Carbonation Control

[UsernameTaken]

There seems to be a VERY fine line between under carbonated and over carbonated.

I like a decent carbonation in my pale ales and IPA's but just can't quite seem to hit it.

I leave my kegs for a week at 15psi and they are pretty good, but never quite as carbonated as I would like.

If I bump it up I end up with half a glass of head and if I lower it just gets flatter!

Am I missing something?

Cheers,
UNT

 

[barls]

the temp of the fridge also plays in to this. try half a degree lower on temp.

 

[UsernameTaken]

I have the fridge set at 1.5c with thermostat control.

Would you advise going lower?

Cheers,
UNT

 

[mtb]

Where's your thermostat probe connected? Attach it to the side of a keg to get the most accurate reading. Also, temp can differ a fair bit between top and bottom of the fridge, I suggest installing a computer fan to circulate the air.

Aside from that, 15psi is pretty high. Are you dispensing from a pluto gun or a tap? What length is the beer line? Often overcarbonated beer can actually appear to pour flat (in my experience anyway). Try dialing it down very low, ie 5PSI, purge keg to make sure headspace is 5PSI, then pour. You might be surprised.

 

[UsernameTaken]

I've got the probe in a glass of water on the top shelf.

Currently dispensing with picnic taps through 3 meters of 4mm line.

I will experiment with some of your suggestions!

Cheers,
UNT

 

[MHB]

Put a fan in the fridge, without one the bottom can be a lot colder.
Try just sitting a glass of water on the bottom shelf overnight and measuring the temperature (if it hasn't frozen)
Braukaiser has a good read on carbonation, in a well set up system carbonation is a science rather than a matter of opinion.
Mark

 

[klangers]

Carbonation is proportional to pressure and temperature, and beer composition to a significantly lesser extent.

Are you just guessing or actually looking up a solubility chart?

I found that my regulator's pressure gauge was desperately out of calibration. As soon as I fixed that I started to hit my targets.

Match the temperature and pressure to that chart and you'll be right, provided your temperature and pressure readings are correct.

 

[UsernameTaken]

As they say a broken clock is correct at least twice a day.

So whilst I appreciate carbonation, like everything else, is a very technically complicated issue, I cannot seem to get near the level I prefer!

Under, no problem, over, got that too.

But as I like it ... Very illusive!

Cheer,
UNT