kegging Question

[FearKnowBeer]

Okay first off you guys rock, and i know you are going to have an answer for me.

I am brand new to kegging my own beer and ... well making my own beer. I grew up with Kegs (commercial), and we always ran around 8-12 PSI.

The local brew shop guy said place it at 10-15 psi (or where i want to drink it) and let it age. I have said brown ale in a keg with about 14 PSI for about 3.5 weeks. I have resisted the urge to drink/smell/look/touch/etc, and the recipe said to let age 1 month so its been allowed its time. This weekend i am gonna drink some and i was looking through my beer smith file, and i noticed this little thing about carbonation, and i changed it to kegging and.....

It says i should have kegged with 25.61 PSI for a carb level of 2.3 vols, is this accurate? Did i ruin my beer (queue dramatic music)? I figure worst case i turn the little knob and crank up the pressure!

THANKS!

 

[Yooper]

The pressure of c02 required for a desired carb level is temperature dependent.

In my kegerator, 40 degrees, 12 psi gives me 2.47 volumes of c02. But at 60 degrees, 12 psi would be 1.75 volumes- in other words, at 60 degrees it would be flat.

Here is handy chart to help you chose the psi for your regulator: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

 

[Pratzie]

Bookmark that website, or print it out and laminate it. thats what I did, i also printed copies out for all my friends at work who have kegerators. I've been thanked a bunch of times, they all apparently always used the same pressure and their brews weren't actually correct to the style. Some said they could actually notice an improvement.

Also 25.61 seems a bit high for steady serving beer, they may have meant for u to use that for force carbing and then dial it down a bit after a week or so

 

[FearKnowBeer]

Well crap its at 60, how long will i need to have it chilled for it to do its thing? Its currently at 38 degrees, so i am going to drop to 11 PSI (2.43)and throw it in. Thanks for the amazing chart! Its been bookmarked, and will come in quite handy for future brews!

Will it carb up pretty quick? Or am I going to feel another few weeks of slow pain?

 

[Pratzie]

Nah uve had them hooked up long enough it should be carbed. Might be slightly under carbed by now so i'd turn it to the correct PSI and wait it out.

Going back to the forced carbing thing, most people dont like to wait a week or longer so they "force Carb", put it at a high PSI so it carbonates fast and then lower it down to the set level. If time isn't an issue and ur patient u can leave it at the lower level and just wait longer for the CO2 to get absorbed into the liquid.

Either way, it comes down to how fast u want to get it carbonated. U can set it and forget it a few weeks or ramp it up a few days, then turn it down to the set level. I think u've had it hooked up long enough that u should have some carbonation already. Maybe not optimum or the correct for the style but it should be drinkable.

 

[Yooper]

Well crap its at 60, how long will i need to have it chilled for it to do its thing? Its currently at 38 degrees, so i am going to drop to 11 PSI (2.43)and throw it in. Thanks for the amazing chart! Its been bookmarked, and will come in quite handy for future brews!

Will it carb up pretty quick? Or am I going to feel another few weeks of slow pain?

It takes about 10-14 days to reach equilibrium at the correct pressure.

What you can do is help it a bit- by boosting it to 30 psi for one day (24 hours) once it's cold, then purge it and reset at 11 psi. That will get you carbed up pretty well in 3 days or so, but it will continue to improve for up to a week.

Moving the keg arounds means stirring up sediment, so once you get it settled try not to move it. Make the first pour about 3 ounces, which will be all yeasty sludge, and then dump that and pour a beer. You will be all set.

 

[justkev52]

The pressure of c02 required for a desired carb level is temperature dependent.

In my kegerator, 40 degrees, 12 psi gives me 2.47 volumes of c02. But at 60 degrees, 12 psi would be 1.75 volumes- in other words, at 60 degrees it would be flat.

Here is handy chart to help you chose the psi for your regulator: http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Cool, thanks!

 

[FearKnowBeer]

Thanks yoop! I have followed the instructions! Hopefully Saturday its drinkable. I think I'm gonna make your yellow fizzy beer recipe next!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks yoop! I have followed the instructions! Hopefully Saturday its drinkable. I think I'm gonna make your yellow fizzy beer recipe next!

That's a good beer, and I think you'll like it a lot. I'm making it "second". I have an English IPA up next, but the next batch is FYB and hopefully we'll actually have some spring and summer temperatures outside to enjoy it!

 

[FearKnowBeer]

LoL, we had a freeze last night and all my maters are dead.... Supposed to be high 70's low 80's on saturday, my first not in the garage brew. I am making an ed wort oktoberfest ale recipe, how you guys come up with this stuff is beyond me, i plug it into beersmith, follow the instructions, drink, repeat.

 

[Yooper]

LoL, we had a freeze last night and all my maters are dead.... Supposed to be high 70's low 80's on saturday, my first not in the garage brew. I am making an ed wort oktoberfest ale recipe, how you guys come up with this stuff is beyond me, i plug it into beersmith, follow the instructions, drink, repeat.

It is snowing here. Snowing. There is snow on the ground, and the place I work is giving out free skiing passes for the ski hill. I have nothing better to do than to make beer recipes and brew.