[cfleisher]

I'm having issues with my beer staying carbonated after I fill a growler. I've force carbonated by a couple different methods -- 30 psi, shaking for 10 minutes, then holding there overnight. Also, hooking it up at 12 psi and leaving it for a week. Same results both times -- it's fine coming off the tap, but fill a growler and when I pour it a couple hours later it's flat. I suspect the beer is just not cold enough when I'm carbonating. (I had to ditch my kegerator when we moved, so it's just carbonating in my basement at 50 degrees.) Any ideas about why it's not carbonating sufficiently?

[HoosierBrew]

There's some carbonation loss anytime you fill a bottle from a keg. Using a beer gun filler, the losses are minimal. But filling a growler using (I assume?) a piece of hose that fits over the faucet causes more carbonation loss. Even more loss yet if you fill the growler without a piece of tubing and just let it splash into the growler.

Some things that will help in the future:
1/ If you know you're going to fill growler(s), carb the beer for a few days a little more than you normally would, to account for the carbonation loss at filling.
2. Chill the growler first.
3/ Get a piece of plastic tubing that is big enough to fit over your faucet, long enough to go to the bottom of the growler. Or just buy a growler filler tube from Northern brewer or similar. Filling from the bottom minimizes carb loss.
4/ Fill at at 3-4 psi. It's fairly slow but also minimizes carb loss.
5/ Get the beer as cold as you can before filling - there'll be less foaming and less carbonation loss.

Good luck.


EDIT -  As for carbing at 50F, per this chart you'd need to carb at ~ 17psi to get 2.5 volumes of CO2 (for average carbed beers). Probably too high a pressure to serve at, so you could vent and reduce pressure when you pour and then bump it back up at the end of the night.

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

[cfleisher]

All of that is super helpful. I've been filling off of picnic taps and using a bottle filler tube stuck into the end. That's worked OK, but never thought to get the growler cold. Thanks!