end of fermentation and carbonating

[wetchicken6]

I brewed my ale just over three weeks ago and just got home from vacation today. Looking at my beer it it just appears to look like flat beer. At this point I would imagine I would want to move it from primary into kegging. Once I keg the beer I am going to pressurize the beer to 12 psi. Are there any tricks to caarbonate and how long should i let the beer carbonize. Also, when moving the beer to the keg, should I siphon it or just pour it through a strainer, will this oxygenate it?

 

[BendBrewer]

You want to siphon. No oxygen. Keg it and set it to 12 psi for a week.

 

[Yooper]

Correct. Never pour or splash the beer! It'll oxidize it.

My kegerator is set at 39 degrees, and 12 psi works great for me. It takes about 10 days. If you're in a huge hurry, you can set it at 30 psi for 36 hours, then purge and reset to 12 psi. It should be ready in three-four days that way. Of course, we're talking about pressures you need at fridge temps.

 

[Kaz]

As said, siphon, don't pour...adding oxygen at this point accelerates spoilage. I would just add that kegging and letting it sit at fridge temp for 10-14 days at 12 psi will give you good carbonation, but I find that letting it age in the keg for about 3 weeks will give you better flavor. Enjoy!

 

[wetchicken6]

Thanks for the help guys, hopefully one day I can help you guys out.