I am getting ready to keg my first batch and I have a couple of questions. Should I rack from my secondary into my bottling bucket and then to the keg or just to the keg straight from the secondary? Second question is in regards to force carbing. I have heard I should put 30/40 psi on it and let it sit four or five days. My HBS owner said to put 25/30 on it and rock it back and forth for ten minutes then let it settle for 24 hours. Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Kegging/force carbing
- Thread starter bel
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30-40 for days is wayyyyyyy to long.
I usually go with 30PSI for a day drop regulator to serving psi (12) bleed off excess pressure from keg. Then in a few days to a week have pretty drinkable beer.
If you go with 30-40 for a few days your beer will be way over carbed. Didn't think about it but what temp are you carbing this beer at. Your temperature had direct impact on your psi setting.
I usually go with 30PSI for a day drop regulator to serving psi (12) bleed off excess pressure from keg. Then in a few days to a week have pretty drinkable beer.
If you go with 30-40 for a few days your beer will be way over carbed. Didn't think about it but what temp are you carbing this beer at. Your temperature had direct impact on your psi setting.
cluckk
Well-Known Member
Rack straight to the keg. If you have to move the secondary before racking you may just need to let it settle before racking. As for the pressure and days, look up the chart on carbonating by style. I'm on my phone right now and can't look it up here, but it is available if you Google it.
Britinusa
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Use this chart to force carb.
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
Thanks for the responses. I,was going to crash the secondary in the kegerator for 24 hours and then keg. My fridge only has low med high setting so not sure what exact temp will be as I donte have thermometer. Guess I should probably get one.
How do you brew without a thermometer? I used the high PSI with shaking methods for a long time and now I'm a rabidly zealous convert to just setting the PSI to serving pressure and waiting. You waste less gas and beer from not having to depressurize to pour off a sample to test and you don't overcarb, so in my experience you don't lose much time by being patient. GilSwillBasementBrews method makes sense as a compromise, but like I said, I'm a fundamentalist now.
I use this calculator instead of the charts because it's a bit more convenient and the style guidelines for carb volumes are more specific: http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/carbonation.html
I checked out the calculator and I like it better than the chart. So say I have at 40 degrees and 6 psi which the calculator came up with. How long do I carb it for before setting it to serving pressure? And do I bleed the co2 it of the keg before I bump up the pressure? Thanks in advance
Set it to 12 for two weeks and you should be good. Then you can fine tune your serving pressure. If you don't want to wait that long, setting it to 20 or so for 24 hours and then back down to 12 will also get you there in a couple of days.
You should get a small refrigerator thermometer to put in your kegerator. They are like $5 and can be found at just about anywhere from RiteAid to hardware stores. Bet the supermarket has it as well. Once you know the temp exactly, you will be able to set the correct pressure.
You should get a small refrigerator thermometer to put in your kegerator. They are like $5 and can be found at just about anywhere from RiteAid to hardware stores. Bet the supermarket has it as well. Once you know the temp exactly, you will be able to set the correct pressure.
That Tasty Brew calculator is a neat tool, but like bel, I am wondering how long it takes to reach the carb volume. A recommended PSI is listed. Is that the serving pressure as well?
CGVT
Senior Member
^^^This
Rack directly to the keg. Anything that is suspended will settle out and will be gone after your first pour (give or take a pour)
I go 30* for 24 to 36 hours then back to serving pressure. It works great. I did the shake method and over carbed and I'm too impatient to set and forget...
CGVT
Senior Member
It is ready to drink after the initial 30 PSI. I check it throughout the process. 
I just hook the gas to the gas-in post
It gets better after a couple of days at 12 psi, though
I usually put it in my keezer, close off the valves to the other kegs, and crank it up (sometimes if I don't have anything in my fermentation chamber I will turn the temp down and carb it there). When I think it's carbed enough (I pull a sampler glass) I turn the psi down to about 12 and open my other valves.
I usually have enough pressure to pull a pint or two out of my other kegs if I want one with the valves closed. If I want more and don't have enough pressure to pour a pint, I open the valve for a second and pour away.
Seems to work well for me
I just hook the gas to the gas-in post
It gets better after a couple of days at 12 psi, though
I usually put it in my keezer, close off the valves to the other kegs, and crank it up (sometimes if I don't have anything in my fermentation chamber I will turn the temp down and carb it there). When I think it's carbed enough (I pull a sampler glass) I turn the psi down to about 12 and open my other valves.
I usually have enough pressure to pull a pint or two out of my other kegs if I want one with the valves closed. If I want more and don't have enough pressure to pour a pint, I open the valve for a second and pour away.
Seems to work well for me
CGVT
Senior Member
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I really play it by ear. If I want it to carb a little more, I'll leave it. If I am drinking out of it, it the pressure will come down as I draw from it. If I think the carbonation is where I want it, I'll purge and set it at twelve.
I found that it is not a magic formula that I can definitively say XX SPI for XX hours. I just check it and turn the psi down when I think it's right.
I found that it is not a magic formula that I can definitively say XX SPI for XX hours. I just check it and turn the psi down when I think it's right.
nny2k
Member
Doing my first keg today. When you force carbonate it do you leave the out line to the tap off while pushing in the CO2? Also the burp point on the corny seems to be leaking CO2 is that normal, am I doing it wrong?
Thanks
EDIT: I figured it out, wasn't that part but the top of the keg. I re-seated the O-ring and the lid and no escaping gas
Thanks
EDIT: I figured it out, wasn't that part but the top of the keg. I re-seated the O-ring and the lid and no escaping gas
Two words: Keg Lube
You can leave the beer line connected or not. As long as the keg post O-ring, beer QD, tubing, clamps, and faucet are all soundly sealed, it really doesn't matter...
Cheers!
You can leave the beer line connected or not. As long as the keg post O-ring, beer QD, tubing, clamps, and faucet are all soundly sealed, it really doesn't matter...
Cheers!
