Hefeweizen pressure help.

[DaBills]

I just put my Hefeweizen that has been in primary for 12 days into the keg and I am leaving it at room temperature (71.6 degrees) for a week. Then it goes into the fridge at maybe 40 degrees (or whatever you recommend). What pressure should I set it at so I can drink it for football next week. Should I set it high initially like I have read to do for 12-24 hours then reduce it? Thanks for the help this is my first ever beer and my first ever kegging experience.

 

[luke2080]

Here is the chart for the CO2 pressure


I do my Hefe's at 3 volumes. As you can see, at room temp, you can't hit that at 30 psi. If you can put it in the fridge the whole time, you could do that at 30 psi for a couple of days, then turn it down to 18-20 PSI. But it takes 2-3 weeks to fully carb up, and you wouldn't hit that. I'm also wondering if the reason you are leaving it at room temp is to let it age a bit longer, since it is a young beer.

I don't do the shaking option, but this may be your best bet if you want it so you can drink away your sorrows while watching the bills. (Big win today though). So I'd set it to 30 at room temp, lay it on its side, and roll it back and forth for a few minutes. Then keep it at 30 psi all week, and put it in your fridge, serve under 18 psi if you have a long enough (12-15 ft) of beer tube for serving.

Its a bit of a rush though. The goal would be to put it in a fridge after the beer has aged enough at 45ish degrees, set the pressure at 20-22 psi, and leave it for 3 weeks before you serve. So if your first kegging experience does not have the end results as you expected, thats why.

 

[DaBills]

Here is the chart for the CO2 pressure


I do my Hefe's at 3 volumes. As you can see, at room temp, you can't hit that at 30 psi. If you can put it in the fridge the whole time, you could do that at 30 psi for a couple of days, then turn it down to 18-20 PSI. But it takes 2-3 weeks to fully carb up, and you wouldn't hit that. I'm also wondering if the reason you are leaving it at room temp is to let it age a bit longer, since it is a young beer.

I don't do the shaking option, but this may be your best bet if you want it so you can drink away your sorrows while watching the bills. (Big win today though). So I'd set it to 30 at room temp, lay it on its side, and roll it back and forth for a few minutes. Then keep it at 30 psi all week, and put it in your fridge, serve under 18 psi if you have a long enough (12-15 ft) of beer tube for serving.

Its a bit of a rush though. The goal would be to put it in a fridge after the beer has aged enough at 45ish degrees, set the pressure at 20-22 psi, and leave it for 3 weeks before you serve. So if your first kegging experience does not have the end results as you expected, thats why.

Thanks for reply. Well ya never know I could either be celebrating a win or drowning my sorrows... Either way I'll be enjoying my first homebrew

So I've been searching around and looking at the "crank up method." Where ya set it at 55-60 for 24 hours to give it kind of a jump start. I'm trying it. After that I'll crank it back down. Supposedly it should be done in 5 days based on one person's experiences, I'm still researching it. I don't want to shake it, just seems unnatural. If it's not ready, I'll wait. Next Sunday it will have been 19 days since I brewed it. It is my understanding that you're supposed to drink this type of beer young. Is 19 days too soon? Also I have 10 feet of beer line, hope that's enough.

 

[luke2080]

I'm not sure I've read where people crank it up that high for the first 24 hours.....I had seen it at 30. But my gear is usually at 45* not room temp. Your method will work, same to me as shaking though. You are forcing the co2 into the beer...which happens either way. Neither is "unnatural" unless you count hooking up a co2 tank to a keg of beer unnatural. But certainly try that, crank it up to 60 for a day, then maybe back to 35-40 for the rest of the week. Either way you won't be fully carbed, but getting there.

This is a good beer to drink young....but its a matter of when you take it off the yeast. 12 days is a little early even for a beer like this. Totally fine if you had a really good initial temp control during the first 48 or so hours of active fermentation, a good diacytl rest, and a good process overall. Otherwise, leaving it on the yeast helps the yeast clean up any off flavors.

 

[DaBills]

Gotcha. Yeah I just don't wanna shake the thing. I'm hoping I didn't take it off too early. The temp was constant but too high at 72. The diacetyl rest was not even a thought. But live and learn now I know for next time.

 

[beerman0001]

Shaking gets people in trouble because they leave their pressure up to high. Cool the beer down to around 40 set your regulator to what pressure you want to carb to and start shaking. Then let it sit for a week and give it a try.

 

[DaBills]

Shaking gets people in trouble because they leave their pressure up to high. Cool the beer down to around 40 set your regulator to what pressure you want to carb to and start shaking. Then let it sit for a week and give it a try.

Yeah I'm not planning on shaking, but I'm curious why does it get them in trouble?

 

[beerman0001]

They cold crash then set the reg up to around 30 and start shaking if done too long this will over-carb the beer fast. If they would just set it to 12 and shake then you will not have the same issues.

 

[DaBills]

They cold crash then set the reg up to around 30 and start shaking if done too long this will over-carb the beer fast. If they would just set it to 12 and shake then you will not have the same issues.

Oh ok, gotcha.