Simple kegging question

[Bauerbrewery1989]

So this is probably a stupid question, but for some reason I cant find the answer. Just tapped my first kegged beer and it was overcarbed. I force carbed, and pressurized the keg to 26psi and let it sit for a day. The temp was room, around 74F. My question is, am I supposed to completely release the pressure in the keg, and let it equalize? Will it make the beer flat if I do this and have to start over again?

 

[Jeremy_N]

Chill it. The beer should absorb the CO2. I think it's just doing that because its warm. Beer doesn't absorb efficiently when it's that warm. I force carb at 30 psi for at least a day, but I do it at about 38 degrees.

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

The beer seems to be overcarbed, so wouldn't dissolving kore co2 make it worse?

 

[stpug]

Room temperature beer takes about 2 weeks at high pressure (25-30psi) to fully carbonate to "normal" beer pressures but it then needs to be chilled (~40F or less) for a few days so the co2 is encouraged to stay in solution. After a couple days of chilling, bleeding off any excess co2 from the headspace is recommended before reconnecting your gas line at normal serving pressures (6-12psi usually depending on fridge temp).

Burst carbing is done with cold beer at high pressures and is usually shaken or agitated to encourage the co2 to be absorbed into solution.

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

Wow, I feel stupid, thank you. I guess what confused me is that it was really foamy when I poured it, so I assumed it was carbed, just too much. Thank you both again for the response!

 

[Yooper]

Wow, I feel stupid, thank you. I guess what confused me is that it was really foamy when I poured it, so I assumed it was carbed, just too much. Thank you both again for the response!

The temperature may well be the cause..............but for clarification, when you say you "forced carbed" it, you didn't by any chance shake it or turn the pressure way up (or both), did you? If you did, that's why the beer is foamy.

Shake a warm can of soda, and see what happens!

 

[Bauerbrewery1989]

I think I now realized what I did, very basic mistake on my part, but it finally clicked. Basically I had it at 26psi when I attempted to pour it, causing it to come out too fast and foam up really bad. The beer wasnt carbinated, just flowing out of the tap at a high rate, causing the foam. I did shake it when I pressurized, but it was yesterday and thought the foam would have subsided.
I believe I understand the concept now though, takes me physically doing something for it to click. Pressurizing the vessel (keg) causes the CO2 to be forced into the beer, depending on temperature, which effects the absorption of CO2. Temperature is a variant in that lower temps allow the beer to absorb the CO2 at a faster rate. Just because I pressurized the vessel doesn't mean the CO2 will be dissolved into the beer overnight, especially because of the higher temperatures I'm attempting to carbonate at.

 

[stpug]

You said that better than I could have. You got it!!