Force carbonating

[JuanMoore]

First...JuanMoore, Thanks!! I used to be that generous with penmaking info. Are there different levels of carbonation for different styles and a possible link? I'm doing my first kegging Saturday of a milk stout. This will help!! Denverd1...you ask good questions!

So here's my plan...5gal Milk Stout, force carbonation at 10psi at 55*...subject to better knowledge...for about a week. Disconnect and serve at 5psi and reconnect as needed. Question...why does the length of the serving hose matter...I'm clueless on this one so education please?

Carbonation levels for particular styles is really a subjective thing, and mostly up to personal preference. The chart I linked has color coded areas with some vague guidelines. There are a lot of different charts showing carb levels by style, but because it's so subjective, many of them conflict with each other. Here's one such chart-

Levels of Carbonation in Various Beer Styles
Style Volume of CO2
American ales 2.2–3.0
British ales 1.5–2.2
German weizens 2.8–5.1
Belgian ales 2.0–4.5
European lagers 2.4–2.6
American lagers 2.5–2.8

If you're carbing it at 55° and 10 psi, for a desired carb level of 1.75 vol, then you need to serve it at a temperature and pressure combination that also equals 1.75 vol. If you plan to keep the temp at 55° for serving, then you need to use 10 psi for your serving pressure. If you serve at a higher pressure, then the carbonation level will increase as it sits. If you serve at a lower pressure, the beer will slowly lose carbonation, and often CO2 trying to escape to reach equilibrium with the lower pressure will form pockets of gas in the beer line, and result in foamy pours.

The warmer or more highly carbonated a beer is, the slower/gentler the pour needs to be to prevent excessive foaming as it hits the glass. The way the flow rate of the beer is controlled is the diameter and length of the beer line. A beer line that's too short or too large in diameter for a particular serving pressure and temperature combination will result in a fast foamy pour.

 

[te-wa]

one issue i have is multiple kegs, but only one tank and regulator. hoses are T'd into three branches so all my beer is under the same pressure. that's all fine and dandy except a Tripel and an Oatmeal stout creates a small issue. either a "flat" tripel or an overcarbed stout. first world problems!

 

[yohoe]

You need a secondary regulator.

Above is my setup. I have a duel primary regulator so I can carbonate outside the keezer but I have a 4-way secondary for soda, hefes, brown ale, and whatever the 4th will be


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