Newguy question

[71k10]

I have been looking at this site for awhile and decided it is time for my first post. I have been brewing for several years but just built myself a kegerator and have just moved a Nut Brown Ale into a Cornelius ball lock keg. I am not using priming sugar and I have my regulator set on 13lbs and plan to leave it alone for a couple weeks (I hope). Everything was cleaned well and sanitized and I purged the air from the tank. my temperature is holding at 38.5 degrees.
Do I have the pressure set correctly to develop good carbonation or should it be higher?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Southwood]

That might be a little high for a brown. I just got my first 2 kegs in the mail today & will be kegging my first batch tomorrow!

Someone posted this link on this site, but I can't remember who

http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/img134.jpg

Anyway, I printed it out & have it taped to the back of my keggerator next to my regulator, I figure it will always come in handy.

Welcome aboard!

 

[abracadabra]

After a week or so in the primary I rack to a corny and use it as a secondary.
I generally condition my kegs for 1-2 months at standard room temp 68F. Then force carbonate for 5 days to a week at 25-30 PSI while the beer is in the fridge. Then I drop the pressure to 1-2 PSI for serving. Then I may ramp it back up for storage to 10-20 psi if the beer seems to be going flat and depending on how much beer is still in the keg. I'll lower the storage pressure as the head room inside the corny increases ( it takes me a while to empty a keg).

Try doing a search on "forced carbonation" and you can get an idea of what other people are doing.

I don't think there is specfic right way or a wrong way. The best thing about home brewing in my opinion is that you can experiment around and see what you like and what works best for you.

But in my opinion beer needs to conditioned a while at room temp and going straight into cold storage ******* the conditioning process especially for ale (lager is a different story). Green beer is green beer and just because you can force carbonate it in a week or 2 it doesn't mean it will be anything other that carbonated green beer.

Good luck and welcome to the forum

 

[Brewer3401]

Two weeks is plenty of time to carbonate. I pressure up to maintenance pressure, and in 7 days, it's a done deal.

Anyone ever hear of pressuring up to 30 psi for 2 days, then putting at maintenance pressure ? Heard you can have beer carbonated in 3-4 days.