Carbonator Cap

Brewing Processes
1

How long do you leave the carbonator cap connect to the gas QD?

I am carbing beer in a 20 oz soda bottle after taking gravity reading. Pressure is set to 11 PSI.

Should I up the pressure for a quicker carb or leave at my typical set point?

Thanks!

2

Depends on how quickly you need it.  However, carbonation of a bottle should go much faster in a bottle than in a keg.  If you decide to use a higher pressure be aware that the plastic carbonator cap can be damaged by high pressure.  I damaged mine using a pressure of over 40 psi, possibly as high as 50 psi, in an effort to use a soda bottle as a portable source of CO2.

Let me add that I carbonate by shaking so I don’t know how long it would take to carb up the bottle by leaving it connected to CO2.

3

The pressure is directly related to the temperature of the beer. Mine is set between 9 and 12 psi at 42°F. I found a chart you can use to determine the temp and psi as follows:

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Good Luck,

4

I am familiar with that chart. My question was really about the time to carbonate 20oz - 2L as opposed to 5 gallons. Full kegs take a week to 10 days to carbonate when the regulator is set at serving pressure. Without shaking does the carbonator cap go any faster? I have read with shaking you can carb and drink in about an hour.

I think I am just going to shake the bottle to speed the process. After reading about the carbonator cap I am a bit worried about leaving it hooked up for long durations due to potential leaks.

5

I carbonate pop in mine in about 3 mins of shaking.

6

ahh, I get it. I am no expert, but I don’t think there would be a time difference between the two. Reason being, I notice that the carbonation blows off if I pull down a beer the same day, but doesn’t if I wait 2-5 days. I assume it takes time for the CO2 to bind with the beer molecules due to the presence of alcohol. Therefore, my guess is that on the molecular level, the time needed for carbonation is the same no matter the volume of beer.

Shaking is highly recommended, it appears the CO2 is absorbed much quicker.

Just an opinion, I’m sure there are others that may know more.
Cheers

PS. Experience with Soda’s are totally different due to the lack of alcohol.