Newbie question about low carbonation beer

You asked the correct question and it sure sounds like you got the wrong answer. After brewing, most beers will have around 0.8 volumes of CO2 from residual carbonation . . . that's the CO2 that didn't off-gas during fermentation, or what we call flat beer. You are also correct that it's near impossible (<1psi) to maintain that level. Pretty sure no bar serves a beer at 0.8 volumes, if @billandsuz will join the conversion he may confirm that. If you talk to the manager ask him the beer temp and psi setting (and don't expect it to yield 0.8v). Better yet, ask to look at his setup and check out his beer serving pressure.

Suggest you go back to the bar and order the beer and give it the "swish" test. On a fresh pour give it a hard swish in your mouth, this accelerates the CO2 off-gassing. You will get a tingling sensation as the bubbles magically leave the beer and tickle the insides of your mouth. This is what you want to duplicate in your home keezer. Start at something low, say 2.2 volumes (8psi/38F), let it settle, then give it the swish test. Caveat: it may take a couple of days (especially with a new keg) for the CO2 to equalize, so don't rush the test. Also, you are the final judge and get to set the level you actually prefer (I tend to over carbonate some of my beers by choice).

You didn't ask, but accurately knowing your beer temp is critical. Ignore the keezer air temp, you want a simple kitchen thermo (that's been calibrated) to measure the liquid temp. Something like this:http://www.thermoworks.com/RT301WA

 

Thermapen is a first class thermo . . . mine was accurate right out of box, but you may want to calibrate it in an ice slurry to be sure. To measure your beer temp pour a glass of beer and immediately dump it (into another glass or your mouth), then fill the glass again. This should give you accurate beer temp without any warming from the lines/glass. Use this number to enter the carb-table.

I don't want to say the bar manager was a Bozo, but his implication that high carbonation masks the taste of beer is Bozo'esque. Many beers (German Hefeweizens, Belgian Pales) are served at a very high carb level and the extra bubbles are what makes them world-class beers. Let your personal preference steer you here.

 

I will. This bar manager is not an expert at all, at least not when it comes to beer carbonation. That's ok, except assuming you know everything about something all the time is risky.

Truth is there is not a single beer guideline that advises 0.8 vols for any beer, period.

Most people who are not invested in draft beer don't think of carbonation and certainly not vols. But it is not a difficult topic.
Set your temp (38) adjust your regulator and off you go. You can call the brewery, look online, talk to the distributor if you can get them and they will know the actual packaged vols. Even then not always. Plenty of small brewers have no idea of the actual vols their beer is packaged with. They know the pressure but that is different.

Cheers.

 

Almost sure this wouldn't work. Another variable that is common in a commercial operation is the gas may not be pure CO2, it could be a mixture of N2/CO2 with a higher pressure to push the beer. Also their line diameter could be different. If you can talk to a real brewer in theory they will know the volume level.

What style of beer are we talking about here? Sounds like you have all the basics covered, let your personal preference override any and all. One of the big advantages of having a home keezer is ultimate control over serving.

 

This is also suspect.
Do they have a Nitro beer on tap at this place?
20 psi with a kegerator is not workable. That's 3.30 vols at 38F. If they are using blend gas then the psi then can be higher than usual. If they have a nitro beer on tap then and only then they will need blend gas. and it's more like 33 psi.

You are getting bad information from this place.
Cheers.

 

So As Asked What style of Beer is it suppose to be?