed up the carbonation by a few days. You will NOT overcarb if the rocking/shaking is done according to the chart pressures.

So the force carbing method that is shown on that link only works when your beer is cold? Maybe I was just reading the chart wrong.

What if I did the 30 psi at 70 degrees and it sat for a week at that temp but then I popped it into the fridge. How would I figure how much psi I would need to add?

This is all "force carbing" but I think you mean carbonating with elevated pressures. The pressures on the chart coincide with beer temp and desired carb levels. Using that chart, the time to full carbonation is 2-3 weeks if you leave it alone. Shaking at those pressures will shave a couple days off and you can't overcarb. If you elevate the pressures ABOVE what is on the chart you can further speed the solution of CO2 but you can overcarb.