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Keg Carbonation

jopakent

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I've just finished my second attempt at keg carbonation. Here's how I thought it was supposed to work:
Connect my CO2 to the keg input (not real clear how much pressure).
Agitate the keg for a couple of minutes a day. (I did this by sitting down next to the fridge and laying the keg across my knees and rolling them back and forth.)
After a couple of days, drop the pressure to around 5 lbs and decant a pint to see if the carbonation is about where you want it.

So the problem is, that my first several draws from the keg are all foam. If I draw off 1/2 gallon of foam and then let it sit for a while, I get a pint or two of pretty good beer, but I'm not sure about the carbonation level. It seems a little flat, but that could likely be because I'm letting the foam sit for a while so I can get it back to fluid state.

I'm wondering if the issue is that my agitation sessions are producing the foam. Tonight, I'll decant some more and I'm hoping the kegs have calmed down a bit.

Maybe I'm doing it right, but I just need to factor in a day or two of wait (not my strong suit) to let the foam settle down after the carbonation process. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm doing it right (or close to it).

TIA,
JPK
 
Sounds to me like it is over-carbonated.  No big deal. Try seeing how low you can drop the pressure while still being able to pour beer. I bet it will be less foamy. Then leave it at low pressure to allow the excess gas to get out of the beer. There are charts online that will tell you what pressure/temp combo will give you the desired carbonation. Once you get it to dispense beer instead of foam, you can refer to the chart to see what pressure to keep it at at the temperature at which you are storing it.

It could also be hose length. If you don't have enough tubing between the keg and the faucet, it could get foamy. I don't know the numbers off the top of my head. They vary depending upon the diameter. Google 'proper tube length between keg and tap' or something similar to see if you've got enough tubing.
 
I just started kegging this summer.  I had good success.  I force carb the keg/beer at 20 psi for 2 days.  I do rock the keg a couple times a day when force carbing.  When I first connect the keg to the CO2 tank I release any air in the keg and allow the keg to fill up with CO2.  After 2 days of force carb I then turn down the PSI to 8.
For me it seems to work.  Maybe just lucky.

Cheers!!!
 
I try not to rock the keg when I carbonate it. I don't want it to foam up inside. Once those bubbles are gone, they're gone. You'll never see them in a glass.

What I do is keep it at 20psi for a few days, then I start taking daily samples after dropping the pressure down to 8-10psi before pouring. If it's too flat, I disconnect the tap and take it back up to 20psi. Eventually it reaches the desired carbonation level without going over.
 
I always use this methode and, so far, it always worked perfectly (5 kegs)  :D
1. Hook the Gas-In Quick Disconnect to the Gas-In Body Connect and turn the gas on.
2. Adjust your regulator to the desired PSI (around 16 PSI or 1.10 bar or 110 KPA) and let the beer sit at this pressure for 7–10 days.
3. You can test your beer by pulling a pint off of the keg after 5–7 days.
4. If the beer is under-carbonated to your taste, let it sit for another 1–3 days, testing periodically as necessary.

Cheers.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
I try not to rock the keg when I carbonate it. I don't want it to foam up inside. Once those bubbles are gone, they're gone. You'll never see them in a glass.

What I do is keep it at 20psi for a few days, then I start taking daily samples after dropping the pressure down to 8-10psi before pouring. If it's too flat, I disconnect the tap and take it back up to 20psi. Eventually it reaches the desired carbonation level without going over.

+1 - this is the easiest and fast method IMO
 
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