Any effect of higher elevation on the standard fotrce carbonation charts? I have had 1 keg on set it and forget it for about 2 weeks and the other 1 week and I need them ready by Sunday, any suggestions for getting them carbed quicker? I turned the PSI up from 13 @ 36F to 16 @ 36F and shook the keg for about a min. and am letting it sit for 18 hr. and will check it again.
Volumes of CO2 at higher elevation?
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mojotele
Well-Known Member
I don't think so. Pressure is pressure regardless of elevation. Your atmospheric pressure is different, but the "atmospheric pressure" in the keg will be the same at sea level @ 13psi and 5000m above sea level @ 13psi.
That's just my educated guess, though.
That's just my educated guess, though.
a10t2
Well-Known Member
You'll definitely have to compensate for your elevation. The CO2 regulator gives gauge pressure (psig), which is the absolute pressure in the keg (psia) minus the atmospheric pressure. The regulator is a dumb box; it doesn't "know" what atmospheric pressure is. You can look up the offset on a chart or use the rule of thumb of adding 0.5 psig for every 1000 ft of elevation, which is accurate enough up to about 8,000 feet.
mojotele
Well-Known Member
And right after I posted that I thought, "Unless the regulator needs adjusting at different elevations."
Thanks, a10t2
Thanks, a10t2
Interesting question. I suspect that the only time the elevation will have an effect will be during serving. A volume of CO2 will exert the same pressure in a closed container regardless of elevation (elevation being equivalent to barometric pressure, in this case). I don't believe anything else will be affected: rate of carbonation, time to complete carbonation, or final pressure of CO2 on the beer. So, my answer is, no effect on carbonation/volumes/temperature relationships.
I do think the one time you'll see a difference will be when you pour. You should get more and faster foaming, since the differential pressure will be greater as your elevation increases. You can reduce the carbonation by a couple psi to compensate. The question that comes to mind is, will reducing the carbonation change the flavor profile of the beer?
By the way, the barometric pressure difference between sea level and say, Denver, elevation 5000 feet, is significant - 14.7 psi versus 12.2 psi. So, a 2.5 psi difference - the question is, does reducing the carbonation in a given beer style by this much to manage serving issues affect the taste?
I do think the one time you'll see a difference will be when you pour. You should get more and faster foaming, since the differential pressure will be greater as your elevation increases. You can reduce the carbonation by a couple psi to compensate. The question that comes to mind is, will reducing the carbonation change the flavor profile of the beer?
By the way, the barometric pressure difference between sea level and say, Denver, elevation 5000 feet, is significant - 14.7 psi versus 12.2 psi. So, a 2.5 psi difference - the question is, does reducing the carbonation in a given beer style by this much to manage serving issues affect the taste?
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