When to force carb?

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PolloLoco

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I will be ready to bottle my Summer Wheat beer next weekend but I just recently purchased a kegging system. I now want to keg this batch but don't plan to chill the keg until the Fourth of July.

Priming sugar vs force carb: I found that it's user preference, and some people say that with force carbing you don't get as much yeast sediment which means less beer wasted.

My question is: when do I force carb? When I keg it or a couple days before I plan to drink the beer? I don't have a kegerator so I cannot keep it chilled, it will sit at room temp of 74F.
 
I would force carb now. If you over carb it you can relieve the pressure to get the correct carbonation. If you don't have a way to chill it then your best bet is to naturally carb it. There's a minimal amount of sediment about half a pint. I find that when my keezer is full this is the best way to carb. You will have to seat the lid to naturally carb. I hope that helps.
 
Leave it in the fermenter for up to 3 weeks to drop it as clear as possible, rack to keg and put it on gas until ready to drink. Id use the charts for room temp and about 2.75 volumes of co2.
 
Priming sugar vs force carb: I found that it's user preference, and some people say that with force carbing you don't get as much yeast sediment which means less beer wasted.

They both work fine, but priming takes a little longer. There will be sediment either way, and the difference in the amount of sediment is minimal. When I force carb I have to dump the 1st ~1/3 of a glass of yeasty stuff, vs ~1/2 a glass when I prime with sugar.


My question is: when do I force carb? When I keg it or a couple days before I plan to drink the beer? I don't have a kegerator so I cannot keep it chilled, it will sit at room temp of 74F.

Unless you want to be one of the many people posting on here about why their keg pours nothing but foam, don't try to use one of the burst carb methods that only takes 1-2 days. My suggestion is either prime it with sugar, blast it with 20 psi to seal the lid, and let it sit for 3-4 weeks, or force carb it at room temp using the set and forget method, which will take ~2 weeks. After carbing using either method, rack it into a clean keg a day or two prior to serving (to avoid stirring up sediment when you move it), and then get it chilled down to serving temp.

Here's a calculator that will help you determine the pressure you'll need to force carb at warmer temps-
http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml
 
If you don't have a way to chill it then your best bet is to naturally carb it. There's a minimal amount of sediment about half a pint. I find that when my keezer is full this is the best way to carb. You will have to seat the lid to naturally carb. I hope that helps.

JuanMoore said:
They both work fine, but priming takes a little longer. There will be sediment either way, and the difference in the amount of sediment is minimal. When I force carb I have to dump the 1st ~1/3 of a glass of yeasty stuff, vs ~1/2 a glass when I prime with sugar.
Sounds like I should naturally carb it.


DakotaRules said:
Make sure to purge oxygen from the keg too.
If I naturally carb it do I still purge the oxygen or is it needed to naturally carb?
 
PolloLoco said:
Sounds like I should naturally carb it.

If I naturally carb it do I still purge the oxygen or is it needed to naturally carb?

Yes, only to seat the lid and purge oxygen. I bring the pressure gauge up to 20psi and connect the gas line and pull the keg relief valve a couple of times. Maybe three…and then disconnect and leave alone.

When you are getting ready to tap the keg, release the pressure on the keg before you connect the liquid out line.
 
They both work fine, but priming takes a little longer. There will be sediment either way, and the difference in the amount of sediment is minimal. When I force carb I have to dump the 1st ~1/3 of a glass of yeasty stuff, vs ~1/2 a glass when I prime with sugar.

Unless you want to be one of the many people posting on here about why their keg pours nothing but foam, don't try to use one of the burst carb methods that only takes 1-2 days. My suggestion is either prime it with sugar, blast it with 20 psi to seal the lid, and let it sit for 3-4 weeks, or force carb it at room temp using the set and forget method, which will take ~2 weeks. After carbing using either method, rack it into a clean keg a day or two prior to serving (to avoid stirring up sediment when you move it), and then get it chilled down to serving temp.

Here's a calculator that will help you determine the pressure you'll need to force carb at warmer temps-
http://www.iancrockett.com/brewing/info/forcecarb.shtml

Out of curiosity and not to be a Richard even though I am sure I am, do you have a kegerator? Everyone that I know that force carbs - "burst" carbs as you call it - with 30PSI for 36-48 hours and reduces to serving pressure. The beer is ready in 3-5 days with this method. I have never heard of anyone having issues with over-carbing. I know of no one that would wait 3-4 weeks force carbing by any method which makes me think you have no experience at all with a kegerator and force carbing. If you do have experience then I apologize but will point out that you are doing something wrong.

Racking from the keg you carb'd in to a new keg is complete and ridiculous overkill. Great if this works for you, but I have never heard of anyone that does this method. Are you the guy that bakes your carboys in the oven for 1/2 an hour to sterilize them?

Again, sorry to be a Richard, but I've had 4 pints of homebrew in the past 2 hours and have no patience for nonsense!
 
Out of curiosity and not to be a Richard even though I am sure I am, do you have a kegerator? Everyone that I know that force carbs - "burst" carbs as you call it - with 30PSI for 36-48 hours and reduces to serving pressure. The beer is ready in 3-5 days with this method. I have never heard of anyone having issues with over-carbing. I know of no one that would wait 3-4 weeks force carbing by any method which makes me think you have no experience at all with a kegerator and force carbing. If you do have experience then I apologize but will point out that you are doing something wrong.

Many, many, many people have issues with the "burst carbing" method, especially if they go as long as 48 hours with 30 psi at fridge temps.

It doesn't take 3-4 weeks to force carb in my kegerator, either.

