hello,
i am new to kegging and force carbonation can anyone describe the best method for this? maybe link a video? i’ve watched a few videos on youtube and everyone does it different. i guess i’m looking for a formula and a detailed description of what is going on.
Basically you are trying to get the co2 to saturate the beer as quickly as possible and yes, everyone has a way to do this but differently.
I like to put the gas on at serving pressure which for me is 10psi at 38 degrees.
I then roll the keg on the floor for 5-10 minutes, reconnect the gas and listen for the full, disconnect and repeat 4-5 times.
Once done I put the gas on and leave it in the kegerator for 3-4 days to stabilize and clear and it’s ready to serve.
I like this method because there is no chance of over carbonating since I do this at serving pressure only.
I usually use a calculator like the one in BeerSmith. For x temp I set the pressure to y psi. Then I just leave it for about 2 weeks.
Depending on when I need the beer, I set and forget, set at 30 and reduce over a few days, or shake carb @ 45.
Each has their benefits and shortcomings.
Set and forget = perfect carb without a chance of over carbing but takes a couple of weeks to get there. A shake every few hours helps it along.
Set at 30 and reduce = takes only a few days, but if I forget to reduce the pressure the beer is over carbed.
Shake carb @ 45 = carbed beer next day, way to easy to over carb.
I connect my co2 to the liquid post (using the proper disconnect, of course) and pressurize at 30 psi for 24 hours, then I vent the keg, drop the pressure to serving pressure and pressurize for another 24 hours. The co2 filtering up through the beer absorbs faster and you don’t have to shake and roll your beer around on the floor.
Pressure @ temp x 2 weeks most of the time. If I need it quicker, ~ 30 psi for 2 days, slowly vent and set at serving pressure works pretty well for me.
thanks for the help guys. i guess i’m just going to have to trial and error this process until i find what works for me
I use a technique similar to what ncbluesman does. One caveat I would add to this way of doing it is to make sure you have a one way check valve on your gas line, to prevent beer from coming back up if you get more pressure in the keg than your line. e.g. you run out of gas, or disconnect a quick connect before disconnecting from the keg (ask me how I know about that one!)
I never do the shake method, but I’ve had good success with 30 psi for a day and 20 psi for a second day if I’m looking to get a quick carb. If I’m not in a huge hurry, I’ll set the psi based on this chart (Force Carbonation Chart - Kegerators.com), which typically puts me at 12-15 psi for a week before I’m good.
Do what works for you, but without a sintered stone on the end of the diptube I have a hard time believing that the beer carbonates significantly faster by pushing the gas in through the liquid post.
Actually it works quite well. I am drinking fully carbonated beer in less than 48 hours. I’ve done it faster by leaving it at 30psi for 36 hours or so, but it’s easy to overcarbonate.
To me it makes logical sense. More surface area of beer in contact with the CO2 as the bubbles rise to the top, then the headspace is pressurized as well. If I’m carbonating from the gas side, the surface area at the top of the keg is all that is exposed, so it takes longer (a week to 10 days in my experience). Give it a try and see what you think.
Ideally, your beer needs to age. Set it at pressure for your desired volumes of CO2 and wait. Generally, the beer will carb in 10-14 days but the beer needs more than that to properly age.
Then again it is homebrew so drink it whenever you want. 
You make a great point. Some beers, like my APA or even some of my IPAs are ready to drink in 4 weeks. Ditto lightly hopped beers like my Dark Mild, ordinary bitters, etc. I was talking to the head brewer at one of the best breweries in our state and they are grain to glass in less than 3 weeks.
Sometimes, like today, I had to force carbonate quickly to bottle some beers for a competition 2 weeks from now. The beers will condition in the bottle, but they needed to be carbonated now. But I also like to have my beers carbonated while they’re conditioning. It’s interesting to me to taste the beers through the various stages of maturation. It’s educational and fun. And since I brew 10 gallon batches, I’ve got plenty to experiment with.
These different techniques are our tools. It’s up to us to use to choose the right tool to achieve the desired outcome given our constraints. Like Joe Sr. said, “Do what works for you”. I couldn’t agree more.
Yep, good to have lots of tools. The right carb method for the right beer when you need it.