All-Grain Stout Questions

[Tanagra]

Fellow Brewers,

I recently completed my first AG 5-Gallon batch of dry stout, it is nearly ready to be transfered into my cornelius keg. This particular recipe is a Guiness/Murphy's Stout clone and as such, a cascade effect and a thick nitrogen head seem almost mandatory (no, you can't talk me out of it).

From my findings here and at other resources, the consensus seems to indicate that once the beer has been racked into the keg, I am to pressurize it with a constant pressure of 100% CO2 at 8-12PSI@38°F for nearly a week to carbonate it to 2.0-2.4 volumes, and then push it with my Nitro/CO2 (75%/25%) Mixed Blend gas as I normally would through my stout faucet at 30-34PSI@38°F.

I am uncomfortable with the 'burst' carbonation method, and much more comfortable with the set-it-and-forget-it method. I am not in a rush to drink this beer, I just want a reliable method to produce consistant results.

I would like someone with experience in dry-stout force carbonating AND mixed blend (75/25) gas to let me know if I am on the right track or not, and to prepare me for exactly what I should expect as my end result.

Thank you in advance for any input!

 

[KYB]

For nitro pours it needs to be a low carbonation or you will get a glass of foam. I naturally carbed in the keg, then got my gas mix tank and had to decarb the beer to pour right. Since you have the blend, I would just hook that tank up to the keg, and put it at about 30psi. Leave it for a week or 2 and then try a pour. The 25% of CO2 should carb it just right. If you were to use a CO2 tank to carb at 1.6 volumes, at 38*F it would take 1.75psi.