How do YOU carb your kegs?

[Scimmia]

I am planning on making an IPA or Imperial IPA soon and was wondering about this - how important is it to use the natural carbing method for these beers instead of force carbing?

Doesn't multiple purging and refilling with CO2 after kegging take care of all the oxygen? Does natural carbing improve the taste of the beer any way?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Not important at all, especially for thing like an IPA or IIPA, which are going to be drank in a relatively short period of time. Oxidation is a long term issue, as in a number of years, not months. Purging the keg will get rid of the oxygen in the headspace, but unless you take precautions, a very small amount may have gotten into the beer. This is what I'm talking about. If you've got an RIS that you may have around for 5 years or something, it could be worth taking a look at.

Don't forget, even purging a keg doesn't get rid of all of the O2, though. The gasses do mix and you're always going to have a little bit left. Natural carbing won't do a lot for O2 left in the headspace, though, only O2 that's actually dissolved in the beer.

For natural carbing improving the taste, I don't think so, but some people claim they get "smaller" bubbles from it. I think that's more of an aging issue myself.

 

[Ragutis]

Some I carbonate naturally with priming sugar, others I put the kegerator at serving pressure and wait a week.
Haven't noticed a lot of difference in the carbonation.

 

[david_42]

Yes, yes and yes. I use all three methods. Can't say I've ever noticed any difference, except forced-carbonated beer will change a little for the first 3-4 days as it adjusts to the fast pH change.

 

[user 40839]

I put the keg on at serving pressure, twelve PSI for me, and wait. 7 days on the nose, and it's perfect. I mainly do this because I can't be bothered with the shaking and/or purging, and purging, and purging. Plus, most beers will greatly benefit from the extra week of conditioning.

I'm currently carbing my first ever keg (Hooray for me!) and am gonna go with this method. I figure I put enough effort into making the beer, it's worth the extra couple of days to let it carb up normally.

Although for what's carbing right now - Ed's apfelwein - I upped it to 18 PSI to give it more carbonation, about 3 volumes or so. After a week, I'll drop it down to 12 to serve.

 

[marzsit]

Some people think that it carbs the beer faster because the CO2 is pumped into the bottom of the keg, this assumption is wrong. Also you are in danger of liquid being sucked back into your regulator and screwing it up.

it's been my experience that beer and soda both carbonate faster when the co2 is introduced at the bottom of the keg, similar to shaking but much easier. i have a check valve at the main regulator, a check valve at both secondaries and a check valve in each gas line so reverse liquid flow is probably not going to happen..

 

[lknbigfish]

12psi set and forget for a week. tried crash carbing at 30psi but the carbonic bite lasted a couple of days which kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[WAORGANY]

Another vote for set it and forget it!!!! 2 lbs @ 36-38 degrees, ten feet of 1/4 beer lines.I think that for me 12 lbs is best for carbing, have six taps and let it sit for two weeks...I think I am going to try to reduce it to 10 lbs and see if I can lower the foam I am getting....also no need to shake, just need to keep thinking a head to keep all taps flowing as needed, or you have to wait until you have something else ready to go! Cheers!!! Enjoy your Freedom thank a Soldier, and serve them a home brew!!!

 

[MBasile]

I put the keg on at serving pressure, twelve PSI for me, and wait. 7 days on the nose, and it's perfect. I mainly do this because I can't be bothered with the shaking and/or purging, and purging, and purging. Plus, most beers will greatly benefit from the extra week of conditioning.

Do you really find that a week at kegerator temps offers that much in the way of maturing?

 

[benko]

Do you really find that a week at kegerator temps offers that much in the way of maturing?

Definately. That's pretty much what happens to lagers, which produces the smooth, clean taste. I think the important thing to remember is that there are two different "aging" processes.

The first is at fermentation temp (in the 60's for ales). Once the beer is done with primary fermentation, leaving it alone for a few more days allows the yeast to clean up diacetyl and other flavor compounds that were produced during fermentation. After a few days (2-3), the yeast have cleaned up most of the by-products and you can package the beer.

The second conditioning process occurs at cold temps. The yeast aren't doing a whole lot, but the the beer is clearing, and some other compounds are now settling out. This contributes to smoothing out flavors and giving you a nice clean beer.

I guess the simplest way to look at it is that there's an aging/conditioning process where living things are doing something (warmer), and then one where time/temp are doing something (cooler).

 

[sysera]

I'll update. I kegged my first beer around 11 days ago.

I did Northern Brewers Sierre Madre, a SNPA clone.

I carbed at 13PSI and 40F, and after 10 days, it's nearly perfect. I'm also able to serve at 13PSI with 5' of 3/16" tubing and a picnic faucet, and the pour is also perfect.

So that worked out extremely well for me. Keg it, put the C02 disconnect on, and left it for 10 days, and then started serving. No tweaking, shaking, or fiddling. Exactly what I wanted.

Edit: It was carbonated easily after a week, but there was still a bit of a immature astringent flavor to the hop finish, after 3 more days, it's perfect. I definitely think at 40F, it still bulk conditioned in some ways.

 

[shortyjacobs]

34 PSI for 60 hrs, (48+12), starting with a room temp keg, thrown into the fridge. The first 12 hrs I see as "cooling time", then next 48 are carbing time. Works the first time, every time.



Time.

 

[sysera]

34 PSI for 60 hrs, (48+12), starting with a room temp keg, thrown into the fridge. The first 12 hrs I see as "cooling time", then next 48 are carbing time. Works the first time, every time.



Time.

What is your fridge temp, and serving PSI?

 

[shortyjacobs]

What is your fridge temp, and serving PSI?

38*F and 11 PSI.

 

[Sea]

Do you really find that a week at kegerator temps offers that much in the way of maturing?

