homebrew on keg seems a little undercarbed?

[zodiak3000]

ive been keggin now for the last 4 batches. ive noticed probably the last 2 have seemed a bit undercarbed, even at 2 months later when the keg is usually gone. i usually hit the psi to 30 for 24hours, then dial it back down to 12 (no shaking, just set and forget). usually the beer seems carbed enough to drink at about 7-10 days. this recent one im drinking as i type has been on for about 45 days and still seems kinda undercarbed. ive gone through all my batches with the same co2 5lb tank, so im sure there are no leaks. ive even hit the psi to 15. really see no difference, except i pour a ton of foam. a good amount of foam at 12 psi as well, any thoughts?

 

[SkewedBrewing]

You might want to try leaving it on even higher pressure than 15 for the first week or two.

 

[zodiak3000]

You might want to try leaving it on even higher pressure than 15 for the first week or two.

i have done that as well. just tons of foam, like half a pint full. carbonation is ok, but when i crack another ipa out the fridge i can tell mine is undercarbed...

 

[XXXXX]

Do you have a carbonation stone/diffuser inside your corny keg? If it is too low, the beer dip tube might actually draft some of the bubbles up (this was happening to me for a while and it took me way too long to to figure out why--my stone was right next to my dip tube intake--duh).

 

[zodiak3000]

Do you have a carbonation stone/diffuser inside your corny keg? If it is too low, the beer dip tube might actually draft some of the bubbles up (this was happening to me for a while and it took me way too long to to figure out why--my stone was right next to my dip tube intake--duh).

huh, kinda unfamiliar with what your talking about. do you have a link or description for what i should be looking for....

 

[Yooper]

What's the fridge temperature? My fridge is 39 degrees, and 11-12 psi is perfect for me. If yours is warmer, you'll need more pressure to carb it up.
Check out the carbonation charts for the perfect amount of carbonation for you: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Yep. Like the Yoop says, carbonation is temperature dependant. If you are carbing your beers at a higher temp temp it will take a bit more pressure and a "couple two-tree" weeks to get it saturated.

 

[Yooper]

Yep. Like the Yoop says, carbonation is temperature dependant. If you are carbing your beers at a higher temp temp it will take a bit more pressure and a "couple two-tree" weeks to get it saturated.

I think GilaMinumBeer is making fun of my accent, so I'll take that as a compliment!

A couple two-tree weeks is a good guestimate on how long it will take for the co2 to equalize.

You may need longer serving lines if you go above 13-14 psi, as you mentioned foaming at higher pressures. Another choice is to turn down the fridge temperature.

 

[XXXXX]

huh, kinda unfamiliar with what your talking about. do you have a link or description for what i should be looking for....

This thing. It is connected to your CO2 tube with a hose. When I first started, I bought it all pre-assembled and the diffuser/stone (shown above) was too low in the Keg, and it was sitting right next to the intake of the beer dip tube.

So basically, every time I would pour beer, the bubbles would get sucked right out of the carbonation stone and sent up the beer tube into my glass.

 

[zodiak3000]

thanks for the response. i checked the chart when i first started kegging. my fridge temp is usually at about 37, so if anything it should be a little overcarbed. getting a longer serving line may be the best for the foam, since the one i have is only about 3-4 feet. the beer still tastes great, its just when i crack one out of the fridge it seems a bit more carbed. this is a HUGE DIPA though, can massive hops effect carbonation? also 8% abv, can the high booze effect carbonation?

 

[zodiak3000]

This thing. It is connected to your CO2 tube with a hose. When I first started, I bought it all pre-assembled and the diffuser/stone (shown above) was too low in the Keg, and it was sitting right next to the intake of the beer dip tube.

So basically, every time I would pour beer, the bubbles would get sucked right out of the carbonation stone and sent up the beer tube into my glass.

huh, ive never seen this? so this is inside the keg? this beer is almost gone so ill look for it before i fill it again...

 

[malc]

huh, ive never seen this? so this is inside the keg? this beer is almost gone so ill look for it before i fill it again...

That is not standard equipment in a corny keg. I believe the post was asking if you had installed one in your keg.

 

[Chemkrafty]

If you are overcarbed and getting excessive foam when you pour, that could result in a perceived undercarbed beer. Reason is that it degasses more than you would if the system is properly balanced. If you are running 13-14 psi you should be using 6-8 ft of hose. Everyone sells 5 and the calculation may tell you a bit lower, but from what I've seen adding a couple feet makes a huge difference.

Also, you may have trouble with that. Force carbing at high pressure for any length of time increases the chance that you are overcarbed and it takes forever to bleed that down to the right pressure. I would personally unhook the CO2 and bleed off the pressure a few times a day for a few days to get it below the desired pressure and then recarbonate at the right pressure and balance your system properly.

 

[XXXXX]

huh, ive never seen this? so this is inside the keg? this beer is almost gone so ill look for it before i fill it again...

Chances are you don't have one, and that's fine. If you have one, you could remove it as it isn't necessary.

If you want to keep it, make sure the line is only long enough to bring the stone a couple inches off the bottom of the keg (not all the way to the bottom near the dip tube)

That is not standard equipment in a corny keg. I believe the post was asking if you had installed one in your keg.

That's correct. Carbonation stones are not standard equipment but not uncommon.