Kegging question
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Nuggethead
Well-Known Member
Hit it with the 27psi and then bleed it off a couple times to purge the O2. Then after it's sealed, bleed it back down to around 10psi and let it sit. If you dont bleed it down to 10 or 12psi after the initial sealing pressure, it will back pressure beer into your gas lines.
erikpete18
Well-Known Member
First of all, I'm assuming that letting it rip til the gas stopped was only a handful of seconds. There are some people who like to carb at a higher pressure (ie 30psi) for 24-36hrs, but I'm assuming all you did was hit it with high pressure to seat the lid nice. The serving pressure you'll want to use is dependent upon the temp that you're serving it at. You can use this handy chart to figure out where you need to set your gas. Depending on how carbed you like your IPAs, I'd start aiming for a volume around 2.2 (on the low end). For instance, if your kegerator is reading a temp of 48 degrees, then you'd want a pressure of about 13psi, or right about where you have it. But without knowing what temp you're serving at, its hard to say.
Give that 2-3 weeks (naturally testing along the way
) and see if you like where its at. Depending on your system, you could then increase the pressure to increase the carbonation (its harder to decrease carbonation, which is why I suggested starting low). I like to serve my IPAs a little more carbed (2.4-2.6 volumes). That winds up giving me a little more head when I pour, which is normally beneficial because with a lot of hops the dissolved oils can start to decrease head retention. I also like to tell myself that the increased CO2 brings some more aroma up into the headspace of the glass, but who knows if that's actually happening.
Give that 2-3 weeks (naturally testing along the way
) and see if you like where its at. Depending on your system, you could then increase the pressure to increase the carbonation (its harder to decrease carbonation, which is why I suggested starting low). I like to serve my IPAs a little more carbed (2.4-2.6 volumes). That winds up giving me a little more head when I pour, which is normally beneficial because with a lot of hops the dissolved oils can start to decrease head retention. I also like to tell myself that the increased CO2 brings some more aroma up into the headspace of the glass, but who knows if that's actually happening.Nuggethead said:
Ok, I'm completely new to this end of homebrew. I hit with 27 psi. Then I dropped the set screw back down to my serving psi. It took a little bit to get to that point but it sounded like it was bleeding off through the little hole in the front of the regulator. To my knowledge there is not beer in the gas line. Does this sound common? I've been sitting at 12psi for a few hours now. Thanks for your help.
No- it shouldn't have gas coming out of the weep hole. that's weird.
Maybe it's because it's overcarbed by hitting it with 27 psi, and the bleeding it off to 12 psi, but it sounds weird to me.
I'd purge again, just to make sure it's not under too much pressure. And check for leaks on and around the keg to make sure there isn't any co2 leaking out (causing that noise). I use a spray bottle of star-san solution which bubbles if there is a leak.
erikpete18 said:First of all, I'm assuming that letting it rip til the gas stopped was only a handful of seconds. There are some people who like to carb at a higher pressure (ie 30psi) for 24-36hrs, but I'm assuming all you did was hit it with high pressure to seat the lid nice. The serving pressure you'll want to use is dependent upon the temp that you're serving it at. You can use this handy chart to figure out where you need to set your gas. Depending on how carbed you like your IPAs, I'd start aiming for a volume around 2.2 (on the low end). For instance, if your kegerator is reading a temp of 48 degrees, then you'd want a pressure of about 13psi, or right about where you have it. But without knowing what temp you're serving at, its hard to say.
Give that 2-3 weeks (naturally testing along the way
My question came about because I followed the set it to force carb psi to seat the lid and purge a few times deal. Today I came home and checked the regulator and it was far below my set point. The regulator was bad. So I re did what I initially did with better results. Meaning it actually worked this time. Guess my main question is, is this routine standard? I'm at 45 degrees in the fridge.
Nuggethead
Well-Known Member
Sometimes when you change regulator settings you will need to make adjustments a few times to get it stable, once it's set it will stay put. You wont always back pressure your gas lines, usually only if the keg sat at higher pressure for a longer period and then gets re-connected without bleeding down. When you pressurize to seat the lid, the beer will absorb it fast enough that back filling the gas line isnt an issue on a newly filled keg. Most gas lines are clear and you will see the beer in the lower bends (if it happened.)
Yooper said:
I purged it and then set it back to 12psi. No bubbles after checking with you star san trick. I appreciate the help. Just because I'm new with kegging and i am impatient, how long until I can pour a pint?
Nuggethead
Well-Known Member
2 or 3 weeks.
