Some Kegging Questions

I have Branden O's Graff in a keg and a Winter Ale in a keg. I Carbonated the Graff and it seems I went a little overboard especially since I forgot it was set at 20psi and was forgotten for almost 6 days. Am I able to let it go flat and recarb to my liking? How is this normally done?


Now to re-carbonate or carbonate my winter ale (is not carbed yet at all). What are standard kegging methods. I've read of a few ranging from shaking to letting it sit for days in the cooler, can someone explain how to carb?



Thanks

Just let your keg warm up to room temp and then release all the pressure. Then put it back in and try again.


By far...in my opinion, and most who've used it, the best method is to let it sit. I figure out what volume I want my beer carbed to and then set my PSI to whatever my chart says for my fridge temps. Usually this is between 12-15psi. It will be carbonated after about 5-7 days, but I can assure you that the longer you wait, the better it tastes. I allow all my beers to sit at a consistant pressure (12-15psi) for 2-3 weeks before tapping the keg. If you get a lot of foam, you usually need longer lines. 6-8 feet of line is usually good at 12psi for me. Shaking can work...if you do it right. Most times though, you'll end up overcarbing it.

thanks....i think i need longer lines and to check the carb-chart

Use the pressure relief valve to let some of the gas out of the over carbed keg. It may take several releases over the course of a few days to get it down to where you like it.

This is how I do my carbonation
I set the regulator to the appropriate pressure for the style. There are charts for figuring the right pressure based on the temp of your fridge and how many volumes you want. I'm usually between 10-20 PSI but with hefeweisse and Belgians I have put it way high. Then I shake it for about a min at a time. A few times over the first few days. What the shaking does is expose the beer to the CO2 so that it can become dissolved in the beer. The shaking is not absolutely necessary but it speeds things up. After 1-2 weeks the CO2 will dissolve into the beer and it's ready to drink.

I do not set the regulator high to speed it up as this runs the risk of over carbing. I use the shaking to speed things up. I use a long 10' beverage line so I can pour slow and reduce the foam in the glass.

Lunarpancake said:

thanks....i think i need longer lines and to check the carb-chart

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The diameter and quality of the beverage tubing is also very important. The thin 3/16 ID tubing is the best for slowing down the beer. Only use the high quality tubing. Superflex brand is very good and can be found at most online home brew shops.

I suffered with crappy tubes from lowes and home depot before getting some good tubes from morebeer and AHS. What a huge differance the tubes make.

The length of tube is also effected by how high the faucet is above the beer. If your pushing the beer up hill then the lines can be shorter. Most people the faucet is only slightly higher then the keg and an 8-10' line works great.

maida7 said:

The diameter and quality of the beverage tubing is also very important. The thin 3/16 ID tubing is the best for slowing down the beer. Only use the high quality tubing. Superflex brand is very good and can be found at most online home brew shops.

I suffered with crappy tubes from lowes and home depot before getting some good tubes from morebeer and AHS. What a huge differance the tubes make.

The length of tube is also effected by how high the faucet is above the beer. If your pushing the beer up hill then the lines can be shorter. Most people the faucet is only slightly higher then the keg and an 8-10' line works great.

Click to expand...

I do not have a kegerator so when i serve I usually have the keg in my spare frige so its about 5 inches off the ground....and I serve with a party valve attached to a 3 or 4 foot hose.

Lunarpancake said:

I do not have a kegerator so when i serve I usually have the keg in my spare frige so its about 5 inches off the ground....and I serve with a party valve attached to a 3 or 4 foot hose.

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I'd make the hose 8-10 feet long of 3/16 ID superflex tubing.

Why don't you convert that fridge into a kegerator? Just drill a hole in the side, install a faucet and your in business.

maida7 said:

I'd make the hose 8-10 feet long of 3/16 ID superflex tubing.

Why don't you convert that fridge into a kegerator? Just drill a hole in the side, install a faucet and your in business.

Click to expand...

Well if i did that I would want to put in two taps so then I would need a air-line splitter and some other stuff. But yea, i've pondered doing it for a bit.

You could always add the second tap & gas manifold down the road. Do it man. There is nothing cooler then having beer flowing out the side of your fridge. This is all you need http://morebeer.com/view_product/16265/102244/Faucet_Knob_And_Shank_Combo