Let the keg cool before connecting CO2?

[PowPow]

I just started kegging, and I'm wondering if I should let my newly kegged beer get cold in the kegerator before hooking up the CO2?

Pros? Cons? Doesnt matter?

The plan is to hook it up on serving pressure and let it sit in the kegerator for a week or two.

 

[IvanTheTerribrew]

I don't believe it matters because it takes less CO2 to carb warm beer and it takes more to carb cold beer.

Just make sure you purge your keg thoroughly before you set and forget it. Just consult a carbonation chart online to make sure you set it to the right psi.


- ISM NRP

 

[Rockn_M]

I wouldn't worry about it. Is make sure your co2 is cold before setting pressure. If you had a warmer co2 tank set the pressure then it gets cold your pressure will increase. I've done that before forgot to look at it for a few days and had over carbed beer.


Sent from my kegerator

 

[ajdelange]

You have a bad regulator. A properly functioning one will maintain close to the same out side pressure over a wide range of in side pressures. Not only is it malfunctioning but in a very strange way. Apparently as the inlet pressure drops (as the CO2 liquid cools its saturated vapor pressure decreases) the outlet pressure is increasing. In a properly functioning regulator the outlet pressure drops slightly as inlet pressure drops but it's by such a small amount you don't notice it. I can't explain how it might be causing what you see. They are cheap enough. Toss it.

As to OP's question: it doens't matter one bit whether you apply the CO2 before the beer is cool or not. As the beer cools and the solubility of CO2 increases more will dissolve from the head space causing a reduction in head space pressure which a poperly functioning regulator will sense and allow more gas to flow from the bottle thus restoring head space pressure to close to the regulator setting.

It is, of course, a good idea to apply the gas immediately in order to purge the headpace of any air and an even better idea to fill against CO2 counter pressure which CO2 got into the keg by displacing steam or water so that there is no O2 to displace. If you are going to set and leave things alone set

P = (V + 0.0033)/(0.01821 + 0.090115*exp(-(T-32)/43.11)) - 14.695

for the volumes (V) you want at the serving temperature (T, °F). If you wish to accelerate the process of carbonation you can set a higher pressure initially but don't forget to back it off after a couple of days.

 

[Hello]

OP I've officially done it both ways and it worked both ways. I think for posterity, I will chill my kegs, if possible, before I hook up the gas. I do believe though if you're going to do rapid carbonation, that is one of those over night or less deals where you just bombard it with gas, then you should have a chilled keg first.

Note, I've had kegs for less than 5 days, I've already been through the leaking gas and 2nd refill in 3 days, and also lost about a pint of beer to a liquid leak. In other words, take what I say with a large grain of salt.

 

[PowPow]

I wouldn't worry about it. Is make sure your co2 is cold before setting pressure. If you had a warmer co2 tank set the pressure then it gets cold your pressure will increase. I've done that before forgot to look at it for a few days and had over carbed beer.


Sent from my kegerator

Thanks!
The co2 tank is always in the kegerator so it's always cold.

 

[PowPow]

You have a bad regulator. A properly functioning one will maintain close to the same out side pressure over a wide range of in side pressures. Not only is it malfunctioning but in a very strange way. Apparently as the inlet pressure drops (as the CO2 liquid cools its saturated vapor pressure decreases) the outlet pressure is increasing. In a properly functioning regulator the outlet pressure drops slightly as inlet pressure drops but it's by such a small amount you don't notice it. I can't explain how it might be causing what you see. They are cheap enough. Toss it.

As to OP's question: it doens't matter one bit whether you apply the CO2 before the beer is cool or not. As the beer cools and the solubility of CO2 increases more will dissolve from the head space causing a reduction in head space pressure which a poperly functioning regulator will sense and allow more gas to flow from the bottle thus restoring head space pressure to close to the regulator setting.

It is, of course, a good idea to apply the gas immediately in order to purge the headpace of any air and an even better idea to fill against CO2 counter pressure which CO2 got into the keg by displacing steam or water so that there is no O2 to displace. If you are going to set and leave things alone set

P = (V + 0.0033)/(0.01821 + 0.090115*exp(-(T-32)/43.11)) - 14.695

for the volumes (V) you want at the serving temperature (T, °F). If you wish to accelerate the process of carbonation you can set a higher pressure initially but don't forget to back it off after a couple of days.

Thanks a lot for that answer!

 

[NTXBrauer]

I normally cold crash before kegging, so the beer and keg are both chilled when hooking up the CO2.

 

[Homercidal]

I would purge the air of the keg immediately, and then just leave the pressure on it as a matter of course, so I vote for hooking it up while warm.

 

[LLBeanJ]

i would purge the air of the keg immediately, and then just leave the pressure on it as a matter of course, so i vote for hooking it up while warm.

+1