making sure i understand carbing, or a dumb question

[Donner]

So i keep confusing myself with this carbonation question and i hope you all can straighten me out.

I mostly brew english beers that usually only require 1-2 volumes of carbonation, according to the style. For me this means keeping my regulator at ~8 lbs and after three weeks, wonderfully carbed beer. I also serve at this pressure and usually have to lower the glass away from the picnic tap to get CO2 to get knocked out of solution and foam in the glass.

Well, i just brewed SWMBO Slayer and the style requires more carbonation (2.5 volumes i think). Well, i know i have to turn the regulator up to push more gas into the keg, but after it's reached the aforementioned carbonation level, can i turn the keg back down to the ~8 PSI and reconnect my english beers (disconnected so they wont get bumped up too much) or do i have to continue to serve at the higher PSI? I am worried the greater pressure in the keg than in the lines after i turn the regulator down will cause the beer to back up to the check valve. I am assuming this is why people have dual regulators and such, but i just want to make sure i am not missing something.

I hope that makes sense. Thanks

 

[malkore]

you can turn back to 8psi to dispense...but after pulling a couple pints/at the end of the evenign you'd need to repressurize to the carbing psi. otherwise you'll lose CO2 volume in solution.

This is indeed why people get secondary regulators and manifolds. Run CO2 out the cylinder at 30psi, then stepped down by secondary regs to 8psi, 12psi, etc.

Or, if you're not a super purist like me, dispense all beers at the same CO2 volume, psi and temperature.

 

[Donner]

Thanks, so far most of my beers need roughly the same volumes so i have no problem keeping them less carbed. I guess the other thing i could do is pump the beer up to 2.5 volumes and then bottle some of it so if i need to have some at a higher carbonation level i would.

Thanks for the help.