Do I need to read the FAQ again?

[Poindexter]

What if I don't like force carbed beer and want to prime with corn sugar after all? Can I put the beer back under an airlock to go flat and then prime, or will I have to suck down five gallons?

 

[Professor Frink]

I'm assuming it is already in a keg. You can let the CO2 come out of solution then add priming sugar (about 1/2 cup for bulk priming I believe) and let it naturally carbonate. You don't really need an airlock, just vent the keg every once in a while until it's flat.

 

[malkore]

just remember that even if you prime a keg using sugar, you still have to use CO2 to dispense the beer, or it gets a little flatter after each pint.

 

[Drunkensatyr]

What did you find wrong with it?
Did you let it age still? green beer is green beer.

 

[Poindexter]

What did you find wrong with it?
Did you let it age still? green beer is green beer.

No, no, not like that. I just got my kegs last night, got new O-rings at the LHBS today, I have had a pale ale sitting in secondary for three weeks after one in primary... racked today.

I decided I am going to try force carbonating this one. Hopefully I will like it. Seems like ~most~ people like force carbing good enough but ~a few~ posters here still prime with sugar and use CO2 just to dispense.

Can't start force carbing until I get a wrench big enough to tighten the regulator gently to the CO2 tank, but I am on my way.

 

[FlyGuy]

Personally, I think the force carb vs. natural carb taste difference is a pure myth. If you want to be purist, you can prime with sugar and serve from a siphon. But there aren't many other reasons to prime a keg.

Some downsides:
- extra yeast in the keg to deal with
- may take longer (depending on how much viable yeast is left in your beer)
- you have less control than force carbing (with a CO2 tank, you can purposefully undershoot your target carb volume, and then slowly increase it until it is jjjuuusssstttt right -- impractical to do this with priming sugar)
- doesn't taste any better than force carbing

 

[Orfy]

Listen to:

12-06-07 Basic Brewing Radio - Cask Conditioning

That should help.

 

[malkore]

the only time force carbing will affect flavor, is if you rapid force carb....i.e. 30psi and shaking the crap out of the keg.
that leaves behind a lot of carbonic acid, which leaves a 'bite' in the flavor. it WILL fade over the course of a few days.

if you just carb by setting at serving psi (assuming your system has tap lines balanced for this) then after about 10-14 days its fully carb'd with no carbonic acid bite.

i see no reason to rapid force carb unless you run out of beer during a party and your second keg isn't carb'd up. otherwise, you didn't rush through primary, or secondary, so why rush the carbing....carbonation doesn't cure green beer

 

[Funkenjaeger]

The vast majority of commercial beer is force carbed - and for that matter, I believe it's very rapidly force carbed by injecting CO2 through a carbonation stone (or similar) in-line while the beer is being transferred - but do you find that you don't like commercial beers because of this?

Personally, I agree with FlyGuy, I think the claims of differences are all a myth - CO2 is CO2! While I do believe that there may be some difference immediately after rapidly force carbing (like malkore suggests), any difference will fade within a matter of a couple of days - and even when you take into account the extra time to let it "smooth out", if you even find it necessary, it'll likely STILL take less time than naturally carbonating.

 

[bradsul]

I naturally carbonate my kegs because I don't see it as a major hassle - certainly not one worth spending another $100CAD on a second tank and another $50CAD on another regulator (plus disconnects et al).

I agree there is no taste difference however, I force carbed a couple kegs at room temperature (kegerator only holds 2 and those are both for serving) and as long as you give it time to properly condition it makes no difference.

 

[kal]

Another thing to keep in mind, is that if you naturally carb and then use a Co2 tank to dispense, you may actually end up force carb'ing a bit anyway if your serving pressure is HIGHER than the amount of Co2 you naturally added with priming sugar.

The difference in taste that people taste may be due to the increased amount of yeast sediment that you get when you naturally carb.

I naturally carbonate my kegs because I don't see it as a major hassle - certainly not one worth spending another $100CAD on a second tank and another $50CAD on another regulator (plus disconnects et al).

Why would you need a second tank and regular to force carb? I just connect up the flat beer to the line and it carbs up to 12psi (the serving presssure) over a week or two.

Kal

 

[bradsul]

Why would you need a second tank and regular to force carb? I just connect up the flat beer to the line and it carbs up to 12psi (the serving presssure) over a week or two.

My kegerator only holds 2 kegs and they're both for serving. I'd have to buy a dual-regulator and run a line outside the fridge, plus that would mean carbing kegs in my living room which wouldn't fly.