I keg with sankey's and fill using a modified keg coupler. Basically I fill until it runs out the gas port. Thus, no air left, and also no headspace. I have tried naturally carbing with priming sugar with minimal success. I just bought a dual regulator and some kore couplers and am now force carbing with another co2 tank. I set the psi to 32 and let it sit for two weeks at room temp. After chilling and serving, there was very little carbonation. It's a porter, so not too big a deal his time, but will kegs carb up properly with zero headspace? Or do I just need longer than two weeks?
Force carb with zero headspace?
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I won't pretend to understand the physics of it, but I know in corny kegs, you have to have a half inch or so between the top of the liquid and the bottom of the gas tube. Others can probably explain the how and why, but headspace is important for carbonation.
It should work fine without head space but I don't know for certain. It will work so much better if you carbonate it cold.
Do you have to ability to chill and carbonate?
I like about 2.5 vol in most of my beers, I serve and carbonate at the same temperature and pressure (38F at 12 psi). Usually takes about a week.
Not sure what you call room temp, the chart doesn't extend past 65F:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
Do you have to ability to chill and carbonate?
I like about 2.5 vol in most of my beers, I serve and carbonate at the same temperature and pressure (38F at 12 psi). Usually takes about a week.
Not sure what you call room temp, the chart doesn't extend past 65F:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
It all has to do with surface area. The co2 is pushed into the beer by pressure but only in the area of contact. If you only have a few square inches of contact area the transfer into the beer will be agonizing slow. In a roughly 8 inch keg you have over 50 square inches of surface area on top of the beer. When it's to the top you may have less than 5. You'll only need fractions of an inch below the top of the keg to make a huge difference. Preferable to have the level at the point where the beer is on the sides but not quite touching the top of the keg. It's a dome or cone shape top so the higher it gets beyond the walls the less surface area. This is also the idea behind carbonation stones. Little tiny bubbles, but ALL surface area. They absorbe very fast traveling thru the beer.
Correct. Excellent description. I was going to say the same thing, but you beat me to it.
Brew on
Thanks! I ended up kegging two sixtels yesterday. Once they were completely full, I drained two hydrometer tubes worth of beer from each keg. Gave me a chance to take a hydro reading and also take an important quality control sample. 
I guess we'll see how it does! Let you know in two weeks.
I guess we'll see how it does! Let you know in two weeks.
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I believe the above answer is correct.
Another way to understand this is what happens when you shake a keg while carbonating it. When you shake it, or tip it side to side, you're creating a lot more surface area in the beer into which CO2 may be absorbed. The less surface area, the less can be absorbed.
If you've never done this, it's worth it just to experience what happens. When I've done it, I've crashed the beer temp to the lower 30s F. Then I hook up the gas at about 35 PSI, and start rocking the keg back and forth on my lap. I can hear not only the regulator groaning as it keeps supplying CO2 as it is absorbed into the beer, but the bubbling of the CO2 as it enters the keg through the gas dip tube.
Another way to understand this is what happens when you shake a keg while carbonating it. When you shake it, or tip it side to side, you're creating a lot more surface area in the beer into which CO2 may be absorbed. The less surface area, the less can be absorbed.
If you've never done this, it's worth it just to experience what happens. When I've done it, I've crashed the beer temp to the lower 30s F. Then I hook up the gas at about 35 PSI, and start rocking the keg back and forth on my lap. I can hear not only the regulator groaning as it keeps supplying CO2 as it is absorbed into the beer, but the bubbling of the CO2 as it enters the keg through the gas dip tube.
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