Tapping beer with different CO2 saturations

So I am new to kegging and I can’t make sense of some of this (science based stuff) in my head.

At 50 degrees in the cellar I am carbing beer. I put it in the keezer to serve.
What temp should I keep the keezer at?

Once the kegs are at a lower temp, does the CO2 saturation level stay the same?

Can I have two different kegs (or more) on tap serving off the same regulator with two different saturation levels say 2.2 v/CO2 and one 3.6 v/CO2? What is a proper PSI to dispense at? Does any more saturation take place when hooked up to a line overtime?

Thanks in advance for dealing with my inability to figure this out! :cheers:

I’m pretty new to kegging myself but here’s what I’ve learned. Someone with more experience please correct as you see fit.

Keezer temp is really a personal preference. Carbonation will occur faster at lower temps and saturation will continue until pressure equalizes at your chosen PSI.

Any kegs ‘daisy chained’ on one reg will pressurize to the same level. You’d need multiple regulator gauge bodies to pressurize at different levels. Serving pressure depends on beer style.

Dean Palmer’s site has been very helpful to me in setting up my kegs. http://www.thebeerjournals.com/carbonation.html

Temp: the colder the better. Below 40. That is the temp that most bacteria will not stay active. Your beer may taste better at 50. It only takes a couple minutes at room temp for a glass to raise in temp.

The basic science is fairly simple. Carbonation level is directly determined by temperature and preasure. Time frame is completely variable, but it will eventually get to where it is going to go.

If you were carbing at one temp, then cool to a lower temp. with the same CO2 preasure the carbonation level will increase.

As mentioned above what temperature and preasure you keep your system at should be determined by your preference of carbonation level and serving temperature.

My serving PSI would always be determined by my desired CO2 level - knowing what my freezer temp is. So basically I serve at whatever psi I carbonate at - although I do usually carbonate slightly above desired psi to speed up the process then purge then set at optimal serving preasure.

This is good advice. This past winter I had my system set a little warmer to get closer to British “cellar” conditions. Started out very nice on my Nitro system, but I did get a lot more mold in my freezer than ever before. Probably won’t go quite as high next time.

Right now I’m set for German Lager temperatues (as colse to 0 C as I can get it). No signs of mold at all and the carbonation levels right where they should be at about 6-8psi.

[quote=“ScubaBrew”]
At 50 degrees in the cellar I am carbing beer. I put it in the keezer to serve.
What temp should I keep the keezer at?[/quote]
I keep my fridge at about 45. The lower the temp, the lower the pressure on your CO2 tank.

If you leave the CO2 hooked up, given the same pressure and colder temperature, the carbonation will increase. You can lower the pressure or increase the temperature to maintain the same level.

No. All the kegs will equalize to the same pressure.

If you plan to keep the CO2 continuously hooked up, then the serving pressure is the same pressure you need to get proper carbonation level. By the way, serving line length plays a key role in producing the proper pour. I’ve got 10’ of line to each of my kegs. I started with 5’ and got a glass full of foam.

Once you’ve reached equilibrium, without any fluctuations to temp or pressure, carbonation level will not change.

Take a look at this chart. It tells you what temperature and pressure to leave your kegs to get the desired carbonation.

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

I guess my next question for those that have multiple taps, do you end up getting a regulator for each tap so that you can have multiple beers on tap with different CO2 saturation levels?

You might be over thinking it a little. I just keep it simple and have not changed the setting on my kegerator regulator after 2 plus years.

I dispense at one pressure and turn off my gas at night. It takes me an extra few seconds but I don’t have to worry about saturation levels. I’m pouring a Mild right now (only homebrew on draft) at 10psi, 34F and ~1.8vols in solution. At night, I kill the gas on my distribution bar and walk away. It seriously takes about 7 seconds, including a few seconds to futz with my tap locks (2 year old + easy access to taps = sweet, sweet beer flowing on hardwood floors until kegs are kicked)

Cheers.

I have 2 regs. Currently have a ‘Y’ splitter off one of those lines with 2 kegs ale at 11 psi and an ESB on the other at 8psi. No distributors necessary really. I figured with 2 regs I could dispense at 2 different pressures. I’m about to keg a Belgian which will need a higher carbonation level so I’ll probably switch things up so 3 kegs are on one reg and the Belgian is on it’s own. Then I’ll just find a balance that works for the ESB and the 2 ales.

T or Y split is fine. Though I try to avoid it now as the extra connections are just one more spot you can get a leak. Not a problem if you are carefull enough.

If you are just looking at 2 different beers, simply having a second tank and regulator makes sense if you have the room. That way when one runs out, you always have at least one with gas in it.

I tend to keep one tank for CO2 and one for Nitro. I would have a standard preasure for each gas. Really don’t see a point of making it more complicated than that.