question on kegging with single regulator/multiple kegs

Discussion in 'Home Bar' started by ChrisYarborough, Dec 30, 2015.

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  1. ChrisYarborough

    ChrisYarborough Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2012 Texas

    I just completed about 90% of my keezer build and it is up and running with one faucet (2 more coming) and I have a regular taprite regulator with one gas line with ball lock disconnect on it. Temp of keezer is about 43 degrees

    I kegged 2 beers last night a Saison Brett and an Oatmeal Stout. I have the Saison Brett on 12 lbs carbing and the oatmeal stout I threw 30 lbs on it and detached the gas and left it in the keezer.

    I will go get a secondary gas line but on my regulator to run to a 3 way manifold in a few weeks but until then
    on the oatmeal stout do I need to gas every few days with 30 lbs as some of the gas will absorb into the beer? Or can I just leave it for a few weeks until I can carb it on the manifold?
     
  2. Seacoastbrewer

    Seacoastbrewer Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2012 New Hampshire

    It does take time and pressure to carbonate beer. You mentioned you threw 30lbs on the oatmeal stout. How long was it on? I think most people around here will carbonate at serving pressure for a week give or take. You can carb faster by using 30PSI as you noted. Even though the timetables would be in days as far as I know.
     
  3. ChrisYarborough

    ChrisYarborough Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2012 Texas

    The gas was on 30 lbs for maybe 30 seconds on the oatmeal stout? I then took off the gas line and reattached it to the Saison Brett at 12 lbs
     
  4. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    There is no problem keeping some residual pressure on the Stout until you have your secondaries up and running. Yes, the headspace pressure will decrease as the beer absorbs the gas. I would top it off daily for the first couple of days, then set my target psi and leave it along.

    If you're trying to fast carb the Stout there are a bunch of variables that determine the time (size of headspace, beer temp, residual CO2, how often you pour, etc). It's just about impossible to predict when fast-carbing, that's why you'll see a lot of advice to set and forget. In the week it takes to slow carb your Stout it's practically guaranteed to be improving. Pretty sure 12 psi on a Saison is under carbing (that's if the temp is really 43).

    But I would do two things first:
    1. Determine the beer temp. This will require a thermometer that has been calibrated. If you're a homebrewer you probably already have this.
    2. Learn how to read a keg carbonation chart (many available online). You really want to know how many volumes of CO2 for each style of beer. Once you have these two figure (temp and carb level) you compute the psi to achieve this.
    Usually a Stout and a Saison will have a big difference in pressure settings. With beers like these you really want to be able to control the pressure of each independently. Ignore everyone who says to set XX psi. Unless they have measured your beer temp and know the target carb level it's a shot in the dark. After you have temp, carb level, and psi, the last step is to cut your beer lines to balance the system. Caveat: nothing happens fast here, temps and pressure move slowly (think days). Expect a week or so to get it all dialed in. But kegging is wonderful, well worth the effort required to get it going. Good luck.
     
  5. billandsuz

    billandsuz Pooh-Bah (2,097) Sep 1, 2004 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    if you are trying to quickly force carb a keg with 30 psi, yes you will need to apply high pressure more than once. 30 psi once wont likely get you there but it is a start.

    beware that you can easily over carb the beer with this method, so test it occasionally, and don't go crazy. maybe 30 psi 3 times over the course of a day or two. then drop it to serving pressure to even up the proper carbonation. you don't want to have your beer carbed to 9 vols.

    Cheers.
     
  6. ChrisYarborough

    ChrisYarborough Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2012 Texas

    thanks guys...

    I was more worried about the 30 lbs being absord into the beer and left with no CO2 in the headspace and oxidizing the beer.. but now that I think about it if I have purged the air out then its basically an oxygen vacuum and no way to introduce oxygen.

    I am going to my local homebrew store today and having a second gas line added to my regulator
     
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