Looking for tips on force carbonating!

[Beardown]

1st batch in a few years is almost ready to keg and it's been a while since I last carbed a keg and the technique is a bit hazy. Seems that there are many techniques and just looking for what you guys have found to work! My understanding 1- rack the beer into the keg 2- hook up the gas line to the gas "in" gray lock 3- turn gas to 30 or so psi 4- release the oxygen off of the top of the keg using the release ring 5- rock the keg back and forth for a few minutes to force the co2 into the beer 6- leave for a day at the 30 or so psi 7- set gas to 10-15 psi 8- serve..... Anything that should be done differently , should I worry about beer getting into the gas line if I roll or shake the keg? Thanks for help!

 

[Beardown]

Also- when the beer is sitting for a day (step 6 above) should it be at room temp or at serving temp , any reason that it shouldn't be at room temp during this step?

 

[madcowbrewing]

You don't have to rock it. And I would bleed off the 30 psi before turning down to 10-15 to prevent possible backflow into your regulator. At 30 psi for one day, it should be at serving temp.

 

[Beardown]

So at 30 psi at serving temp for a day the co2 will be infused in the liquid enough ?

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

So at 30 psi at serving temp for a day the co2 will be infused in the liquid enough ?

Not totally but it's a good start. Usually takes mine a few days to reach equilibrium at serving pressure after a day at higher pressures. It won't be where you want it but it won't be flat either. I would chill the beer before carbing though as cold liquid absorbs co2 better than warm liquid. Also after charging your keg to 30 PSI disconnect your gas before rocking the keg just to avoid pushing beer back into your regulator. Assuming you don't have check valves on your gas system. Otherwise disregard. Then after rocking if you choose to do so repressurize the keg to replace what was forced into suspension.
Lately I've been lazy and just use the set and forget method at serving pressure. Takes about a week and a half to carb to where I prefer but I don't have to rock my beer and remember to turn back my gas pressure.
Also here is a carb chart for volumes of co2 at a given temp and PSI so you can see if you wish to carb at room temp it will require a higher PSI rating than at serving temps.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1452663982.592785.jpg

 

[Beardown]

So, if I leave at 30 psi at the gas in ball lock for a day at serving temp, then after a day release the pressure of the top, then set to 15 psi and let sit for a few days i should be good?

 

[normonster]

So, if I leave at 30 psi at the gas in ball lock for a day at serving temp, then after a day release the pressure of the top, then set to 15 psi and let sit for a few days i should be good?

As long as you're at about 45 degrees, that'll get yA around 2.5 vols which is about where I like it. If lower temp though, you'll get more co2 (chart above).

 

[pshankstar]

Once I filled the keg, I hooked up the CO2 and turned it on for a few seconds, turned off the CO2, then purged it to push out the O2 in the headspace (not much). I did this a few times. I then placed my keg in the fridge and let it sit there for 24 hours (its in the garage and internally it says 36 degrees, but the outside temp is much colder in Western NY these days). After a day in the fridge, I hooked up my CO2 line to the out post and turned the regulator up to 28 PSI. After about 24 hours I will shut off the CO2, purge the keg, reconnect the CO2 line to the gas in post, and then turn the CO2 back on to about 10 PSI (maybe 12 PSI). At this point I will pour a small glass to see how it is doing, but will leave it there for the remainder of the time. Sometimes it takes another day or two before it feels carbonated enough to my taste.

This is what I am doing currently with my SMASH Session American Ale in the keg. This afternoon or evening is where I will turn down the CO2 to 10 PSI or so and hook it back up to the gas in post. Just my two cents! Good luck!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The way I do it everytime:
Chill to serving temp
Hook up gas @ 15 psi or so.Psi is not important its just for purging
wait till you hear no more co2 going into keg,shut off reg or close tank knob
purge till no more air comes out
open reg/tank knob and repeat 5 times
rock it around for 30 seconds or so just because I like doing it,but not longer
set to 30 psi for 36 to 48 hours-whatever times works for not doing it in the middle of the night.
purge and set to serving psi
At this point its drinkable but carb level and head come together about 2 days later
works everytime

 

[normonster]

Dang, you guys go crazy! I guess I use the simply method: rack, purge, set to 15 psi and chamber to 37-40 and wait two weeks (while drinking one that's already finished).

Carb level is always good and beer is always clean.

 

[pshankstar]

Dang, you guys go crazy! I guess I use the simply method: rack, purge, set to 15 psi and chamber to 37-40 and wait two weeks (while drinking one that's already finished).

Carb level is always good and beer is always clean.

HAHA, what if there is nothing left in the inventory to drink while waiting? LOL I'm with @JONNYROTTEN with force carbonating at a higher PSI for 24-48 hours then turn it down and it's ready a lot faster than two weeks. But to each their own! Maybe I need to work on having better inventory control so there isn't the need to rush. HAHAHA

 

[wysiwyg]

If I wanted to wait two weeks for a beer to carbonate, I'd bottle! I don't bottle, so I was doing the:

• Rack to keg and purge headspace of oxygen
• Chill for 24 hours
• Set CO2 to 30psi and shake for 20 seconds
• Let sit for 3 days at 30 then drop to serving pressure

but it was consistently overcarbonated.