It's not hard. I put the beer in the keg. Give it a blast of co2 to seat the lid, and purge out the o2. Then put the beer in the kegerator. The beer is nice in less than 10 days. No one should ever have overcarbed beer by putting it on the gas at the correct pressure, while burst carbing is not as reliable.

But for someone who doesn't have a kegerator, burst carbing is especially likely to cause some foaming issues as warm beer tends to foam like a SOB even with perfect conditions. Burst carbing/shaking/etc seems like a recipe for disaster with warm beer.
 
Out of curiosity and not to be a Richard even though I am sure I am, do you have a kegerator? Everyone that I know that force carbs - "burst" carbs as you call it - with 30PSI for 36-48 hours and reduces to serving pressure. The beer is ready in 3-5 days with this method. I have never heard of anyone having issues with over-carbing. I know of no one that would wait 3-4 weeks force carbing by any method which makes me think you have no experience at all with a kegerator and force carbing. If you do have experience then I apologize but will point out that you are doing something wrong.

I'm not sure if you're trolling or serious, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I never said that force carbonating takes 3-4 weeks, I said naturally carbonating with priming sugar takes 3-4 weeks. I also suggested using the set and forget force carbonation method, which takes ~10-14 days at room temp (also mentioned above). Since the OP is obviously new to kegging, and he's going to need to do it at room temp, I thought suggesting the set and forget method seemed like a good idea, but you're welcome to disagree. You seem so knowledgeable, and yet failed to answer the OP's questions or give him any advice. So what increased pressure do you think the OP should use to safely and accurately carb at room temperature that will get it done faster than the set and forget method I suggested?

Yes there are many ways to speed up the carbonation process (some of which I use), but I often use the set and forget method, and very often suggest that those new to kegging and/or carbing at room temp also use it. Why? Because a) most beers benefit from a little extra cold conditioning b) it's easy and essentially foolproof, c) it's impossible to overcarbonate d) burst carbing at room temp is a recipe for a foamy disaster, and e) many people only have one regulator, and increasing the pressure on the keg they're carbonating would mean having to disconnect the gas from any other kegs they're currently serving. I have a couple carb stones, with which I can carb a keg in under 24hrs at serving pressure, but I still use the set and forget a lot because I prefer to let most of my beers cold condition a little longer.

As far as my experience with kegging, I'm far from an authority, but I do have a keezer, which I've been using for a few years now. The build is in my sig line if you're curious. I've also assisted several friends build keezers and kegerators, and even helped two bars fix line balancing issues. Based on your thread from a few days ago asking about carbonating at room temp, I'd venture a guess that I have a fair amount more experience and practical knowledge about kegging than you, but I could be wrong.

Racking from the keg you carb'd in to a new keg is complete and ridiculous overkill. Great if this works for you, but I have never heard of anyone that does this method.

This is something that's suggested a lot around here for people transporting kegs, so if you've never heard of it you've not been paying attention. It sounds to me like the OP's going to be carbing the kegs at room temp, and then moving them somewhere to chill them down with ice for a party. If I'm going to be transporting a keg anywhere just before serving, I like to rack off of the sediment first so it doesn't get all cloudy after being jostled around driving across town or being lugged across the yard. This is even more applicable if it was naturally carbed (which was one of the suggestions) or if it was carbed at room temp since the yeast won't have formed a nice tight cake (also something that applies to the OP's situation). If you're just leaving the keg in the keezer/kegerator, I agree that there's no reason to rack into another keg between carbing and serving.

Since you've been recently asking about carbing at room temp in a closet and then moving the kegs into your kegerator, you might even find some useful information in these suggestions, but then again I'm apparently full of nonsense, so maybe not.
 
JuanMoore said:
I'm not sure if you're trolling or serious, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I never said that force carbonating takes 3-4 weeks, I said naturally carbonating with priming sugar takes 3-4 weeks. I also suggested using the set and forget force carbonation method, which takes ~10-14 days at room temp (also mentioned above). Since the OP is obviously new to kegging, and he's going to need to do it at room temp, I thought suggesting the set and forget method seemed like a good idea, but you're welcome to disagree. You seem so knowledgeable, and yet failed to answer the OP's questions or give him any advice. So what increased pressure do you think the OP should use to safely and accurately carb at room temperature that will get it done faster than the set and forget method I suggested?

Yes there are many ways to speed up the carbonation process (some of which I use), but I often use the set and forget method, and very often suggest that those new to kegging and/or carbing at room temp also use it. Why? Because a) most beers benefit from a little extra cold conditioning b) it's easy and essentially foolproof, c) it's impossible to overcarbonate d) burst carbing at room temp is a recipe for a foamy disaster, and e) many people only have one regulator, and increasing the pressure on the keg they're carbonating would mean having to disconnect the gas from any other kegs they're currently serving. I have a couple carb stones, with which I can carb a keg in under 24hrs at serving pressure, but I still use the set and forget a lot because I prefer to let most of my beers cold condition a little longer.


You mind pm'ing me about those carb stones and how to fully carbonate a keg in less than 24hrs?
 
JuanMoore said:

Juan, I've read a ton of your posts over the months I've been in here, and j respect your opinions an recommendations. Thank you for your posts.

I currently employ Yoopers burst carb method and it works well for me. However, I was given a carb stone, and I am kind of intimidated to use it.
Would you mind PM'ing me your info on that too please? I'd like to possibly carb outside of my keggerator, maybe with the stone.
 
Juan, I've read a ton of your posts over the months I've been in here, and j respect your opinions an recommendations. Thank you for your posts.

I currently employ Yoopers burst carb method and it works well for me. However, I was given a carb stone, and I am kind of intimidated to use it.
Would you mind PM'ing me your info on that too please? I'd like to possibly carb outside of my keggerator, maybe with the stone.

Thanks, PM sent. :mug:
 
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