Kegging Pressure

[Gareth Collier]

Hi guys home your all well. Just a quick one, Just kegged and cold crashed Razorback IPA in fridge. What priming pressure would you recommend to set and for how long? Never made a Ipa so unsure if it needs more or less the a larger. Also what would you recommend for serving pressure? Thanks again guys. Happy brewing, happy drinking. My set up is 2 19l kegs in fridge with co2 bottle out side of fridge. Thanks again.

 

[Spundit]

The simple answer is, The same as your lagers should be fine. Maybe a tad higher.

Personally, if your fridge is at 37 F than I would set it at 12psi and let it carbonate for a week. ..and then serve at the same pressure. That should result in a carbonation level that is at the higher end of the normal ipa range.

This link has a helpful chart.

https://www.kegoutlet.com/keg-carbonation-chart.html

 

[Golddiggie]

Generally, the 'set and forget' method is to have the keg at serving temperature, at serving pressure for two weeks before pulling the first glass. There are ways to shorten that time either via the high pressure and agitate method (roll, shake, whatever, never done it) to using the carbonation lid (for corny kegs) that has a carb stone connected to a gas post (2-3 days to get fully carbonated). There are more methods/variations but those are the big three.

If you're going to just set to serving pressure, you could sample at one week, as Spundit posted. I'd just advise NOT being upset if it's not fully carbonated at that time. Since it can take two weeks to carbonate fully (sometimes even longer depending on the brew and your equipment).

Personally, I just carbonate in conical and then transfer to serving keg. Fully carbonated and ready to drink at that point (I give it 2-4 days on CO2 before transferring). Added bonus is it's already at serving temperature (actually a bit lower, but I find that's better than having it at a higher temperature).

 

[camonick]

What priming pressure would you recommend to set and for how long?

Also what would you recommend for serving pressure?

Refer to the chart provided above for your desired amount of carbonation and regulator settings. Connect your CO2 at that pressure and wait 10-14 days. There is zero risk of over-carbonation using this method. Your serving pressure should not be any different than your priming pressure. You need to balance your liquid lines to create enough resistance to achieve a foam-free pour at that pressure. You can consult any number of online line length calculators. A good rule of thumb is to use at least 1 foot of 3/16” ID beverage tubing per psi of regulator pressure. More doesn’t hurt anything other than slowing the time it takes to pour a pint, too short and you’ll struggle with foam problems and a sense of under-carbonation. Another option is to use the 4mm ID EVABarrier lines. You can use shorter lengths because of the smaller inside diameter and receive oxygen reduction benefits at the same time.

Edit: added information.

 

[Golddiggie]

From the MoreBeer page about the Ultra Barrier Silver tubing (3/16" ID):
Technical Specifications: 3/16" line provides 2.2 lbs of restriction per foot. Ideally pounds of resistance should equal pounds of applied pressure. 3/16" line holds 1/6 of an ounce per foot. PVC Free. 7/16" OD

That being said, I have my lines at about 12' with the CO2 pressure set to 12psi and get good pours. My stout faucets are currently using the same tubing length (IIRC) and I don't have excess foaming with those either. I'm thinking of doing a test on one faucet where I use the 2.2# of restriction to put a longer line on it. Just to see what effect it has. If I like it, I'll change out the other stout faucets (four total) to match.

 

[day_trippr]

Given the availability of a far superior beer line (EVABarrier) I'm surprised anyone is still using anything from EJ Beverage Tubing...

Cheers!

 

[user 298779]

Generally, the 'set and forget' method is to have the keg at serving temperature, at serving pressure for two weeks before pulling the first glass. There are ways to shorten that time either via the high pressure and agitate method (roll, shake, whatever, never done it) to using the carbonation lid (for corny kegs) that has a carb stone connected to a gas post (2-3 days to get fully carbonated). There are more methods/variations but those are the big three.

If you're going to just set to serving pressure, you could sample at one week, as Spundit posted. I'd just advise NOT being upset if it's not fully carbonated at that time. Since it can take two weeks to carbonate fully (sometimes even longer depending on the brew and your equipment).

Personally, I just carbonate in conical and then transfer to serving keg. Fully carbonated and ready to drink at that point (I give it 2-4 days on CO2 before transferring). Added bonus is it's already at serving temperature (actually a bit lower, but I find that's better than having it at a higher temperature).

Hey diggie, hope all is well your way. Quick question: have you ever served out of your unitanks? I’ve never tried it but thinking about it. When the tap capacity & cold storage space is full it’d be nice to have another beer available. At that point having one uni down wouldn’t be a big deal. Until we move I’ll be continuing to fight the space issue.

Cheers mate

 

[Golddiggie]

Hey diggie, hope all is well your way. Quick question: have you ever served out of your unitanks? I’ve never tried it but thinking about it. When the tap capacity & cold storage space is full it’d be nice to have another beer available. At that point having one uni down wouldn’t be a big deal. Until we move I’ll be continuing to fight the space issue.

Cheers mate

I pull fully ready to drink beer from the conicals when packaging. If I wanted to, and/or needed to, I could simply setup a connection to a faucet/tap from the same connection I use for packaging. Especially since I'm running it to a Tapcooler (on a cart) to fill cans. I ferment in the basement, and have the keezer a floor above that (in the dining area). I could use the sampling valve (I have the ones from Brewers Hardware installed now with the pigtail stainless coil accessories) to pour from as well.

I'm finding that having the glycol chiller helps a LOT for these things. Takes up less space and is far easier to get to the target temperatures.

I have space limitations for the fermenting area, as well as the rest of the place. Garage is taken up mostly with either the brewing hardware or my tools (milling machine, compressor, welding setup, etc.). So I know what it's like to be space limited. All things I plan to take into account when I start my house search next year.