Different keg carbonation levels / One CO2 tank w/ distributor

[dttk0009]

Hey all,

The CO2 bottle for my keezer should be arriving in a few days so I can finalize the interior setup of my keezer.

I plannd on using one CO2 tank to distribute the gas to all 3 kegs, meaning that the pressure on each tank will be equal. In other words, I'll likely have it set at around 1 bar for serving pressure AND carbonation pressure (should come out to about 2.3-2.4) for my most brewed styles.

I was thinking though, if I ever decide to brew a style that requires more carbonation like, say, a Hefeweizen, couldn't I just technically carbonate the keg with sugar to the desired pressure level and then serve with the set serving pressure? My faucets have built in flow control which could theoretically be adjusted to match the beer's carbonation.

For example, if I brewed a Weizen (19L) and added enough priming sugar to bring it to 3.5 volumes, would the beer maintain this level while attached to a CO2 tank pushing 1 bar of pressure (enough to carb a beer to 2.4 volumes).

I've got a CO2 stopper to make sure that CO2 traffic into the keg is one-way:

Any thoughts? I'm also very open to any tricks and tips from people with a similar setup to mine. How do you work with different beers/carbonation?

 

[Yooper]

Yes. And no.

Sure, you can carb it up more. But as you serve it, the beer will reduce to the carb level you have set on the regulator.

Initially, this would work but gasses seek equilibrium.

To make it work long term (longer than a week, say), you'd need a secondary regulator for a different psi.

 

[andrewmaixner]

The "free" solution is that for the low-carb beer, you can disconnect or turn off the gas except when you need to add a little more pressure for serving. It isn't great but it's an "ok" solution.
If you want consistency, you need a second regulator.

 

[dttk0009]

Aw dang, my hopes dashed. I guess I could eventually also invest in a 3 way pressure regulator between the kegs and the CO2 bottle (in hindsight I guess I should have) if the workarounds get too annoying.

Any experience with how long it would take for the pressure in the keg to reach equilibrium with the regulator set pressure, providing that the pressure only enters the keg when drawing beer?

 

[Jwin]

Aw dang, my hopes dashed. I guess I could eventually also invest in a 3 way pressure regulator between the kegs and the CO2 bottle (in hindsight I guess I should have) if the workarounds get too annoying.

Any experience with how long it would take for the pressure in the keg to reach equilibrium with the regulator set pressure, providing that the pressure only enters the keg when drawing beer?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here but I'm betting it would be logarithmic, not linear. The more headspace, the faster it would hit equilibrium.
Now, another option is to put a regulator inline.
So have you primary reg on your bottle set at you high pressure setting, split that and run one side of the split to a second regulator at lower pressure. That high pressure line could also be used to force carb.
That's a cheaper option than getting a 2-3-4way secondary regulator. Problem is, it's a lot more hose connections, increasing leak probability. Assuming your running 3 kegs, you would need two wyes. With more than three, assuming you only want one high pressure line, you would need one wye and a distribution block.

 

[Horseflesh]

Get a dual-output reg and leave it hooked up to carb and serve beer. Use the single-output reg for pressure transfers and a Sodastream replacement. It's incredibly convenient to have CO2 where you need it!

 

[dttk0009]

And here I thought I was done with my keezer.

Thanks for the input/suggestions. I'll wait and see how it works with just a distributor for now I guess.

 

[Jwin]

If your using a distro block with valves, you could also turn the valves off to the regular kegs and raise the pressure on the regulator to the high pressure keg after each couple sessions.
That's assuming you have a check valve somewhere between that keg and the block.
When done, just reset the pressure and open the valves. The check albeit *should* hold the pressure in the one keg.
That should keep your pressure relatively in check.