So I want to keg my beer for the first time. I have a cream ale that has been asked for for a party on July 4. However, I am just starting to acquire kegging equipment and do not have any sort of kegerator or anything.
If I want to force carb my cream ale at room temp - assuming about a 72f room - I would need to pressurize to 22 psi to get 2.0 volumes of CO2 (according to some things I have read online). But when it comes time to serve it on Saturday, I obviously won’t want to serve it at 72. An ice bath is probably our only solution.
I am wondering if pressurizing this keg at 22psi for a couple of days and then dropping it into an ice bath is a horrible idea!
Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.
:cheers:
In your circumstance, I would personally use the ice bath to get it cold a few days before serving, use the quick-force carb method, then keep it cold and carbed by adding more ice until serving day (assuming it will be kicked at the party).
I’ve kept kegs cold with this method in an open cooler as an ice chest, with towels packed around the open area. This at least gives you some insulation over the bottom of the keg (where the tube draws from).
Thanks for the comment!
One bit I didn’t add… the party is about an hour and a half drive away. If I keep it cold for a couple days while carbing, I will have to put it in the car for an hour and a half before I can put it back in an ice bath. Would this have any consequence on the beer? My big worry is damaging the keg somehow by fluctuating the temperature - but I also don’t want to upset the beer! :cheers:
[quote=“ModernFuel”]Thanks for the comment!
One bit I didn’t add… the party is about an hour and a half drive away. If I keep it cold for a couple days while carbing, I will have to put it in the car for an hour and a half before I can put it back in an ice bath. Would this have any consequence on the beer? My big worry is damaging the keg somehow by fluctuating the temperature - but I also don’t want to upset the beer! :cheers: [/quote]
couldn’t you put the entire cooler with ice and the keg on the seat or in the back? That’s what I typically do.
The temperature of the liquid determines the solubility of gas in it, so if it warmed up, some of the dissolved CO2 would come out into the headspace. Not sure I would risk it, but you may be ok.
If damage is your concern then you won’t have a problem. As mentioned above, some of the CO2 will come out of solution into the headspace, but it should be fine. I highly doubt you’ll build enough pressure to damage the keg.
Carbing at room temperature, even at a higher pressure, will take a couple of weeks. I’d try to get the beer as cold as possible with ice and force carb it for a couple of days since you’re on kind of a time crunch.
