# Keg Temperature For Carbonating And Serving



## tgarland (25/6/11)

Hi all,

I like to keep my keg fridge at 2.5 degrees C. I then use 70Kpa (just over 10 psi) for conditioning and dispensing my beer and this keeps the whole system in balance. Anyone familiar with a carbonation chart will know this is approximately C02 volume of 2.5 which suits the style of beer.

At these low temperatures, many of the subtle flavours and aromas of the beer cannot be enjoyed, however it is very easy to let the beer warm in the glass on a hot summers day.

The ideal temperature to enjoy an APA is debatably 7 degrees C (and above, upto 10 degrees C).

At this temperature, the pressure would need to be 102 Kpa (14.9 psi) to obtain the same volume of CO2. I would assume this would create issues with dispensing / too much head.

I would be interested to know what serving temperature and dispensing pressure other people are using with success for APA style beers.

Cheers,

Tony


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## mxd (25/6/11)

tgarland said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I like to keep my keg fridge at 2.5 degrees C. I then use 70Kpa (just over 10 psi) for conditioning and dispensing my beer and this keeps the whole system in balance. Anyone familiar with a carbonation chart will know this is approximately C02 volume of 2.5 which suits the style of beer.
> 
> ...



I'm similar to you your setup, but if you want to run higher temp, then you need the higher pressure, then you;ll need longer beer line (or get a tap that can adjust pressure).

I've seen guys here running 7 deg, 110 kpa and 4 mtrs of line. There is a spreadsheet that will tell you all the numbers to make a balanced system.


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## tgarland (26/6/11)

Thanks MXD,

Is there anyone out there using the same pressure for dispensing the beer as the disired carbonation level, ie 70kpa for both? This is what I have always done.

Looking at the charts, it is recomended to be carbonating to say 70kpa @ 4C, and then dropping to 50 kpa for serving

I ask as my most recent keg is way too heady and I am trying to nut out what change in the system has caused this. 

(have moved house, stopped using external temp control on fridge, Celi flow regulator position was changed)


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## tgarland (26/6/11)

Just to add to this, I have used Crozdog's calcuator. The attached pic shows my temps / levels etc. This only difference is I use a shorter beer line.

As you can see, my carbonation pressure is just over 72kpa (10.5psi).

The spreadsheet them advises to turn the pressure down as low as 6.89kpa (1psi to pour.

Perhaps up until this time, I have been extremely lucky to get perfect pours leaving the system at 70kpa from start to finish.

Would appreciate others posting their view of the world.

Me:

Temperature: 2.5deg C
Carbonation: 2.5 volumes
pressure: 70 kpa
serving pressure: 70 kpa
Hose Length: 1m (using celi tap with flow control)

Cheers,
Tony


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