Carbonation Help Needed on Kegging

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by braggheim, Aug 21, 2013.

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  1. braggheim

    braggheim Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2013 Indiana

    Hey all,

    I am fairly new to the forum, but have been homebrewing for around 3 years. This past year I have been expanding my capabilities and finally have obtained a kegging setup with chest freezer. After wiring up my temperature controller I finally have cold beer. The main trouble I have now is determining and playing with the carbonation level after forced carbonation. I have ranged from obviously overcarbonated to slightly flat. I have a traditional 5 gallon ball lock set-up with 5lb cylinder. I serve at a pressure of about 10psi through a picnic tap currently. What I find is that the first pour is much more flat than a second pour. Is this common or can any of you offer some better advice on how to achieve a more consistently and properly carbonated pour?
     
    #1 braggheim, Aug 21, 2013
  2. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    More flat?

    I've had a warm first pour in some cases..

    Try this.. Disconnect and drain your picnic tap. Leave the line and tap in the bottom of the freezer, so it's cold.

    Put it on next time you want a pint, and serve.. Is it carbed?

    Chances are, your tap is warm, you aren't getting cold air to the top, and the beer is losing it's carbonation in the tap line due to the temp change.

    What temp is your keezer at?

    How long as the beer been chilled and hooked to the gas? Kept at the low and slow method, or did you shake rattle and roll the keg to speed it up?
     
    #2 FATC1TY, Aug 21, 2013
  3. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    There are several factors to pouring beer at the right CO2 volume: Temp, pressure, line length, line inner diameter, and always a full open faucet.

    I serve 37F, 12PSI, 10', 3/16"ID and get in the mid 2 CO2 range. There's a chart somewhere on goggle that will show you pressure vs temp.
    http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

    I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you changed your pressure between the two times you poured. Set it and forget it for a day or so and the pressure between the dead space and the beer will stabilize. You can always burp a keg and always give it a light shake if your beer is over carbed. If you want to get more bubbles, that takes a day or two to stabilize.
     
    #3 inchrisin, Aug 21, 2013
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