Kegging for the first time question

Any method involving a CO2 tank is technically force carbonation. The rate at which CO2 dissolves into the beer is dependent on surface area, pressure, and temperature (more surface area = faster). By shaking (or bubbling through a dip tube or carb stone) you are creating little bubbles which means more surface area.

IMHO, your beer will probably be a little undercarbed after only 1 week at serving pressure. (Full disclosure: I like my beer fizzier than most.) Make sure the beer is cold, hook it up to 40 psi for 24 hours, then purge and repressurize to serving pressure for the remainder of the week. That should have you ready to drink before Saturday, in my experience.

 

Set and forget works so perfectly it's hard to argue against it. That said, there are a couple of work arounds. As stated, you can set higher pressure for the first day, then reduce to normal serving pressure. . . this gives it a quicker start. In theory you can roll it around (increase surface area exposure) at this higher pressure to make the jump-start even more effective, but now you're starting to mess with the "how much is enough" criteria. A sure fire method to have it ready in six days is to split into two tanks. I regularly slow carb 2.5 gal of beer in a 5 gal tank and it's ready PDQ, usually 'bout 3 days. What better way to start kegging than by doubling the kegs you'll need to clean!

 

I personally find that the colder it is the better the Co2 gets into solution.. I pretty much do sub 35 now. For me it was taking way too long at 39/40

 

Do you reduce the CO2 pressure when you reduce the temperature? If not, then it definitely will be faster (to get to the previously targeted CO2 volumes) at the lower temp and will also go past the target and result in more carbonation at equilibrium.

I'm not sure there's anything inherently faster about carb'ing at lower temps, assuming the CO2 pressure is reduced to target the same level of carbonation.

 

I do the set and forget method. I don't like to mess with my regulator. There is a way to speed it up though if you have a long enough gas in line and you're strong enough.
Once you have purged the air out of the headspace and the beer is at serving temp, pick up the keg with the gas line still attached, hold it horizontally with one hand on the top and one hand on the bottom and shake the hell out of it for 10 seconds. If you listen after you stop shaking you can hear a steady stream of gas bubbling in. When you don't hear the bubbles, shake the hell out of it again. Do this about 5 times once every 12 hours. In 48 hours it will carbed enough to put a head on a pour but not 100% carbed. When I do this my beer is at 38F and the regulator is at 13psi FWIW.

 

Of course.. only reason I started doing it is a good friend who is head brewer at a very large brewery recommended it... said they always have much better luck below 35.

 

One small adjustment to what I wrote above. On the times I do this shake method the beer is actually at 33F the first time I shake it because it just came out of being cold crashed. 38F is the serving temp of my kegerator.

 

If it was me, I would carb high and cold for a day or so, then dial it down, keeping it close to freezing to make sure it was carbed enough for next weekend...

 

I'm a "set and forget" guy too. I tried the high pressure for 24 hour thing, but was always happier setting for 12 psi and coming back after a few days.

 

I'm a set it and don't forget it kind of guy. Yes, that beer has only been hooked up to 9 psi for 2 days, but I can't get it out of my mind and have to have some, right now.

 

I'm usually a set it and forget it guy but another method if you need a beer in a hurry and I am surprised this wasn't mentioned is to swap out the gas disconnect with a liquid disconnect and charge through the out post at a higher pressure. You will get more co2 into solution without shaking or rolling. I can fully carb a beer in 24 hours at 30 psi and 34 degrees this way. Just don't forget to swap the disconnects when you are done!

 

I actually did mention it above, in passing:

But thanks for elaborating anyway, since I assume OP isn't familiar with the method.

 

There are a couple of options in-between "set and forget" and "shake and bake" too. Buying a little carb stone and attaching it to your gas tube with some tubing will cut your carb time in half. Also, just switching your gas and beverage disconnects and bubbling co2 through the beverage dip tube instead of the gas one will speed things up. Always carb as cold as possible too.
Also, don't be afraid to shake the keg if you are in a hurry. Agitation in a high pressure, neutral gas environment doesn't create nearly as much foam as you may think.

 

Get rid of the crimp type and get the worm gear type.
Also make sure the hose size and barb size match. The hose shouldn't slip on easy. When I put a hose on a barb I have to heat the hose end in hot water to soften it enough to slip on.
DON'T Put teflon tape on a barb. It is for thread sealing only.

 

I often times end up cutting the last couple inches off the end of the hose. And the worm gear hose clamps. Those crimper style clamps are among the worst ideas ever invented by humanity.