CO2 Dissolution Time Range

[laughingboysbrew]

I'm looking for a time range of how long it will take for headspace pressure in a cask to mix with beer after a temperature change. For example, beer arrives from brewery (70F) to the pub cellar (54F).

Take a pin (~5 gal) of beer. After it arrives and is chilled, what is a reasonable range of time needed to be safe before venting (to ensure equilibrium)? ...considering you may not know how much pressure was in the headspace. 1 day after chilled, 3 days? I know the answer depends, but assume a reasonable range of pressures. Thanks

 

[ajdelange]

It obviously depends on the volume of the beer, the temperature delta, the thermal conductivity of the cask/keg, whether air is circulated in the cellar etc. The summary of all these factors is: quite a while. If you put a 1/2 bble keg of uncarbonated cold beer in a cooler and put serving pressure over it it will be weeks before the beer is fully carbonated. If you shake that keg vigorously it can be a matter of minutes (but it still takes weeks for full melding). Clearly if firkin or pin is taken off the dray and put into the cellar of a British pub thinks are considered well enough equilibrated that the beer can be served in about a week so perhaps that is your practical answer.