Set and forget carbing method

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Canadianbrewer2012

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I have recently learned that I don't have the balls to blast carb anymore (after waisting 1/4 of my first keg pouring foam) ... I now use the "set and forget" method and have a question about it ... My last keg was a dark ale I set at 12 psi and planned on leaving for 1 1/2 weeks to carb .. I checked it after 7 days and it was already well carbonated... I have a red ale (brewhouse kit I got for birthday) and I set it at 14psi @ 38 degrees .. How long Should I leave it before I test? Anyone else have experiences to share? I'm chomping at the bit!
 
There's no set rule, and you won't hurt anything by sampling along the way. I find that there's enough carbonation that I enjoy drinking it at around 7 days, but full carbonation usually takes 10-14 days, sometimes longer.
 
What Juan said. I try it daily just to see the malt profile change. And I am right with you on ditching the burst carbing method..just switched to S&F and I;; never go back
 
Using the below chart I carb for 7 days and test it. If it's not where I want it I leave it and test it each day.
After 10 or 11 days if it's still under carbed I'll jack the PSI up a bit, maybe by .5 or 1, because it's so easy to over carb at that point. I've messed it up a few times and had to depressurize due to over carbing. This was right after I switched to kegging and was a little eager.
In the end, you're going to have to get a feel for your system and tweak slightly to your taste.

Chart: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
 
First off, note that head does NOT equal carbonation. Your beer will have head 4-5 days after "set and forget" carbing, but not much CO2 will be actually dissolved into the beer. If the beer style calls for 2.5 atmospheres of carbonation at 11 PSI at 38 degrees (all made up numbers, the math might not be correct), then it WILL take 14 days to reach those 2.5 atmospheres of dissolved CO2 in the beer.

Second, just note that 38 degrees is a little low for a homebrew serving temp. The experts (Jackson/Palmer) say the following: Typical homebrew ale should be served around 50-55F, homebrew wheats and lagers at 45-50F, homebrew stouts and porters at 55-60F. Nothing wrong with your kegorator being set to 38, as this helps with freshness and helps CO2 dissolve, but you may want to let the brews breathe and warm before serving. If not, at 38F you are losing a ton of the hops and malt character in the brew.

Hope that helps!
 
I also use set and forget. But never have the patience to wait more than 5-7 days to pull a pint. Usually I'll shake the keg around every time I walk by, which helps speed things up a little bit.
 
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