Force Carbing 11 Gallons

[k-brews]

So I brewed my first AG a little over a week ago and I am getting ready to keg it and carb it very soon (also first time kegging). I did BM's centennial blonde for my first because of all the recommendations on this site. However, I had a question regarding the force carbonation.

I want to be able to drink it at the 15 day mark because I am a little impatient as it is my first beer. I am going to keg at 14 days and would ideally like to be drinking it within 24 hours. I did an 11 gallon batch and I have a 1/2 bbl sanke keg that I am going to keg with.

I was wanting to burst carb the keg since it seems to be less risky than the crank and shake method, but I am having trouble finding any info on burst carbing a batch that size all at once. Should I use the same recommendations as 5 gallon batches or will the time/ pressure need to be changed in order to get the desired carbonation in 24 hours?

 

[DVCNick]

Without additional equipment you'll probably just have to shake it like you would a 5G keg.
But your patience will likely be rewarded if you can wait a few more days.

 

[mattdee1]

Yeah, a bit of patience would go a long way here.

But I know that it's nigh on impossible to dissuade new brewers from succumbing to their impatience.

If you really must drink the beer at day 15, I'd keg the beer now and get it in the fridge. Centennial Blonde does not need 2 weeks to ferment.

Let the keg chill overnight, and then hit it with 25-30 psi or so for 18-24 hours. Release the pressure, set to serving pressure, and give it a try. It might be a tad under carbed, but believe me, that is much better than being over carbed. Over the next few days, it'll gradually creep up to the carbonation level associated with your fridge temperature and serving pressure (lots of charts out there on the internet for this).

Waiting is still the best policy, though. Even if you nail the carbonation, that beer is not going to be tasting its best for at least a few weeks.

Good luck

 

[Jag75]

Would it really take much more time then a 5 gallon keg? I go 30psi for 36hrs then 12psi and 36 hrs later it's good to go.

 

[mattdee1]

Would it really take much more time then a 5 gallon keg? I go 30psi for 36hrs then 12psi and 36 hrs later it's good to go.

I was thinking about this too.

Reasoning through it, CO2 can only "enter" the beer at the CO2/beer interface. The size of this interface is dictated by the inner diameter of the keg at that point.

I'm guessing that the rate of carbonation for a given volume of beer at a given headspace pressure would depend on the ratio of keg I.D. to total beer volume. In other words, for the same volume of beer and same set pressure, a shorter/wider keg would carbonate more quickly than a taller/skinnier keg.

 

[DVCNick]

One other random thought; with 10 to 11 gallons in a 15 gallon keg, you are going to have a lot of headspace, which means a lot of oxygen if you don't properly purge it. So especially in that situation, I'd be sure to fill the keg with water/sanitizer and do a full liquid purge with C02 prior to filling.