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Dry Ice For Carbonation

Discussion in 'Beginners Beer Brewing Forum' started by Amin, Aug 19, 2014.

 

  1. #1
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    Cheers fellow brewer,

    today i saw weird way to carbonating beer :drunk:

    that guy used small dry ice for carbonation :confused:

    no time consuming or keep cooling down just keep shook the hell out of bottle till it settled down!

    here is 2 questions pupped in my head

    1. is that even safe to drink?!
    2. if it is why so much headache for carb with Co2 tank or yeast prime sugar process!?!

    i hope someone enlighten this matter

    TnX
     
  2. #2
    hunter_le five

    Sheriff Underscore

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    I would be more worried about the bottle exploding in his hand if he measured wrong.

    I have literally seen that happen, and it is not pretty.
     
  3. #3
    kaconga

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    If it is food grade dry ice then it is definitely safe to drink. As to why people don't always carbonate that way, well dry ice is a pain to work with. You have to keep it significantly colder than most freezers go if you plan on long term storage of it. Gloves are pretty essential if you plan on handling it for more than just a few seconds. Getting consistent carbonation would require a good gram scale and working rather quickly. And finally, if you are off by a bit on the heavy side then you can have some really nasty bottle bombs.
     
    hunter_la5 likes this.
  4. #4
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    ok thats sound bit scary :D

    i have a chemist friend i ask more details or is it possible to do this in safe way or i stick with old waiting being Guru patient way.

    thanks for quick helpful replies

    cheers :tank:
     
  5. #5
    Minbari

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    dry ice (co2) has a vapor phase at 70°F of about 700PSI. get too much in the bottle and it will explode.
     
  6. #6
    CarbonTom

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    Thats certainly an interesting concept. All that I could think of when I read this was the Pipeline Fever episode of Archer when he used dry ice to literally make bottle bombs. If you can dial it down to controllable amounts I could see it being an easy way to force carb a keg really quick but idk, current methods aren't THAT difficult.
     
  7. #7
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    yeah i called my friend he said never do it in glass bottle,
    second get digital scale
    3rd get good glove and shield glasses just to be always save the eyes no matter what.

    use good pet carboy can stand this rapid gas chill down beer before use this method so all gas don't rush out.
    and shake it so all gas dont stuck in top of carboy.

    and when its done lt it be so it settle before transfer fizzy beer to other container and since its cold it keep its carb.

    thou he said w8 till i give u exact amount.

    with all his scream i and what you guys wrote in top 2 i guess i w8 till i get those stuff and get exact amount before doing anything crazy. :p
     
  8. #8
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    yeah off course they are not difficult, tom

    its just me i have very low patience and certainly hate sediments in bottom of bottles.
    1 wrong shake and its like mud syrup -_-

    anyway i gonna stop poking dry ice till i make sure all safety measure met the criteria.
    till then i enjoy my mud syrup :D
     
  9. #9
    kaconga

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    I have contemplated dry ice as well for carbonating ciders that have been stabilized and back sweetened. It seems like a good idea if, and only if, you have taken all necessary precautions.
     
  10. #10
    hunter_le five

    Sheriff Underscore

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    Having seen the effects of exploding dry ice bottles on a persons hand (and a bystander's eye), I would recommend buying a keg & CO2 tank/regulator setup, and just force carb that way, and bottle from the keg if desired. Seems like a lot less work (and certainly far less hazard) to me.

    I understand that is a bit of an steep initial investment for many, though, so I can see why there is interest in finding other ways to carbonate. If you go the dry ice route, please be super careful with the handling and meticulous with the measurements.

    The incident in question was with a plastic soda bottle; I shudder to think of what the outcome might have been if glass were involved.
     
  11. #11
    Ladd

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 19, 2014
    If you are finding a lot of sediment on the bottom of the bottle you are bottling too early. Since you have very low patience, try using finings such as gelatin or isinglass to drop the yeast so your beer is nice and clear before you put it in the bottle. You will have way less sediment and be much happier! :)
     
    hunter_la5 likes this.
  12. #12
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 20, 2014

    honestly i don't mind invest cause in long run it pays off.
    problem is many of stuffs very common here is don't exist or its in 10 folds price in black market.

    even simple airlock cost like $10~12!
    well its banned here ppl in black market abuse this situation.

    anyway till i find safer path i gonna stick with mud syrup "prime sugar with yeast"

    still thanks for all helps :)
     
  13. #13
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Aug 20, 2014
    thanks ladd will do :rockin:
     
  14. #14
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Nov 3, 2014
    lol irrelevant to subject of dry ice but it was scary & funny in same time.
    few days back i bought fresh pomegranate juice to making pom wine.
    i forgot to put it in refrigerator.

    last nite it blow up i jumped 2 meter from my chair and whole room turn super red :cross:

    i checked the pet bottle it was shredded thank goodness i wasn't very close to it
    but more reason do dont mess with dry ice i dont wanna that experience again not mention have to clean top to bottom of room and not easy to get ride that stain what so ever :smack:
     
  15. #15
    Cherry

    New Member

    Posted Feb 15, 2015
    So, I found this post because I've been thinking of a way to force carbonate without buying a kegging setup.

    My idea involved building a simple pressure tank, with a regulator, so that excess pressure can be purged along with lighter gases from the top of the tank.

    It seems to me it would be relatively inexpensive and simple enough, versus trying to weigh ice and toss it in.

    Let's say you have a significant length of 4" PVC, capped on one end with a cleanout/plug on the other, and a venting valve rated at, say, 70 PSI, along with a regulated output for hooking up to your vessel, couldn't one just throw in a hunk of dry ice without fear of explosion, and still have sufficient and controllable PSI available for carbonating?
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2015
  16. #16
    MattyIce

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 15, 2015
    Seems like a lot of guess work to nail a predictable carbonation level.
     
  17. #17
    Amin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 16, 2015
    well personally after seen how dangerous it is i payed for CO2 tank and to be honest im really happy with buying it ;) believe it or not if u wanna brew beer or any carbonated product its truly worth it
     
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