dispensing questions

Hey guys. New to this kegging thing and I had some questions about dispensing. I have done my homework some. I've had my milk stout sitting at 32 with a PSI of 5 to 7 for 4 days. According to the chart this should give me 2- 2.2 volumes. My first question is when will my beer be carbonated? I've heard some people say 5 days and others say 2 weeks. Also I have 6 feet of 3/16 tubing attached to a picnic tap. I know this is long enough but is there a such thing as too long for serving line? Third what's the deal with letting Co2 out of the head space? Do I need to do it before I try and serve my beer? Will It take CO2 volumes out of my beer or just the head space? If I do need to let some out, how much? The relationship between letting CO2 out of tif head space and serving pressure is something I haven't quite grasped yet. Thanks in advance guys.

- I'd plan on it taking two weeks to fully carb a five gallon batch.

- 6' of 3/16" ID line is on the short side, imo, but likely will work okay for your stout. 10' can make a world of difference for higher-carbed beers, though.

- You only need to release pressure from the head space if you're dropping the gas pressure (eg: you try the "burst carb" thing at high pressure, then want to get down to serving pressure). If you carb at serving pressure, there's no reason to release head space pressure.

Cheers!

day_trippr said:

- I'd plan on it taking two weeks to fully carb a five gallon batch.

- 6' of 3/16" ID line is on the short side, imo, but likely will work okay for your stout. 10' can make a world of difference for higher-carbed beers, though.

- You only need to release pressure from the head space if you're dropping the gas pressure (eg: you try the "burst carb" thing at high pressure, then want to get down to serving pressure). If you carb at serving pressure, there's no reason to release head space pressure.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Man 2 weeks will be a tough wait. This might seem like a silly question but is my beer improving at that cold of a temp while the yeast are dormant or is it pretty much what it is at this point?

I do plan on using 10 feet eventually but figured I could get away with 6 feet for now since it's carbed kind of low. If I don't have enough line will It just be all foam?

With lager yeast, the li'l buggers keep working - slowly - even at serving temps. But I expect most ale yeast will be pretty much sleeping off their feeding bender. That said, the two weeks will allow suspended yeast 'n' stuff to drop to the bottom of the keg, and with most beers that is an improvement.

Patience, grasshopper.

As for the line, I doubt you'll have a major foam problem with your stout. When you go to serve a 3.5+ volume wheat beer, that might be a problem...


Cheers!