Quick carbing a keg

[linusstick]

did this with my first beer and was OK with the results. I want this beer that just went in the keg today to be drinkable (although young) by Monday. If I remember right I put the beer in the keg, turned on the gas to 10psi, purged the oxygen, then put 25psi on, shook the keg a few times and left in the fridge. Sound about right? What can I do (if anything) different? I’m already frustrated because when I used my auto-siphon to rack to the keg, I got tons of bubbles in the tubing and it kept stopping and I had to restart about 10 times. Oxidized? Yuck

 

[pcollins]

As usual, RDWHAHB.

I'm using sankey kegs so translate as you see fit.

What almost always works for me is to transfer to keg and then immediately set regulator to 20psi. I switch out the lines so that my gas line is going IN the beer out line and I put a coin behind the gasket in my beer line and hook it up to the gas line. Purge the keg and let it sit overnight. In the morning give it a bit of a shake just to distribute stuff but nothing major, maybe 30 seconds or so. Let it sit for the rest of the day at 20psi and in the evening my beer is reasonably carbed.

YMMV

 

[JoeyChopps]

U should be fine my auto siphon sucked too thats why I went with a ss one a good way of force carbing is to remove the "out" fitting off the picnic tab and attach it to ur co2 bottle shoot 30 psi through the out port remove the qd and purge the keg do this like.3 times then put the "in" port back on the co2 bottle and set it to 30 psi for 24 hours this is a good way of carbing its not perfect but gets u in the right area to experiment

 

[pcollins]

JoeyChopps: If you have the ability to switch out the qd, why would you not keep the gas connected to the out fitting while carbing? This is not an accusation, I deal with sankey and almost everybody else deals with corney but it's something I've always wondered. If you keep the gas going in the out fitting then you've got the CO2 bubbling straight through the beer.

 

[tomasej]

One good thing to do is make sure the beer is really cold before you burst carb it. It absorbs a lot faster. +1 on using the beer out side to carbonate. It's better to run it through and let it be absorbed on its way up to the top of the keg.

 

[JoeyChopps]

JoeyChopps: If you have the ability to switch out the qd, why would you not keep the gas connected to the out fitting while carbing? This is not an accusation, I deal with sankey and almost everybody else deals with corney but it's something I've always wondered. If you keep the gas going in the out fitting then you've got the CO2 bubbling straight through the beer.

I really don't know why I don't I have always been afraid that somehow beer would get back into the co2 bottle ( I know probably impossible ) I also figure that there is plenty of co2 shot into it before I switch to the in side

 

[NWMOBrewer]

Something I want to try is with a cold keg, hook gas line up and set to serving psi, an while watching tv keep shaking the keg until I don't hear gas running anymore.

 

[JuanMoore]

FWIW carbing through the out post won't get the beer carbonated any faster. I understand the concept, but in reality the bubbles are so big and rise to the top so fast that there isn't any real absorption advantage over just pushing gas into the headspace. If you used an airstone to diffuse the gas like many breweries do then it would be a different story. I prefer the simplicity of just using the posts as they were intended, and it also helps protect your regulator if you don't have good/any check valves, but as always YMMV.

 

[JoeyChopps]

A buddy told me about carbing on the out side of the keg and I have had great results with it

 

[usfmikeb]

Something I want to try is with a cold keg, hook gas line up and set to serving psi, an while watching tv keep shaking the keg until I don't hear gas running anymore.

When I first started kegging, this is how I was told to carb. However, every single keg was WAY overcarbed. I'm a big advocate of setting the pressure on the keg, and leaving it alone for a couple weeks. Works MUCH better.

 

[duckmanco]

Simplest way I've found for me and has worked flawlessly for 8 kegs or so thus far.

Rack to keg, seat lid with 30 psi and purge headspace, leave keg at 30 psi in keezer for 48 hours (no shaking or anything), after 48 hours shut off gas to keg and release headspace pressure and set to 10-12 psi.

While the beer won't be perfect it will be carbed enough to drink and serve and will smooth out over time when left at 10-12 psi. It has to be the easiest way to do it I've seen thus far.

 

[NWMOBrewer]

When I first started kegging, this is how I was told to carb. However, every single keg was WAY overcarbed. I'm a big advocate of setting the pressure on the keg, and leaving it alone for a couple weeks. Works MUCH better.

Did you use serving pressure or 30psi or something? If serving pressure how can it overcarbed?

 

[JoeyChopps]

Simplest way I've found for me and has worked flawlessly for 8 kegs or so thus far.

Rack to keg, seat lid with 30 psi and purge headspace, leave keg at 30 psi in keezer for 48 hours (no shaking or anything), after 48 hours shut off gas to keg and release headspace pressure and set to 10-12 psi.

While the beer won't be perfect it will be carbed enough to drink and serve and will smooth out over time when left at 10-12 psi. It has to be the easiest way to do it I've seen thus far.

This is how I do it except I only leave it.for 24 hours

 

[Yooper]

Simplest way I've found for me and has worked flawlessly for 8 kegs or so thus far.

Rack to keg, seat lid with 30 psi and purge headspace, leave keg at 30 psi in keezer for 48 hours (no shaking or anything), after 48 hours shut off gas to keg and release headspace pressure and set to 10-12 psi.

While the beer won't be perfect it will be carbed enough to drink and serve and will smooth out over time when left at 10-12 psi. It has to be the easiest way to do it I've seen thus far.

This is how I do it, too, if I'm in a hurry. No shaking or anything, and the beer has 48 hours for the yeast to fall out of suspension. I pull about 4-5 ounces and discard the yeasty sludge, and then it's really good!

 

[samc]

These threads always kill me. If you don't talk temperature, time & psi don't have much meaning. I do 30 psi @ 35-40F for 24 - 36 hours then adjust to 13-14 psi at 45F until done.

As for shaking, would you go into the store and buy a six pack and start shaking the beer? If the clerk said here let me shake that beer for you on the paint mixer would that be good? Not sure of the science, although some have said it ruins the head, it just sounds so crude & wrong ! LOL

 

[pm5k00]

24 hours at 30psi at 30*F then set to serving pressure. And don't go shaking bottels that are already carbed, that makes no sense.