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Author Topic: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??  (Read 8129 times)

The Beerery

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2017, 10:35:28 am »
I filled many a hundreds of batches with "normal" purging methods, so I would stick with that and if you feel the need try something else. I was just simply stating that, its not good enough to get it all out.
Crash cool fermenter, rack to keg, blip prv a few times, set psi to 50, shake 1 minute was my old MO.

Jim- You know I'm your guy for this  ;D If you have ever experienced a beer thats hop aroma or malt aroma faded in the keg you are a victim of such thing.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2017, 10:37:17 am by The Beerery »

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2017, 10:36:56 am »
I filled many a hundreds of batches with "normal" purging methods, so I would stick with that and if you feel the need try something else. I was just simply stating that, its not good enough to get it all out.

Jim- You know I'm your guy for this  ;D If you have ever experienced a beer thats hop aroma or malt aroma faded in the keg you are a victim of such thing.
No doubt. So far I have not.

The Beerery

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2017, 10:38:32 am »
I filled many a hundreds of batches with "normal" purging methods, so I would stick with that and if you feel the need try something else. I was just simply stating that, its not good enough to get it all out.

Jim- You know I'm your guy for this  ;D If you have ever experienced a beer thats hop aroma or malt aroma faded in the keg you are a victim of such thing.
No doubt. So far I have not.

Awesome! Nice work.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2017, 10:53:21 am »
I filled many a hundreds of batches with "normal" purging methods, so I would stick with that and if you feel the need try something else. I was just simply stating that, its not good enough to get it all out.

Jim- You know I'm your guy for this  ;D If you have ever experienced a beer thats hop aroma or malt aroma faded in the keg you are a victim of such thing.
No doubt. So far I have not.

Awesome! Nice work.
Typically my beer is in the keg about 1-2 weeks carbonating and conditioning, then on tap about a month, then it's empty. The only beers that I have kept in keg longer are beers that tend to be ok that way, like stouts, big stouts, and Bret beers

Offline stpug

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2017, 10:54:19 am »
If you have ever experienced a beer thats hop aroma or malt aroma faded in the keg you are a victim of such thing.

Nearly every batch I've ever kegged has the "fading" effect, except those that were killed in a weekend party :D.  It usually goes like this:
-kegged/carbed
-days 1-3: awesome flavor/aroma but too much "particulate" matter in suspension, poor clarity
-days 3-7: perfect flavor and aroma, good clarity
-days 7-14: good flavor/aroma but better last week, great clarity
-days 14-31: decent flavor/aroma but better last week, excellent clarity
-they rarely make it passed this point

When this was the standard from which I based my comparisons I would not have thought/admitted there was any "fading" of character taking place.  I (wrongfully) assumed that "character" was somehow (inversely) related to clarity of beer; and was a reason I did not strive for bright/brilliant clarity for 99% of beers.  There have been a couple kegs that did not fade like this but they were racked with active fermentation remaining.  Needless to say, once I experienced a keg whose character did not fade, even through the clarifying process, I realized my assumptions were wrong.  Live and learn; trial and error - it's how I've learned a lot of stuff :D

Offline erockrph

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2017, 10:56:35 am »
Actually, I don't like forcing the wrong sized disconnect onto the out post, so I have a chunk of pvc tube with a quick carb post on one end. I purge from the bottom with that. Works fine
I don't either, which is why I switched to flare nuts on all my disconnects. This way it's simple to mix & match disconnects as needed.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2017, 10:58:25 am »
Actually, I don't like forcing the wrong sized disconnect onto the out post, so I have a chunk of pvc tube with a quick carb post on one end. I purge from the bottom with that. Works fine
I don't either, which is why I switched to flare nuts on all my disconnects. This way it's simple to mix & match disconnects as needed.

Same here. I can switch between ball and pin lock with ease as well.

