First force carb?

[newfiebrew]

Hey guys just kegged my first ever batch of beer a raging red Irish red ale and tried force carbing. Only problem is a lot if foam.... Should you wait for awhile after your force carb or do I just need longer beer lines? My beer line on only 5 ft or so.

Thanks

Jamie




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[Yooper]

There are several ways to force carb.

The easiest is to just set your regulator to 10 psi in your fridge and wait for 2 weeks.

If people are in a big hurry, they can set it to 30 psi for a day, and then reduce it to 10 psi (or whatever they need for their fridge temp).

Those who burst carb by shaking and having a high psi for a while to quickly carb tend to have foamy messes and overcarbed beer, unless they've done it a few times and can predict when to stop shaking.

I'm not a shaking fan, as it can destroy head retention and suspend all of the sediment in the beer, creating a cloudy overcarbed foamy beer.

How did you carb up your beer?

No matter how you carbed it, those lines are probably way too short to get a nice pour once the beer is properly carbed, though. It is just that a higher pressure would make it worse.

 

[Laszlo]

My way :cool beer to 30F in fermenter and transfer to keg.
Set regulator around 30 psi and shake keg for 1 minute. Reduce pressure to serving pressure and bleed the keg from excess co2. Taste for carbonation. Repeat until satisfied with result. If your beer is cold to start with it won't take long. My lines are 7 feet long to reduce foaming.

 

[newfiebrew]

Ok guys I'm as new as new can be to this do have mercy I just did as Craig on craigtube said to do.... Set reg to 30 psi and gently shake for 15 min.

Second question,can I disconnect and leave the keg for a few days and re carb again( I think I have a slow leak) or do I need to keep the pressure on?


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[Laszlo]

If you have a leak the co2 will escape from the keg or from your co2 tank simple as is. Does not matter what you do you will have a flat beer or empty tank. I leave the pressure on all the time.

 

[Yooper]

Ok guys I'm as new as new can be to this do have mercy I just did as Craig on craigtube said to do.... Set reg to 30 psi and gently shake for 15 min.

Second question,can I disconnect and leave the keg for a few days and re carb again( I think I have a slow leak) or do I need to keep the pressure on?


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Ouch. Well, I'm not sure what to tell you now, except to ignore craigtube from now on.

Is the beer cold? Or did you shake it at 30 psi warm?

 

[newfiebrew]

Cold beer refrigerated 2 days before force carbing. Got a few sets of o rings and seals coming to fix the five older kegs I bought. So what's the best quick method to carb cold beer?


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Guess I can let this go flat then re carb without issues in a few days?

 

[Yooper]

Cold beer refrigerated 2 days before force carbing. Got a few sets of o rings and seals coming to fix the five older kegs I bought. So what's the best quick method to carb cold beer?


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Well, I'm not a fan of shaking for reasons already mentioned. however, if you want to try it, never ever shake at a higher psi than your desired carb level.

What I mean is this- say your beer is 40 degrees. A chart shows that 12 psi would give you the perfect carb level. If you must shake, then shake at 12 psi and no higher! Then, when the gas stops flowing in, it's "done".

What I do is different. If I"m in a huge hurry, I"ll set the regulator to 30 psi (no shaking!!!!!!) for 24 hours. Then purge and reset at 12 psi (my kegerator is at 40 degrees), and then the next day it's perfect.

Your serving lines are too short, though. You will get some foaming even with a perfectly carbed beer, but not nearly as much as you do with shaking at 30 psi!

 

[Laszlo]

Yes you can re carb but that is going to be a guessing game always. Fix the kegs and you don't worry about it.

 

[newfiebrew]

Thanks guys and yooper check out craigtube on youtube ... Great guy!!!
Just google craigtube kegging part 4 even if it's just for fun... Lol

I like Craig slot and he has been brewing for many years!

I'll try your 30 psi overnight method for sure .

Thanks Jamie.


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[W0GWT]

Thanks guys and yooper check out craigtube on youtube ... Great guy!!!
Just google craigtube kegging part 4 even if it's just for fun... Lol

I like Craig slot and he has been brewing for many years!

I'll try your 30 psi overnight method for sure .

Thanks Jamie.


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I've watched CraigTube before. He is a great guy. The only thing is that he is brewing more to be cheap by avoiding the alcohol taxes in Ontario. Watch some of his rants, he mentions it. Anyway, he is entertaining, but I wouldn't use him as a primary source of information.

 

[hunter_le five]

I strongly recommend all new keggers start with the set-and-forget method, as opposed to crank-and-shake or burst-carbing methods. It's idiot-proof and impossible to over-carbonate your beer. Once you get the hang of it, then try other methods.

It also results in clearer/cleaner beer from the 2 weeks of sitting undisturbed. Patience is a virtue when it comes to beer. There are dozens of dozens of threads on this site to the effect of "help my beer is foamy!" from people trying to take shortcuts and over-carbing their beers.

*My opinions only and as always YMMV

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