Trying to burst carb

[GuyBob]

First beer I kegged and tried to burst carb. I set pressure to 30 yesterday and agitated for 1-2 min. Then left gas off and kept in kegerator. Woke up today and was going to bleed some air out. Nothing in keg. What happened? Did the beer absorb the c02? Beer wasn't carbed when I poured. I tested everything before and no leaks

 

[FLBrew]

From what I've read and been told, you should do that process multiple times in a row and you will notice each time you re-up the pressure to 30 that some co2 has been absorbed. How did you check for leaks initially?

 

[GuyBob]

I filled keg with water to proper level. Put on co2 and then took soap and water. Put it around all areas. No visible bubbling. Before I filled keg. I filled with some gas and held pressure. I am wondering if the beer absorbed the forced c02. I didn't have it on gas after I did this over night.

 

[jsledd]

I leave mine on the gas (40psi) for at least 24 hours...sometimes as much as 32 hours. It's usually perfect after that. So, yes, your beer absorbed the little bit of co2 that was in the head space of your keg.

 

[Pscdouglas]

It takes a few cycles of this, depending on the temperature. If the beer and gas are cold, then the fluid absorbs more CO2 more quickly. If everything is room temp, it will take longer and more agitation. I frequently carb a new batch in the keg by hitting it @ 30psi and then leaving it overnight, but my keggerator is about 40F.

Carbing takes time, no matter how fast you are doing it. Just RDWHAHB. I don't try to carb in any less than 5 days. The beer tastes better too, after a little conditioning time.

 

[GuyBob]

Yea. I actually cold crash all my brews so when I transferred to keg it was under 40 and then went right to burst carbing. I agitated right after and put in kegerator below 40 with no extra gas on it. The co2 must have absorbed within the 18 hours I left it off gas. Pretty crazy. I have it now around 37 with a constant 10 psi on it. Drew a little sample and its showing signs of carbonation. It's a ferocious IPA so won't need a lot of carbing. Its so hard to want to drink this. Kegging is deff pretty exciting.

 

[Komocabo]

PCSDouglas has it right.yes, you can carb a keg in a day or two, but I find it always better to set it to 10-12 PSI and leave it alone for a week. Patience is a virtue, and.frankly, the beer is better after it conditions a bit. I find its always best after 10 day. That said, I don't always practice what I preach, and have been known to pull the tap after a few days... Can I call it a quality check?

 

[GuyBob]

Nice. I feel ya on this. It's just calling me to pull on the tap. I've got my honey ale to drink tho

 

[Komocabo]

Mmmmm. I'm about to get started with my House IPA. Time to go grind 27# of grain... My arm hurts already