Force Carbonating Question

[Beerbilly]

I setup my freezer/keggerator conversion about three weeks ago and have had a corny key tapped for two weeks. My question concerns carbonation. Not being in any hurry I just set the Co2 regulator to the calculated dispensing pressure (12psi) and let it sit. I ened up tapping the keg about a week ago and have been drinking and sampling the beer ever since. I have noticed the beer has increased carbonation. When I pour I get a nice creamy head and bubbles race out of solution from the bottom of the beer glass. The bubbles sort of go away though after a few minutes. The beer tastes like its perfeclty carbonated but there arent many bubbles. I have left the keg tapped with the regulator set at 12psi. What do I do if I will not be drawing any beer for a few days, should I untap the keg? I don't think I have a leak the co2 tank still has tons of gas in it. I was thinking about untapping the keg then cranking the co2 pressure up for a few days to see if there is any difference.

What do you guys think?

I dont know what kind of regulator most folks get by mine is really hard to tell what pressure you are setting it at, the gauge goes from 0-20psi with very little inbetween. 1psi acuraccy is impossible with this gauge alone. Anyone else have a regulator like this?

[corkybstewart]

I would just turn off the gas if you're going to be gone a few days. It won't hurt anything.
I have the same problem with the gauges on one of my regulators. This morning I'm going to the welding shop and see if I can get some gauges that go from 0-60 instead of 0-250. I'll let you know how much they are, but they should be pretty cheap and they're easy to replace.

[Beerbilly]

Thanks CorkyB. What do you think of the no bubble problem? The beer tastes carbonated but I see little to no bubbles after a short period. Are they just really fine? I thought artifical carbonation usually results in big bubbles.


BTW I stumbled across some gauges at a surplus store that measure 0-80psi in finer increments. I will see if the threads match up and also report back

[gointomexico]

What do you think of the no bubble problem? The beer tastes carbonated but I see little to no bubbles after a short period.
I'm no corky, but you need to have "nucliation sites" in your glass to continue to produce bubles. Try rubbing the inside of your glass with a dry dishtowel before serving your beer. This may provide the continuous bubles that you are seeking. Another way to generate tons of bubles is to use a dash of salt in your beer.

[guildofevil]

Etching the bottom of the glass will give you nucleation sites for the bubbles to form. I simply scratched up the bottom of a pint glass with a knife and it did the trick.

[dparsons]

Stirring your beer gives you bubbles too if you want to check if there is still CO2 in suspension.

[Fir Na Tine]

I just tried a different way of force carbonating called "style carbonation". It uses less Co2 pressure over a longer period of time. The result is a carbonation level similar to what the particular type of beer calls for.

In the past, my force carbonating consisted of pushing 25-30 psi in the keg, shaking the devil out of it, and letting it sit under pressure for 3 days. Then letting the pressure off and adjusting the regulator to the desired serving pressure. This resulted in lots of big bubbles and head formation.

I just did a strong ale using style carbonation. I put it at 10-12 psi for a week in a 45 degree fridge. I don't get a lot of head, but I can see lots of tiny bubbles rising when I hold the glass up to a light. At first I thought my beer hadn't carbonated, but tasting it, it definately isn't flat. Just silky smooth.

[corkybstewart]

Being old and lazy I quit using the "gas and shake" methods years ago. I just put my kegs in the fridge, set the regulator to 10 psi (serving pressure) and leave it alone for a couple of weeks at least. I get a pretty consistent level of carbonation, although right now I have one keg slightly overcarbonated but I can deal with that. The first glass comes out foamy but after that it's fine, and the wife likes it that way, as long as she never has to deal with the glass of foam.
And BTW, Fir, welcome to realbeer. What sort of brewing do you do?

[Fir Na Tine]

Thank you corkyb.

I'm "old school" according to my buddy, who I got interested in brewing just last year.

I prefer to brew ales, bitters and stouts mainly, but will drink anything put in front of me pretty much.

Brewing-wise, I do extracts, with an occassional partial mash. I'm interested in all-grain and that's part of my being here. So I can learn more on the subject. So much has improved since I started brewing 14 yrs ago it seems.

I'd lager, but don't have the extra fridge. Like a fool, I turned down a free one this summer due to not having the room. Next time, I'll make room.

[chapesh]

i don't have a problem with the head disappearing, if anything i have a big head!(heehee) and i use the crank up to 30 psi and let it sit for a few days and then turn down to 10 psi. have overcarbed some brews. i just release some pressure and let it sit for a day or two, or drink it and be happy depends on my mood. never experienced the bubbles to stop and disappear. good luck.