How Do You Carbonate Your Keg?

[cloudy]

Hi all,

No matter how many people i ask, they all have there own procedures for carbonating a keg. some things seem to work for some and not for others. So i'm just wondering how do YOU carbonate YOUR keg?

Very interested to see how many different ways you guys come up with even if the differences are only slight.

hope to hear from you.

:beer:

Cloudy.

 

[Maple]

After trying a few different ways, I have resigned myself to just connecting one of the gas fittings to it, and leaving it on the serve pressure for about a week before I try it...(well that's the concept - never made it a week before cracking the seal; though)

Maple

 

[randyrob]

i just hook the keg up at serving pressure and wait for it to carbonate over the space of a week.

 

[Steve]

Hi all,

No matter how many people i ask, they all have there own procedures for carbonating a keg. some things seem to work for some and not for others. So i'm just wondering how do YOU carbonate YOUR keg?

Very interested to see how many different ways you guys come up with even if the differences are only slight.

hope to hear from you.

:beer:

Cloudy.

ME? I force carbonate - Ross method.
Cheers
Steve

 

[barneyhanway]

I hook up the beer out post to the co2 (gotta love those John Guest fittings), set at 30psi and rock for slightly under 2 minutes.
Back in the fridge, leave for a day, vent the head pressure and pour.

 

[mfdes]

I force carbonate using Ross's method in the wiki.
I do this to put in ~1.5 volumes of CO2 and then turn on the gas and taste it for a few days. The beer will go though a sweet spot in terms of carbonation and then start tasting less good. That's when you're overcarbonated. Vent a bit of pressure from the keg, leave it for a couple of days, and the headspace pressure will equilibrate with the level of carbonation. Then I make a note on masking tape on the keg and maintain that level for the rest of the time.

Credit where credit's due: I learned this method from a podcast of the Jamil Show.

MFS :beer:

 

[tangent]

Steve, i think anything involving adding CO2 from a bottle to a keg is classed as force carbonating.

I put a heap of pressure on the keg and keep topping up, each time lowering the pressure until after a week, it's sitting on pouring pressure. (force carbonating)

 

[Cracka]

Force carb. Ross method

 

[Fents]

I do it two ways. If im not in a hurry i hook up the gas, set it pouring pressure and leave it for 5-6 days. Comes out perfect everytime and have never stuffed a keg this way.

Got ansty the other night with a keg and really forced carb'd it. Got the keg down to 2degrees, Gas Line on, dial up to 300kpa and rock for 1 minute and diconnect gas, and wak keg in fridge. Waited say 2 hours, backed the pressure right off and it was car'd and cold! In fact a little too over carb'd for my liking of a lager.

Anyways too many variables - gas line, length, pouring pressure etc etc. Not gonna be the same for everyone.

 

[Jerry]

I put a heap of pressure on the keg and keep topping up, each time lowering the pressure until after a week, it's sitting on pouring pressure. (force carbonating)

Similar to tangent.

After the beer is kegged I gas to 300kpa and shake the crap out of it. I repeat this 5 times.

The keg then either gets stored at cellar temp or goes straight into the fridge. Once its in the fridge I then just do as tangent does.

No great hurry to get it carbonated if you've got other kegs to drink.

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Same here

Gas to beer out post (easy with the john guest fittings - I'm thinking of getting another Beer QD and a JG splitter and having this line out side the fridge exclusively for force carbonating)

Rock the keg for 70 secs @ 300kpa - though this is a little under carbed for me - i'm gonna have a go at 80-90 secs next time

I've been leaving the gas on at pouring pressure a couple of days to stabilise

Cheers

I hook up the beer out post to the co2 (gotta love those John Guest fittings), set at 30psi and rock for slightly under 2 minutes.
Back in the fridge, leave for a day, vent the head pressure and pour.

 

[enoch]

Crash chill fermenter overnight, keg, hookup to gas at serving pressure, rock it like crazy for a few minutes. Gets it 90% on the money and certainly fit to drink.

 

[Lukes]

Force Carb Ross Method.

 

[Fents]

Same here

Gas to beer out post (easy with the john guest fittings - I'm thinking of getting another Beer QD and a JG splitter and having this line out side the fridge exclusively for force carbonating)

Rock the keg for 70 secs @ 300kpa - though this is a little under carbed for me - i'm gonna have a go at 80-90 secs next time

I've been leaving the gas on at pouring pressure a couple of days to stabilise

Cheers

Just intreseted to find out why you put the gas diconnect on the beer out post? I alsways got told the beer post is the beer post and the gas post is the gas...mix the two and be spending another $200 on a regulator?

 

[TidalPete]

i just hook the keg up at serving pressure and wait for it to carbonate over the space of a week.

Ditto! Except if I am in a hurry. I then use the "Ross Method". Have a gas line outside of the fridge especially for this purpose but I roll the keg with my foot rather than rock it (easier).

:beer:

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Connecting the gas to the beer post forces the gas to the bottom of the keg and up through the beer - thereby carbonating the keg

People achieve the same result through the gas post by putting the keg on its side and then shaking - so that the gas in post is submerged in the beer

Simply turning the pressure up to 300kpa on the gas in post and not laying it on its side will not carbonate the keg in 50 secs

Hope that makes sense

Effectivly by using a beer QD connected the the gas allows for forced carbonation via the ross method with out putting the keg on its side

Cheers

Edit: Also connecting the gas to the beer post should not put beer into the reg if the keg is not carbonated or the gas is turned on before connecting - a check valve will stop this happening in any event

Edit 2: I just re-read the question - I actually swap the QD's so the gas line has a beer QD on it - cheers

 

[Maple]

Just use a liquid out JG fitting on the gas line to attach to the Beer out post... simple

 

[Fents]

Connecting the gas to the beer post forces the gas to the bottom of the keg and up through the beer - thereby carbonating the keg

People achieve the same result through the gas post by putting the keg on its side and then shaking - so that the gas in post is submerged in the beer

Simply turning the pressure up to 300kpa on the gas in post and not laying it on its side will not carbonate the keg in 50 secs

Hope that makes sense

Effectivly by using a beer QD connected the the gas allows for forced carbonation via the ross method with out putting the keg on its side

Cheers

Edit: Also connecting the gas to the beer post should not put beer into the reg if the keg is not carbonated or the gas is turned on before connecting - a check valve will stop this happening in any event

Edit 2: I just re-read the question - I actually swap the QD's so the gas line has a beer QD on it - cheers

Interesting. I only ever connect the gas to the gas and mine carb's up fine @ 300 kpa rocking (approx 50-60 secs).

makes sense that the gas would travel to the bottom of the keg and back up through the beer your way as there is no gas dip tupe....

 

[roger mellie]

If I am doing a bitter - I chuck a bit of Dextrose into the keg , shake and leave for 3 weeks - I just like the difference with natural carbonation for lower carbed beer.

Otherwise

The Ross Method - seldom for longer than 45 seconds.

RM

 

[gundaroo]

i do both ways, fill keg,burp,chill overnight then load to 40psi,reduce pressure when ready to pour,can be two to three days later.
the other way is load 10 teaspoons sugar into corny,fill then shake and store.
same with 50 litre keg,use 20 teaspoons,roll as too heavy to lift and shake.
beats bottling