Over Carbed Really Harsh

[jtp137]

I made 10 gallons of an Irish red wanted to quick card one keg and let one sit at 10psi for couple of weeks. I hooked one up ar around 20psi and forgot about it its obviously over carbed but the taste surprised me extremely harsh and bitter the one at 10 psi is awesome. I was surprised a little. How come Belgians are so carbed and are not harsh?

 

[MrPowers]

Some people, including myself, believe that there is a perceptible difference between force carbonation and natural (bottle) carbonation like the Belgians use especially when comparing highly carbonated beer. Natural carbonation is generally more pleasant and less harsh than force carbonation. Why that is exactly, I'm not sure.

 

[msherretz]

I made 10 gallons of an Irish red wanted to quick card one keg and let one sit at 10psi for couple of weeks. I hooked one up ar around 20psi and forgot about it its obviously over carbed but the taste surprised me extremely harsh and bitter the one at 10 psi is awesome. I was surprised a little. How come Belgians are so carbed and are not harsh?

I suspect the harsh and bitter taste you have is the result of “Hop dust particles” that normally settle to the bottom of the keg. However, when you over-carb it blows this residue from the bottom of the keg into the tap. Drain off a pitcher at full flow and let it sit. That should get all the Hop dust out (at least most of it) and relieve some pressure.

Once you get the carbonation back to normal, the stuff remaining will settle out and not get blown into the tap.

 

[msherretz]

I suspect the harsh and bitter taste you have is the result of “Hop dust particles” that normally settle to the bottom of the keg. However, when you over-carb it blows this residue from the bottom of the keg into the tap. Drain off a pitcher at full flow and let it sit. That should get all the Hop dust out (at least most of it) and relieve some pressure.

Once you get the carbonation back to normal, the stuff remaining will settle out and not get blown into the tap.