Carbonating kegs

[Agdarnell]

Ok so I have taken a little hiatus from brewing while I moved and I just racked my wheat beer into my cornice keg tonight I was planning on hooking up the gas to start carbing tonight I was wondering what some of your recommendations are on what psi I should leave it at?? I have force carved in the past but I want to do it right this time!

 

[JonGrafto]

Don't carb it up yet. Cold crash it and let it get cold first. Tomorrow set the psi to 30 and put it back in the fridge for 24 hours. Come back the next day and drop the psi to 10-12, pull your pressure release on the keg and you should be good to go.

 

[J8D]

The other option if you "want to do it right" is to chill to serving temp, them set at the desired PSI and let it sit for a week or until you reach the desired carbonation level. You can then drop it down to whatever pressure you want for serving.

 

[BuddyBrews]

The other option if you "want to do it right" is to chill to serving temp, them set at the desired PSI and let it sit for a week or until you reach the desired carbonation level. You can then drop it down to whatever pressure you want for serving.

agreed. Let sit for a week or lil longer at desired PSI and it will be perfect when you to serve. Its a beautiful sight.

 

[Safa]

The other option if you "want to do it right" is to chill to serving temp, them set at the desired PSI and let it sit for a week or until you reach the desired carbonation level. You can then drop it down to whatever pressure you want for serving.

I've read in other posts that carbonating pressure and serving pressure should be the same. If you drop the pressure for serving, your beer will eventually lose its carbonation, and end up being at whatever the serving pressure is at.

I'm no expert, just what I've read here!

It doesn't sound implausible that setting it to 30psi in the fridge for a day and then resetting to an appropriate psi for the fridge temp would be a bad idea. But I haven't ever tried it.

 

[RuffRider]

I've done the 30psi method and the set and wait a week method. In my experience, the set and wait a week method will give you a better product. The beer just seems more "evenly" carbed and it stays that way in the glass.

The 30 psi method has yielded, for me, what appears to be a nicely carbed beer as it is poured into the glass but the head disappears quickly and after a short time the beer seems almost flat. Strangly enough (or not), after a week of being on tap at pressure, it becomes perfect.

I think the 30 psi method will work when you're in a bind to carb quickly (along with the shake method for a real quick carb) but, ideally, let it set a week at your desired pressure.

Just my two cents.

 

[kblankenship11]

The last batch that I did I set it in my kegerator, put 9.2PSI on it and left it for about 9 days. Turned out perfect. If you aren't as patient do the 30PSI method.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Don't carb it up yet. Cold crash it and let it get cold first. Tomorrow set the psi to 30 and put it back in the fridge for 24 hours. Come back the next day and drop the psi to 10-12, pull tour pressure release on the keg and you should be good to go.

This, except if its already in a keg make sure that you set your kegs lid seal properly by forcing it closed @ 30PSI, then purge it and set it to something lower like 5PSI while you get it cold to keep the air out.

 

[J8D]

I've read in other posts that carbonating pressure and serving pressure should be the same. If you drop the pressure for serving, your beer will eventually lose its carbonation, and end up being at whatever the serving pressure is at.

I'm no expert, just what I've read here!

It doesn't sound implausible that setting it to 30psi in the fridge for a day and then resetting to an appropriate psi for the fridge temp would be a bad idea. But I haven't ever tried it.

Agreed!!!!! From a common sense point, you would/should lose carbonation because the tank will equalize. I say common sense because I am not applying any actual scientific formulas. The drop in carbonation is not as drastic as the beer instantly dropping to the pressure that you now have the regulator set at. In my mind, you have pressure coming in from the CO2 AND you have CO2 coming out of the beer. This should actually increase the pressure inside the keg above the serving pressure. You can see this when you take fill a glass from a keg after not having done so for several days. The first glass usually has lots of head. The beers after it (if drawn within the next couple hours) are normal. The pressure of the beer releasing the CO2 and raising the keg pressure (above the serving pressure) will get less over time until the beer eventually is low enough in the keg that it has been able to release enough CO2 and is now carbonated at the pressure you are serving at. I have been kegging since my second batch and have never had an issue with severely reduced carbonation at the end of the keg. However, there is nothing saying you can't blast a half full keg at 30 PSI (here the number comes again) for a day to put some additional carbonation back into the beer. I have done this as well.

In regards to the second part. Setting the beer at 30 PSI for just a day then dropping it will NOT carbonate it enough. I have forced carbed beers (30 PSI and rolled the beer back and forth for 90 seconds) and still not always had the beer sufficiently carbonated. The OP was asking for the traditional way to carbonate without force carbing. All setting the beer at 30 PSI for a day will do is take a day a two off of the week plus of time it takes for the slow carbonating method. Now you could set it at 30 PSI and just leave it until the beer hits the desired carbonation level. I have done this too. However, this could still cause over carbonation (I am not worried about this mind you) and the OP was asking for the non-forced carb way.

I hope this clarification makes sense.

 

[Safa]

It does thanks!

 

[Agdarnell]

Agreed!!!!! From a common sense point, you would/should lose carbonation because the tank will equalize. I say common sense because I am not applying any actual scientific formulas. The drop in carbonation is not as drastic as the beer instantly dropping to the pressure that you now have the regulator set at. In my mind, you have pressure coming in from the CO2 AND you have CO2 coming out of the beer. This should actually increase the pressure inside the keg above the serving pressure. You can see this when you take fill a glass from a keg after not having done so for several days. The first glass usually has lots of head. The beers after it (if drawn within the next couple hours) are normal. The pressure of the beer releasing the CO2 and raising the keg pressure (above the serving pressure) will get less over time until the beer eventually is low enough in the keg that it has been able to release enough CO2 and is now carbonated at the pressure you are serving at. I have been kegging since my second batch and have never had an issue with severely reduced carbonation at the end of the keg. However, there is nothing saying you can't blast a half full keg at 30 PSI (here the number comes again) for a day to put some additional carbonation back into the beer. I have done this as well.

In regards to the second part. Setting the beer at 30 PSI for just a day then dropping it will NOT carbonate it enough. I have forced carbed beers (30 PSI and rolled the beer back and forth for 90 seconds) and still not always had the beer sufficiently carbonated. The OP was asking for the traditional way to carbonate without force carbing. All setting the beer at 30 PSI for a day will do is take a day a two off of the week plus of time it takes for the slow carbonating method. Now you could set it at 30 PSI and just leave it until the beer hits the desired carbonation level. I have done this too. However, this could still cause over carbonation (I am not worried about this mind you) and the OP was asking for the non-forced carb way.

I hope this clarification makes sense.

Exactly what I was looking for thanks!!!