Keg Carbonation

[craigo]

i keg my first beer a week ago its been carbing up at about 70kpa poured myself a beer last night night and it tasted flat it has some carbanation but not much should i leave it at this pressure for a few more days and see if it carbs more or should i turn it up to say 150kpa for a few hours?

 

[mxd]

yep, we probably need a little more info, how cold, how long is and internal diameter of the beer line.

 

[pk.sax]

Hey matt, what has ID of beer line to do with flatness? I guess it matters if he complained about glasses of foam though... Clarifying to avoid confusing that.

Temperature is definitely a factor, but assuming you have it somewhere sensible, 2-10C, upping the pressure to 100kpa for carbonation might be what you need to do. Seems like your beer is at 70 now, but your preference is for higher. Don't go too high though or depending on your setup you might have balancing issues (beer line ID and length like matt tried to say above).

 

[craigo]

im not sure about the ID of the line i think it is 5mm the temp is 3 degrees.

 

[mxd]

Hey matt, what has ID of beer line to do with flatness? I guess it matters if he complained about glasses of foam though... Clarifying to avoid confusing that.

the ID and length can both affect the amount of co2 you can loose through the pour

 

[Ross]

i keg my first beer a week ago its been carbing up at about 70kpa poured myself a beer last night night and it tasted flat it has some carbanation but not much should i leave it at this pressure for a few more days and see if it carbs more or should i turn it up to say 150kpa for a few hours?

Craigo,

It's nothing to do with line lengths or diameters at this stage...

It's probably still carbing up, just put the keg on it's side with the gas connected & the gas post towards the floor & rock with your foot. If you hear gas gurgling into the keg, continue until it completely stops & then try the beer. If you get no gurgling or the beer is still under carbed for your liking, increase to 80kpa & repeat. WARNING: Make sure you have a non-return valve fitted in your gas line before carbing this way. You can increase all the way to 100kpa if still under carbed for your liking, but at the higher pressures you're likly to start needing to look at line lengths etc to get it to pour correctly.


cheers Ross

 

[Pennywise]

Seems odd to me that it's still practically flat after a week at 70kpa, I carb at that pressure and it's done in 4-5 days, just my 2c. Never done the Ross method but it's what I'd try at this stage

 

[Trippers]

I always find 100kpa to do the job after a week or so in the fridge. Just be sure not to get any leaks, it hurts to lose a full bottle of Co2.

 

[craigo]

Craigo,

It's nothing to do with line lengths or diameters at this stage...

It's probably still carbing up, just put the keg on it's side with the gas connected & the gas post towards the floor & rock with your foot. If you hear gas gurgling into the keg, continue until it completely stops & then try the beer. If you get no gurgling or the beer is still under carbed for your liking, increase to 80kpa & repeat. WARNING: Make sure you have a non-return valve fitted in your gas line before carbing this way. You can increase all the way to 100kpa if still under carbed for your liking, but at the higher pressures you're likly to start needing to look at line lengths etc to get it to pour correctly.


cheers Ross

thanks ross i will try what you have suggested and report back

 

[pk.sax]

Some people are just used to higher carb levels from commercial beers... Just sayin...

 

[craigo]

Some people are just used to higher carb levels from commercial beers... Just sayin...

yeah that might be the problem aswell.

 

[nathan_madness]

Just read this link it will make life so easy!

Guide To Forced Carbonation