I may have a carbonation dilmma advice needed!

[JayTeeDee]

I kegged up 3 brews on this past Sunday night 11/27.

A Pale Ale, a Chocolate Stout, and a Hard Apple Cider. I put them on 30psi and sat the two beers in one fridge and they are sharing one c02 tank via a gas splitter and the Cider is in a mini fridge with 30psi. Both fridges are cranked up to the coldest setting and the gas is flowing fine.

The dilemma come in is that I need these brews to be ready to tap by Friday at noon for a important event. At first I thought 4 days would work but I'm starting to worry that all three won't be done if any at all. I guess tonight I could burp the kegs a little and crank the c02 back up and shake the hell out of them and put them back on the gas for the next two days and pray that I got some crispy bubbles by Friday or is there any other advice that you good folks can give me?

Thanks in advance.

 

[LLBeanJ]

48 hours @ 30 PSI @ fridge temps should have them plenty drinkable, at least carb-wise.

 

[porterpounder]

4 days at 30 psi at cold temps will most likely overcarb your products significantly. Check them and and make adjustments now. Usually 4-5 days at 12-14 psi at 38F does it for me.

 

[John Paul Stoddard]

Do you know the Temperature your Keeping them at to Carbonate?

How will you be serving them? From where you are Carbing them or will you be transporting them? If Transporting how will they be kept cold?

 

[John Paul Stoddard]

Unless you have separate guages to allow different PSIs

"Classic" Pale Ale 1.5-2.3
Imperial Stout 1.5-2.3

American Pale 2.26-2.78
Foreign Stout 2.3-2.6

As already stated at 30 PSI your gonna be way off mark for any style

If your Temp is 45 at 30 PSI you gonna have around 3.79
at 45 you only need 5 to 12 PSI to the desired range for Classic and if you want more of American level 12-16 PSI

Keep in Mind moving the Beer and not keeping it at the same temp will cause it to out gas

 

[JayTeeDee]

4 days at 30 psi at cold temps will most likely overcarb your products significantly. Check them and and make adjustments now. Usually 4-5 days at 12-14 psi at 38F does it for me.

That's good to know I definitely don't want to overcarb them!

 

[JayTeeDee]

Do you know the Temperature your Keeping them at to Carbonate?

How will you be serving them? From where you are Carbing them or will you be transporting them? If Transporting how will they be kept cold?

The temp in the fridge is about 30-38 or so I estimate.

I'm not serving full pints, it will only be served in 2oz red solo style tasting cups so they may not notice the lack of a beer head but I don't want it to taste flat.

I will have to transport them about 15-20 drive time away from my home to the event. I bought a big big that will hold all 3 kegs and the co2 on ice and the ice reaches up about halfway up the kegs. I can tie the kegs together and put them in that serving tin on once and try to secure it to where it wont get jostled around much and fall over hopefully so it can stay relatively cold on the way to the event. And at the event the ice will be replenished as it melts.

 

[JayTeeDee]

So the general consensus so far seems to be that I will probably be fine leaving them alone. After midnight tonight will be the 48 hour mark so I should just put a tap on it and check it to see where I'm at in carbonation and if I got some decent carb then turn the gas down a little for the next two day and then go with my serving pressure for the event as long as I can keep the beer cold in the keg?

 

[John Paul Stoddard]

If you have had 48 Hours at 30 PSI at 38 Degrees....
your Carbonation will be around 4.25..That is higher than Typical German Hefeweizens

Your Gonna Need Pitchers to Draft off into to serve from...
Your Gonna have head for sure..if you beers have good Body it will take Longer to go down..If you have no body to your beer it will go away Quickly

Simply Burping the Kegs does not lower carbonation...not all of the Gas exists the keg leaving you UnCarbonated beer that you recarbonate.
Cold Liquids Absorb and Hold Carbonation better than Warm/Hot Liquid.
Ever Notice colder beers as they warm get more and more Tiny Bubbles..at first they are slow and then get faster as it warms..And Hot Beers spwe out of Bottles...Basic Science

If you Burp your Keg and Don't have Back Flow Preventers and you Lower your pressure....The Beer Pressure will be greater than the Line pressure...Beer will flow Backwards into your lines and Guages.

Every Line should have a BAck flow Preventer to prevent a beer from flowing back into the Main line or into another Keg...

 

[LLBeanJ]

If you have had 48 Hours at 30 PSI at 38 Degrees....
your Carbonation will be around 4.25..That is higher than Typical German Hefeweizens

I have to say, this has not been my experience going back nearly 5 years and many, many kegs. I've found that when I put a fresh keg in the fridge @ 38°F and on the gas @ 30 PSI, I can leave it for 48 hours and draw a pint and it will be decently carbed, but not fully. It usually takes another week or so @ 12 PSI before it reaches full carb (~2.3-2.5 vols).

 

[John Paul Stoddard]

I have to say, this has not been my experience going back nearly 5 years and many, many kegs. I've found that when I put a fresh keg in the fridge @ 38°F and on the gas @ 30 PSI, I can leave it for 48 hours and draw a pint and it will be decently carbed, but not fully. It usually takes another week or so @ 12 PSI before it reaches full carb (~2.3-2.5 vols).

I have always used the set it and forget it rule...I set the PSI based on the Carb level I want based on Temp...In Theory The Absorbtion Rate is Based on Temp and Surface Area the Gas is in Contact with...So In Theory If a Keg is set at 12 PSI and at 30 PSI and the have the Same Surface Area and their Temperature is the Same they will absorb at the same speed...Why Some Brewers either use an Infusser on a Dip Line or Connect to the outside when Carbonating...Because the gas will travel Upwards thus having more surface contact to the liquid and absorb faster

I learned the Hardway about the Back Flow Preventers...I had a Tap get Knocked open...2 Other Kegs Drained through it...