Carbonating a keg. Keep it cool or not?

[Sixstring78]

I'm going to be legging my beer but was wondering if I have to keep it cold or not while it's carbonating. If I can leave it outside my kegerator while it carbonates it will leave more room for my other beer. Suggestions?

 

[stevo155]

You'll have to up the pressure to carbonate at warmer temperatures but you can do it. I like to do mine cold because once they are carbonated, I'm going to cold condition them anyways. You're only buying yourself a week of two while it carbonates anyways ( assuming you do the set and forget method ).

 

[shortyjacobs]

You can do it either way. Inside the fridge, set and forget at 10-15 PSI, (depending on temp and desired volumes of carbonation). At room temp, set and forget at 25-30 PSI, again depending on temp and desired carb level.

If you carb at room temp, after you wait your 2 weeks at set and forget pressures, disconnect the gas, chill the keg for 24-48 hours to allow it to equilibrate, vent any excess pressure, and hook up at fridge temp pressures, (10-15 PSI again). You'll be good to go.

Look up any carbonation chart or calculator. There is a thing for temperature. Input or look up your room temperature to see what pressure you need at room temp.

 

[Sixstring78]

Thanks.
I'm just going to put it in the fridge to carbonate then. I can't bear the wait any longer! lol

 

[Bubba_Mustafa]

How I spent my afternoon

Pic isn't so great. The wood is Tulip wood, looks a lot better then the pic.
(Wasn't too much fun on a metal lathe with hand carving chisels.)

I thought I had a great idea for the medallion on top. I cut the top of a food can and stuck it to the medallion with double sided tape (non foam style)
Then used some magnetic tape from Lowes to attach the label. So the label is held in place via the magnet. Easy-Peasy change.

 

[Sixstring78]

Great looking tap handle!
Love the wood!
Wish I had a lathe. I have tons of walnut on my property that would make some beautiful handles.

 

[shortyjacobs]

Sweet tap handle...wondering why it's in a thread about keg carbonating...

 

[lumpher]

another tip: you can boil up 4-5 oz of sugar and add it when you keg, and keep the keg at room temp. then, when time to drink a week or so later, you throw it in the kegerator, chill it overnight, and drink.

 

[tesilential]

another tip: you can boil up 4-5 oz of sugar and add it when you keg, and keep the keg at room temp. then, when time to drink a week or so later, you throw it in the kegerator, chill it overnight, and drink.

Won't that cause more trub and sediment?

 

[Bubba_Mustafa]

Sweet tap handle...wondering why it's in a thread about keg carbonating...

LOL Bubba ain't the spiciest hop on the bunch.
I meant to make a new thread.

 

[shortyjacobs]

Won't that cause more trub and sediment?

Yeah, and it has the issue of creating some off flavors from vigorous fermentation. I'm of the Palmer school that says any time yeast eat sugar, they eat it quick, and produce yucky tastes. With a bit of time, these tastes "condition" out as the yeast clean up after themselves. This happens with us who do either a long primary, a primary then secondary, or a primary and then long bottle condition. It isn't a problem, but to me, yeast carbonating means a slightly longer conditioning time to get rid of "green beer flavors".

It's not really a big deal though. Keg needs a few more days to condition out the green tastes, and trub and sediment get sucked up the diptube with the first pint draw. Plus, whether or not it increases sediment is debatable, as yeast only reproduce aerobically, (with oxygen), and your beer, once fermented, is a very anerobic environment, (no oxygen present), so usually with yeast carbonation really all that happens is that the yeast that is already there eats the sugar and produces CO2, but they don't produce more yeast.

 

[erikpete18]

All you're doing if you naturally carbonate with sugar in the keg is basically turning it into a big bottle-conditioned beer. Just like a bottle, though, you should let it sit at least 3-4 weeks with the sugar to carbonate properly. You will wind up with a little more trub in the bottom, but you get a decent amount anyways and for me it always comes out with the first pint.

Unless you've got a secondary regulator to turn up higher so you can carb at the higher temps, though, its probably not worth the trouble. If you've got room for another keg in your fridge, you can always get another splitter and hook it up to CO2 but not have a tap for it, so its ready to go when another one kicks.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, nice tap handle!