Ways to carbonate a keg

[dyennie]

Brand new to home brewing and kegging and would like to know the different ways to carbonate the beer.

Thanks

Doug

 

[Bobby_M]

Aside from bulk priming (treating the keg like one big bottle) there is this:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/keg-force-carbing-methods-illustrated-73328/

 

[usfmikeb]

The best method for keg carbing is to put the keg under pressure in your kegerator and leave it alone for a couple weeks. I don't subscribe to any of the quick carb methods of rolling or shaking a keg under pressure, they ALWAYS overcarb.

 

[dyennie]

So if I bulk primed (treated like one big bottle) how would the CO2 (from a bottle) I put on the keg affect it??? Could it over carb that way or would the CO2 (from the bottle) just be there to to push the beer out of the keg????

If using the set and forget method I would just set my regulator to the PSI I would serve with and let it sit for weeks to carbonate???

Thanks
Doug

 

[Seven]

The best method for keg carbing is to put the keg under pressure in your kegerator and leave it alone for a couple weeks. I don't subscribe to any of the quick carb methods of rolling or shaking a keg under pressure, they ALWAYS overcarb.

No, they don't always overcarb if done correctly.

 

[heferly]

With co2, tried and true is to set it and forget it at serving psi for 3 weeks or so...what i do is purge the keg after racking, and leave it at 30 psi for 48 hrs, then purge and set to serving pressure for a few more days...works great for me and a few others who regularly carb this way

 

[JuanMoore]

So if I bulk primed (treated like one big bottle) how would the CO2 (from a bottle) I put on the keg affect it??? Could it over carb that way or would the CO2 (from the bottle) just be there to to push the beer out of the keg????

If you bulk prime you wouldn't put it on the gas until it was done carbonating. When doing this it's always best to undercarb slightly since that's way easier to fix than an overcarbed keg. Once it's done carbonating at room temp, you would chill it and put it on the gas at serving pressure. It will be ready to drink pretty much immediately, and any difference between the carbonation level in the keg and the carbonation level that corresponds to the serving pressure will balance out over a few days.

If using the set and forget method I would just set my regulator to the PSI I would serve with and let it sit for weeks to carbonate???

Thanks
Doug

Yep. Use a carbonation chart like this one to figure out the serving pressure for your desired level of carbonation, then set it and forget it for 10-14 days. This is the easiest and most foolproof method IMO, but also takes longer than the "burst carbing" methods.