Absolutely. I've had many beers which seemed to get better and better at 40F months after they were brewed. That said, I mainly like the set and forget method for the ease.

 

[storunner13]

I've never kegged, but will do so in about a month... Can you fill the keg with 12lbs of CO2 and then unhook it and set it aside at room temperature to carb up? Then put the keg in the fridge and hook it up to the CO2 when it's ready to serve?

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I've never kegged, but will do so in about a month... Can you fill the keg with 12lbs of CO2 and then unhook it and set it aside at room temperature to carb up? Then put the keg in the fridge and hook it up to the CO2 when it's ready to serve?

The amount of co2 that the beer absorbs is related to the temperature. At room temperature you would need a higher pressure and be connected.

Edit: At least I would be connected although it would seem that pressure would be equal throughout the vessel.

 

[Yooper]

I've never kegged, but will do so in about a month... Can you fill the keg with 12lbs of CO2 and then unhook it and set it aside at room temperature to carb up? Then put the keg in the fridge and hook it up to the CO2 when it's ready to serve?

It won't carb up at 12 psi at room temperature, and it won't carb up if you disconnect it from the gas. The co2 will be absorbed, so the 12 psi in the headspace won't do much.

At room temperature, you'd need about 30 psi (consult a chart- I'm just guessing here) for 2 weeks to carb up a keg.

What you CAN do (and it works great) is to add some priming sugar at kegging. Just like with bottling, dissolve the priming sugar in a little water, and put that in the keg and add your beer. You need 1/2 the priming sugar of bottling, so for most kegs 2.5 ounces of sugar is enough. Close up the keg, give it a shot of co2 to make sure the lid is sealed, and leave it at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. It'll carb up and condition at room temperature, and be ready to go when you have a spot in the kegerator.

 

[pym99]

For natural carbing improving the taste, I don't think so, but some people claim they get "smaller" bubbles from it. I think that's more of an aging issue myself.

It makes a HUGE difference. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in the UK disallows any kind of artificial CO2 in the production and serving of real ales. There's nothing at all "natural" about a CO2 tank. Carbonated ale was produced for hundreds of years just by adding it to the cask, sealing it, and waiting, without even priming sugar. This produces a lower volume of CO2, with a much finer texture, and fuller range of flavor (also due to warmer serving temp).

I got into homebrewing for the sole purpose of producing cask-conditioned real ales. That said, I do use a very low pressure of CO2 (5 psi) to serve, because it keeps the ale sterile and keeps it in condition as the cask (corny) is emptied.

I dissolve 1/3 of a cup of corn or cane sugar in 2 cups of boiling water into the cask before filling, then let it sit for a week at room temp before moving it to the cellar. This works great for ales if you want a low volume of CO2 and will serve at cellar temps (55-60 F or so).

http://www.camra.org.uk/

 

[Guntr]

Another vote for "set it and forget it". 12PSI, 38F, about a week.

When I first started I was in a hurry and tried various rushing methods, i.e. 30PSI, and/or shaking. They were a lot of work and I was always worried about overcarbing.

Now I have two taps and four kegs, with four CO2 lines and QDs so it is much easier to be patient as long as I keep ahead.

 

[MBasile]

Definately. That's pretty much what happens to lagers, which produces the smooth, clean taste. I think the important thing to remember is that there are two different "aging" processes.

The first is at fermentation temp (in the 60's for ales). Once the beer is done with primary fermentation, leaving it alone for a few more days allows the yeast to clean up diacetyl and other flavor compounds that were produced during fermentation. After a few days (2-3), the yeast have cleaned up most of the by-products and you can package the beer.

The second conditioning process occurs at cold temps. The yeast aren't doing a whole lot, but the the beer is clearing, and some other compounds are now settling out. This contributes to smoothing out flavors and giving you a nice clean beer.

I guess the simplest way to look at it is that there's an aging/conditioning process where living things are doing something (warmer), and then one where time/temp are doing something (cooler).

So you're saying that the aging process that occurs from non-lager yeast in the kegerator is more of a physical "aging" from things dropping out, rather a "chemical" interaction between different flavor compounds.

I know how lagers work, but what I had quoted was someone saying a WEEK makes a difference. I've had a week not make a hell of a lot of difference at room temp, so I'm just not seeing how a week at 38˚ will make a bigger difference (unless the "aging" is actually due to the physical dropping out of compounds that happens at cold crashing temps).

 

[Sea]

It makes a HUGE difference. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in the UK disallows any kind of artificial CO2 in the production and serving of real ales. There's nothing at all "natural" about a CO2 tank. Carbonated ale was produced for hundreds of years just by adding it to the cask, sealing it, and waiting, without even priming sugar. This produces a lower volume of CO2, with a much finer texture, and fuller range of flavor (also due to warmer serving temp).

I got into homebrewing for the sole purpose of producing cask-conditioned real ales. That said, I do use a very low pressure of CO2 (5 psi) to serve, because it keeps the ale sterile and keeps it in condition as the cask (corny) is emptied.

I dissolve 1/3 of a cup of corn or cane sugar in 2 cups of boiling water into the cask before filling, then let it sit for a week at room temp before moving it to the cellar. This works great for ales if you want a low volume of CO2 and will serve at cellar temps (55-60 F or so).

http://www.camra.org.uk/

I see your point, but CO2 is CO2. There's nothing unatural about a molecule. There might be other byproducts of carbonating with sugar which affect the flavor, but I highly doubt it's the CO2 itself. It comes down to personal preference. If you like cask conditioned ales that's great, but as far as achieving a specific volume of CO2 in your beer, Force carbing and priming have produced virtually identicle results in my experience, one's just easier.