Now I:

• Rack to keg and purge headspace of oxygen
• Chill for 24 hours
• Set CO2 to 40psi for 24 hours
• Decrease CO2 to 20psi for 24 hours (release keg pressure to 20)
• Decrease CO2 to serving pressure, and serve!

Like someone else mentioned, it will take a couple more days for everything to really come together, but doing chill/40/20/serve gave me a cold carbonated beer with a decent head with bubbles that lasted the entire pint.

Try every method until you find one that works for you! Hopefully you have plenty of ideas now.

 

[chudsonvt]

The whole "rock it back and forth thing" is if you are in a hurry to drink it and like to take risks. I do this at the risk of over carbonating, but if I am careful, I can have a good level of carbonation within about 15 minutes. So at your own risk of over-carbonating, if you want to do the "fast" method, I do as follows: Cold beer in keg (I usually cold crash before kegging so it is already good to go as soon as I rack it). After purging, crank up to 30 or 40 PSI and rock it back and forth on its side. The idea is that the CO2 is dissolving into the beer via diffusion. Therefore, once the beer at the surface is exposed to pressurized CO2, it begins to dissolve. However, the dissolved CO2 must diffuse into the rest of the volume of CO2. Therefore rocking it both mixes the dissolved CO2 into the volume of beer as well as increases the surface area. That way, the processes is RAPIDLY sped up. As I do this, I slowly lower the pressure until I get to where I want to be. To slow, you over carbonate, too fast, you haven't gotten there yet and need to either go longer or temporarily increase pressure. It takes a little finesse to do it quickly without over-carbing. I usually get it most of the way there (good enough) and then let it completely reach equilibrium with the set it and forget it. Then it is pretty much spot on the next day.

 

[normonster]

HAHA, what if there is nothing left in the inventory to drink while waiting? LOL I'm with @JONNYROTTEN with force carbonating at a higher PSI for 24-48 hours then turn it down and it's ready a lot faster than two weeks. But to each their own! Maybe I need to work on having better inventory control so there isn't the need to rush. HAHAHA

I hear you dude...Lagunitas is my answer....Costco $24/24pack.

I did the shake a few times until I got caught up but I found that when I use the set/forget it's just better. In my experience beer needs a good two weeks of cold storage anyway....or maybe more. Mine always peaks when the last of my 10 gallons is down to about 2.

You nailed it though, to each there own. In a super hurry I'd do it again I suppose, just keep the co2 inlet above the beer or you might get beer in your gas line.

 

[Beardown]

Here's what I ended up doing,,, set it at 30 psi,shook it a few times, when bubbling stopped I disconnected gas and put it in the fridge for 24 hours, after the 24 hours I released the oxygen off the top, then set at serving 12 psi till bubbles stopped , disconnected gas again and will now put back in the fridge for a day or 2..,, am I missing anything? Am I correct in disconnecting the gas for this step ? Thanks, sorry for the ignorance !

 

[Yooper]

Here's what I ended up doing,,, set it at 30 psi,shook it a few times, when bubbling stopped I disconnected gas and put it in the fridge for 24 hours, after the 24 hours I released the oxygen off the top, then set at serving 12 psi till bubbles stopped , disconnected gas again and will now put back in the fridge for a day or 2..,, am I missing anything? Am I correct in disconnecting the gas for this step ? Thanks, sorry for the ignorance !

Next time, don't shake. You spend time waiting for the sediment to drop out, and shaking it means having a stirred up beer.

Let it sit at 30 psi (don't disconnect) for 36 hours in the kegerator, and then purge and reset to 12 psi. Pour off the first two ounces, then pour a point. Not bad, but better the next day. You can have good beer in 48 hours this way, without sediment, overcarbonation, shaking, etc.

 

[normonster]

Hope you purged the oxygen before the first shake session.

I think most leave psi on but as long as you hit it every day or so that'll work.

Long as 12psi matches your target Vols at 30 degrees it sounds good.

 

[FnBeerTime]

I just got back into brewing/kegging as well and was very impatient wanting to drink my brew. Here's what I did:

Day one, kegged, put co2 on, purged, and chilled for 12 hours. Hooked up co2 at 30psi and rocked for 5 mins. Put back in kegerator at 20psi and left overnight.

Day two, poured and tasted and wasn't happy, lost carb fast and was generally flat. Cranked to 30psi and shook for 3 mins. back in kegerator overnight at 25psi

Day three, poured and it was great.

 

[purplehaze]

It takes me 4 minutes to carb my kegs.

After purging the keg of O2 I chill the keg to my serving temp.

Crank the regular to 30 psi and attach the gas line to the liquid post.

Rock the keg for 2 1/2 minutes take the Gas line off the keg.

Release the pressure in the keg

Attach the gas line again and rock the keg for 1 1/2 minutes.

Release pressure in the keg.

Turn down pressure for serving and enjoy.