See, Jim?  You're doing it wrong.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2017, 11:05:43 am »
Actually, I don't like forcing the wrong sized disconnect onto the out post, so I have a chunk of pvc tube with a quick carb post on one end. I purge from the bottom with that. Works fine
I don't either, which is why I switched to flare nuts on all my disconnects. This way it's simple to mix & match disconnects as needed.

Same here. I can switch between ball and pin lock with ease as well.

See, Jim?  You're doing it wrong.
Right on!

Offline Laminarman

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2017, 11:15:41 am »
My little project is now taking on a new life and getting more complex  :o  I watched a few Youtube videos where they just "burped" the PRV after the beer was in there.  I thought it was as easy as that.  Hmmm...

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2017, 11:23:33 am »
Nearly every batch I've ever kegged has the "fading" effect, except those that were killed in a weekend party :D.  It usually goes like this:
-kegged/carbed
-days 1-3: awesome flavor/aroma but too much "particulate" matter in suspension, poor clarity
-days 3-7: perfect flavor and aroma, good clarity
-days 7-14: good flavor/aroma but better last week, great clarity
-days 14-31: decent flavor/aroma but better last week, excellent clarity
-they rarely make it passed this point

When this was the standard from which I based my comparisons I would not have thought/admitted there was any "fading" of character taking place.  I (wrongfully) assumed that "character" was somehow (inversely) related to clarity of beer; and was a reason I did not strive for bright/brilliant clarity for 99% of beers.  There have been a couple kegs that did not fade like this but they were racked with active fermentation remaining.  Needless to say, once I experienced a keg whose character did not fade, even through the clarifying process, I realized my assumptions were wrong.  Live and learn; trial and error - it's how I've learned a lot of stuff :D



OP - I apologize for the quick derail. But I completely agree with all of this. This was exactly my experience. My keg of APA was maybe the first one ever (obviously except for the ones that went dry during a big party) where I didn't feel I needed to add more hops to the keg. It lasted closed to 2 months (pretty long for me) with no loss of hop character. Not meant to inflame or aggravate, just my $0.02  .
Jon H.

Offline Laminarman

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #25 on: February 07, 2017, 12:17:31 pm »
Since I don't know how to transfer from a glass carboy under pressure or go in through the out port, I may just proceed as planned with as much burping as possible then drink it as fast as I can.  Maybe that's the silver lining?  I'm not even sure how good it will be.  I'm still earning my "hop leaves" as a home brewer you could say. 

Offline Joe Sr.

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #26 on: February 07, 2017, 12:23:55 pm »
You don't need to know everything now.  Fill it, minimize splashing, burp the PRV, carb it up and enjoy.

If the flavor fades, you've got some recommendations here on what to try next time.

Transferring under pressure from a glass carboy could be tricky.   I use better bottles.  Once I get the flow started, I pull off the pressure and let gravity take over.  I put a QD on the gas post to let the CO2 get pushed out of the keg as the beer fills it.  It only takes a couple of pounds of pressure to start the flow, but I don't recommend pressurizing a glass carboy.  Others may have had luck doing so.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #27 on: February 07, 2017, 12:24:25 pm »
Many people simply force the co2 quick disconnect onto the out post. Some starsan spritzed on the post can help with not getting stuck. At least that way you are filling co2 from the bottom rather than racking your beer into plain air. But either way. It's just a bummer to get cardboard off flavor in an otherwise decent beer.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #28 on: February 07, 2017, 12:35:39 pm »
My little project is now taking on a new life and getting more complex  :o  I watched a few Youtube videos where they just "burped" the PRV after the beer was in there.  I thought it was as easy as that.  Hmmm...
Make it as easy or hard as you want. You could dump
It through a funnel and still have beer in the end. The less O2 the better, some are just more obsessive and don't mind the extra effort.

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Was told by LHBS to NOT force carbonate. What would you do??
« Reply #29 on: February 07, 2017, 12:40:50 pm »
Make it as easy or hard as you want.


^^^  Keep it fun and go at your own pace.

Jon H.