ok cool does anyone know of dodgy disconnects from ebay? i bought mine as a set, and found the gas one is good, so long as i dont bump it around it doesnt leak, but if i put 8psi in the keg and connect the beer d/c, it leaks out the collar flat out... compared to the one i tested at my brew shop, which didnt leak at all under pressure... might get some with the guest fittings, then i can carbonate through the dip tube...
if im doing anything stupid someone tell me, coz i'm kinda just wingin' it for now...
cheers
Hi Joel
Check the post o-ring is ok Also do you use o-ring lube? Regarding your carbonation remember you can get the gas in a lot faster than your beer matures so no real need to rush it unlses you are behind, which in the begining, you probably will be
Force carbonating should allow you to hit your desired level every time, without exception. There is not much more annoying than an overgased keg. There is bound to be
a carbonation chart posted in here somewhere hopefully somone can point you to it.
There are two methods of force carbonating your beer in a Homebrew keg. The patient method and the impatient method . The patient method will always give you
the most repeatable results it just takes longer. It's based strictly on numbers so you can do it over and over and achieve the same results every time.
The amount of CO that will dissolve into your beer is dependent on two factors -
Temperature and Pressure.
The temperature is easy, its the temp you will be drinking your beer at (usualy).
Generally ales tend to be carbonated at the lower end, 1.9 to around 2.3; most German style lagers at around 2.4 to 2.7; and Australian lagers, and wheat beers at
around 2.7 to 3.0. The amount of CO dissolved in beer is most often referred to in terms of volumes. Volumes of CO are defined as the volume the CO gas would
occupy if it were removed from the beer at atmospheric pressure and 0C, compared to the original volume of beer.
Most beers in the Australia contain roughly 2.5-3.0 volumes of carbon dioxide, or about 5 grams per litre. This means that if all the carbon dioxide in one litre of
beer were expanded at 0C and at one atmosphere of pressure, its volume would be 2.5-3 litres.
Equilibrium means the same amount of CO is diffusing out of the beer as is being dissolved back into solution. For a given temperature (this will be the temperature you
will be drinking your beer at in most cases) say 2 deg.c and with your regulator set to 10-12psi (For around 2.5 volumes) the beer CANNOT overcarbonate unless the
temp goes down or the pressure goes up.
The Patient Method
1) Clean and sanitise your keg thoroughly. I always purge the Keg with a little CO to exclude oxygen.
2) Gently rack your beer into the keg and filter if desired
3) Replace the lid on the keg and re-pressurise again to 10 psi, let it sit for a short while, bleed the pressure off again to re-purge (also known as burping your keg).
4) Determine the temperature that your beer will be during carbonation and set your regulator accordingly. Give your beer a week or 2 to carbonate. It will reach its
saturation point within this amount of time if the temperature is right, and the regulator will shut down altogether. Remember that the gas can be connected to the
black disconnect (you will need a black connector to make this easy) so that the CO bubbles up through the beer but is not a requirment.
A big word of caution here - if your cylinder runs low, beer can return via the gas line and ruin your regulator. This method is called reverse booting and has ruined many
an expensive regulator. Fit a non return valve in you gas line to be safe if your reg hasn't got one.
The Impatient Method
The most surprising thing about this method is how often it actualy works! It seems to be because a fairly wide range of carb levels are exceptable.
1) Follow step 1 through 3 from the patient method and chill to desired temperature. Remember beer will not absorb the CO at room temperature without excessive
pressure.
2) Set your regulator to 30 psi and pressurise your keg through the gas beverage fitting until you hear/feel the flow of gas stop, and shake your keg vigorously for 5
minutes or so. Alternatively lay your keg on its side and gently rock the keg, if you have the gas post at the bottom you will hear the gas rushing into the keg. Stop
rocking and soon the gas will stop, rock again and gas will once again flow.
3) Repeat step 2 until:
a) Your beer will receive no more carbonation at this pressure setting at which time it will be over-carbonated.
B) You die of a massive heart attack.
c) You fluke the correct carbonation level
This method should only be used as a last resort. Even if it doesn't cause you grievous bodily harm, it leads to rough handling of your precious homebrew and
uncertain carbonation levels. It must be said though that this method is widly used.
