Force Carbing an IPA

[muledogus]

I'm sure my answer is on this forum a million times so I apologize but I am terrible at searching this site.

Usually when I force carb I do the method of high pressure for 36 hours or so then serving pressure until it's ready. Normally, after the higher pressure I'd turn the gas off, vent pressure from the keg and then set to serving pressure but I feel like I was losing a lot of aroma so I want to reduce the pressure without purging the keg.

How do you all go about this? I shut the gas off and turned the pressure all the way down then opened the valve and set to serving pressure but of course it slowly rises back up. With enough time will that equalize back down to serving pressure or do I have to keep adjusting the regulator as the pressure in the keg changes?

 

[Smellyglove]

I'm one of those who shake/roll my hoppy kegs and I roll it until i'm almost there, then pour off a few test-glasses so the pressure will reduce in the keg, then stuff it in the fridge with the serving pressure.

 

[doug293cz]

I'm sure my answer is on this forum a million times so I apologize but I am terrible at searching this site.

Usually when I force carb I do the method of high pressure for 36 hours or so then serving pressure until it's ready. Normally, after the higher pressure I'd turn the gas off, vent pressure from the keg and then set to serving pressure but I feel like I was losing a lot of aroma so I want to reduce the pressure without purging the keg.

How do you all go about this? I shut the gas off and turned the pressure all the way down then opened the valve and set to serving pressure but of course it slowly rises back up. With enough time will that equalize back down to serving pressure or do I have to keep adjusting the regulator as the pressure in the keg changes?

Yes, the pressure should drop, without continually adjusting the regulator, as the CO2 in the headspace absorbs into the beer. If the pressure does not come back down, then you overcarbed the beer by spending too much time at high pressure.

However, I doubt you are losing a significant amount of the beer aroma with a single venting of the beer. Yes there are some hop aromas in the headspace that will be lost by venting, but most of the volatile compounds responsible for hop aroma are dissolved in the beer. If this weren't true, then the beer wouldn't have much aroma when served.

 

[MrPowers]

You could roll the pressure all the way off, then hook up a picnic tap and pour off a glass or two to lower the headspace pressure.

 

[GPP33]

You could roll the pressure all the way off, then hook up a picnic tap and pour off a glass or two to lower the headspace pressure.

This....I always dump the first pint, after sitting cold for a few days some stuff is going to settle, especially in a hoppy beer. Use the displaced beer to relieve head space. But like others have said, (a) it’ll also absorb in and self regulate to serving pressure and (b) you’re not actually loosing anything by venting it, it does smell good though.