Carbonating my first keg help

[mattyg8]

Hey all ive laid down my first brew and have just transferred it to my corny kegs... now this is where I'm a little confussed...I have had the kegs sitting in my Keezer at 3deg over night and Im about to connect the co2 up for carbonation.

I have seen forced carbonation but for my first time id think id like to just connect the Co2 up and let it do its thing for a week or so...Now my question is what should I set my regulator at? and for how long?

Thanks

 

[gsouth82]

If you want to leave it for a week before its ready to drink then just connect it at serving pressure and wait.
Whats serving pressure you ask? Depends on the beer and your tastes. Try around the 80-100kPa mark.

 

[Tahoose]

Or you can force carb, look up the guide to force carbonation thread.

Edit/- should have read the original question a bit better

 

[mattyg8]

thanks in future I may do force carb but wanna make sure I do it right for the first time
I believe my regulator only shows PSi so that would be about 15 PSi

 

[Tahoose]

I think around 12 psi is considered as normal practise. But it all depends on temperature and volumes of co2 that your after. I'm running about 3.5degrees c and 12 psi and that works for me.

The other considerations are what type of beer line you are running ( diameter) and how long said beer line is, and if your draught system will be balanced. All of these variables will effect your pour.

Like I said I'm quite new to kegs, so happy to be corrected if I have anything incorrect here.

 

[gsouth82]

Yeah spot on tahoose. 12-15PSI is 82-103kPa.
I run 5mm ID line with the fridge around the 4degree mark and i find this pressure range good. When I'm running pale ales i'll tend to the higher side and darks/stouts ill tend to the lower side.
It took me a hand full of kegs to get my system balance sorted out.
Just get used to eating foam!

 

[Tahoose]

Flow control taps.
12psi
1.2m of 5mm ID
3.5c

I don't see what all this balancing fuss is about

 

[Kiwifirst]

My current APA and Mild Ale are at 8c and 10psi

The mild tastes even better at 10c it was crap tasting at 4c it was almost a John Smith clone.

But I generally carb to 10-12psi over a week.

 

[jaypes]

Keg King have a good guide to forced carbing on their website

 

[manticle]

OP doesn't want to force carb.

 

[mattyg8]

I will force carb in future just want to get right for the first time

 

[mattyg8]

Just quick question how long can I leave un carbonated beer in the kegs at 3.5 deg before I have hooked up the gas lines

 

[BungBrew]

You can leave it for weeks but usually you will purge the oxygen out and then store it.

 

[Kudzu]

Can you store a corny unpressurised? The lids are pressure sealed and I know mine don't seal properly unless there's some pressure in the keg.

 

[Spiesy]

Can you store a corny unpressurised? The lids are pressure sealed and I know mine don't seal properly unless there's some pressure in the keg.

If the lid is pressure sealed isn't your keg pressurised?

 

[Kudzu]

If the lid is pressure sealed isn't your keg pressurised?

Well yes, the point I was trying to make is you shouldn't (at least I wouldn't) just bung the lid on a keg and put it aside to carbonate another day as the seal won't be airtight and you run the risk of oxidation/infection. You could just add enough CO2 to seal the lid, but I would expect that would absorbed into the beer over time and the lid would unseal again, especially at fridge temps.

 

[gap]

Unless the gas leaks out surely the keg is still pressurised whether the gas is in the headspace or
in the liquid.

 

[pcmfisher]

Unless the gas leaks out surely the keg is still pressurised whether the gas is in the headspace or
in the liquid.

No, not really.

If you pump in 2-300 kpa into your keg after you have just filled it, the lid will be sealed.

Come back the next day, even if its not in the fridge, and the lid will fall in if you open it. The gas has been absorbed by the beer.

 

[mattyg8]

It seems that having the co2 bottle and regulator sitting in the keezer it gets a different psi reading then sitting outside at room temp...should I just set it to 12 psi when at room temp then put it in the keezer and not worry what reading it says when cold or should I adjust it when cold to 12psi?

 

[mattyg8]

anyone?