How do you gas your kegs?

[chopdog]

I usually do 48hrs at 230kpa beer is at 3deg, always end up with nice fine bubbles and great head. My question is, how long for 16l of beer? I came up short on this brew and only ended up with16l in the keg. Does the volume of beer change the carbonation process?

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

It would, simplistically you could just proportion the time by the percentage less beer you have (ie. Do it for 40.4 hours), but I'm not sure if headspace would play a factor. It shouldn't since carbonating is a relatively slow process (even over 24-48hrs) that it could be considered at steady state.

Note: not realising this is why I have two overcarbonated kegs on my hands. I had a leak at the disconnect which more or less flattened both kegs. So smart me thought I'd hook up at 300kPa for 24 hours (how I USED to carbonate), forgetting 1/4 of the keg had been drunk. Got nothing but froth soup out of pours and still havent managed to degas enough. Just turned gas off on those kegs and pour from them hoping it will balance back to normal after a bit of drinking!

You really can't beat the set and forget (or natural carbing if its easier for you). The tiny amount of patience and forward planning required gives much more confidence than the forced methods can.

 

[chopdog]

Cheers, I was thinking along the same lines, figure if it's under carbed I could just hook it back up for 2 hours, check it and adjust if need be. I have done this before when I ran out of gas and had no idea how far in to the 48hrs it had run out, I sampled and it was under carbed so I just hooked it back up and checked it every couple of hours until I was happy with it

 

[dannymars]

Does anyone use one of these,

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=876

That would work OK I guess, not much different than carbing via the liquid tube, just would be faster as the bubbles would be smaller and therefore total surface area greater. $139 though! you could make one for about $40 --

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-micron-Stainless-steel-Aeration-Diffusion-Stone-for-the-home-brew-hobbyist-/321531539094?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item4adcc5ee96

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Brand-new-Cornelius-Type-keg-Ball-Lock-Gas-Post-Poppet-Female-Thread-/111180838244?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item19e2e4f564

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cornelius-Type-Keg-Lid-with-O-Ring-/271190099514?pt=AU_Barware&hash=item3f2430863a

I force carb 90% of my kegs with the Ross Method but I do notice that immediately after the rock and roll the beer does have bigger bubbles than if it is primed in the keg and left to carbonate naturally.

I also notice that if I force carbonate and put the keg in the kegorator and after trying the beer I go away with work for a week that when I return the beer has fine bubbles in the head, similar to keg priming???

Something to do with the forming of Carbonic Acid...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonic_acid

This takes time over just dissolving CO2 in solution*

*I think

 

[stux]

I've massively over-carbed when I've rapid carbed partial kegs... there is something funny going on with the additional headspace.

 

[pipsyboy]

I've only carbed a half keg once.

Did at same time as full keg. 30 psi for 24 and 48 hrs respectively. Full keg perfect. Half keg way over carbed.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hmm seems like a experiment is in order. I might carb some water in a half filled 19L keg and a full 9L keg for same time and pressure and posts results!!

 

[Kingmaa]

I've been chucking boiled dextrose in my kegs and leaving for a couple of weeks lately, less effort and I like the product better!

 

[pcmfisher]

So how about carbing a 9ltr keg.
It will be full as against a half full 19ltr, so does it take less time to carbonate?

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hmm seems like a experiment is in order. I might carb some water in a half filled 19L keg and a full 9L keg for same time and pressure and posts results!!

So how about carbing a 9ltr keg.
It will be full as against a half full 19ltr, so does it take less time to carbonate?

Happy to test this and post results, unless someone has already?

 

[taztiger]

So how about carbing a 9ltr keg.
It will be full as against a half full 19ltr, so does it take less time to carbonate?

I've had good results with 12 hours at 280-300kpa for full 9L kegs.

 

[stux]

Full 9L kegs are fine, half the time.

But what about 9L in an 19L keg?