How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

The ins and outs of putting your beer into kegs.

How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby scanman » Thursday May 22, 2008 11:31 am

Quick question.
Just got my new keg system going, and have carbonated my first beer, ready to pour and drink. Sounds good, but now I can't drink. :(
I have just come down wih a bad flu and lung problems so I am on medications, which means no beer till I'm better.
Now I carbonated the lager I have in the keg by keeping it at 220KPA for 2 days. Now I have shut the gas off at the bottle and regulator and the pressure to the keg is slowly dropping.
Should I disconnect the keg form the gas as well, and will it be OK, and remina carbonated? Or will it over carbonate even? I was htinking maybe I should burp the keg for now and leave it till I can get into it again. Then set the gas to puring pressure and see how it goes. I haven't poured one out yet as I don;t see a point in wasting beer to test how it is when I can't drink it for another week or so.
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby Kevnlis » Thursday May 22, 2008 11:38 am

Find the balanced pouring pressure for your system. Keep the guage set at this pressure always. Leave the keg for a week or so at this pressure before pouring the first beer.

Playing with the guage will only give you headaches! Once the beer is carbed you can turn the gas off and just put it on to pour.
Prost and happy brewing!

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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby rwh » Thursday May 22, 2008 11:48 am

scanman wrote:Now I carbonated the lager I have in the keg by keeping it at 220KPA for 2 days. Now I have shut the gas off at the bottle and regulator and the pressure to the keg is slowly dropping.

This could be one of two things: a leak or the beer dissolving additional CO2. If it's the former, then the pressure will eventually end up at 0 and you'll have flat beer. If it's the latter, your beer will be fine, it'll just gain a small amount of carbonation and then sit at its equilibrium pressure. You probably want that equilibrium to be somewhere between 70 and 100 kpa. Have you read the article I've linked to about a billion times now?

Balancing a Draught System
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby Boonie » Thursday May 22, 2008 12:53 pm

rwh wrote:
scanman wrote:Have you read the article I've linked to about a billion times now?

Balancing a Draught System


A billion and 1 :lol:

I always keep the gas on about 100kpa pouring pressure as I have a long beer line hose (if you know what I mean :wink: .).

Scanman, just keep the gas on about 70, it will not overcarb it at that pressure.

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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby scanman » Thursday May 22, 2008 6:36 pm

Thanks Boonie. I have read that ( so no need to have posted it ) but I don't want to keep the keg at pouring pressure as I won;t be ouring it for at least another week, till my health improves anyway. Will it matter leaving it at pouring pressure for that long without using it?
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby Kevnlis » Thursday May 22, 2008 7:07 pm

If you don't and you have a leak it may go flat.

Leave the gas off and see what pressure it stops falling at. If that is zero, check your system.
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby lethaldog » Thursday May 22, 2008 8:47 pm

scanman wrote:Thanks Boonie. I have read that ( so no need to have posted it ) but I don't want to keep the keg at pouring pressure as I won;t be ouring it for at least another week, till my health improves anyway. Will it matter leaving it at pouring pressure for that long without using it?

You can leave it at pouring preasure indeffinately ( give or take a hundred years) the beer might not be to flash if its left for too long but it also wont be overcarbed, i leave my kegs at pouring preasure until they are empty :wink:
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby scanman » Friday May 23, 2008 8:22 am

Thanks for the info. I have it at pouring pressure now and it has remianed there over night, so all looks good. I'll leave it there till I can finally get into this keg!!!
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby Boonie » Friday May 23, 2008 7:22 pm

scanman wrote:Thanks for the info. I have it at pouring pressure now and it has remianed there over night, so all looks good. I'll leave it there till I can finally get into this keg!!!


Great stuff............You'll love the keg system, it is so much easier.

What beer did you throw in for your 1st ever kegged HB?
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby scanman » Friday May 23, 2008 8:59 pm

That I do! Just wondering what I should do with most of these bottles!!!!
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Re: How long can you retain carbonation in a keg?

Postby hoohaaman » Thursday May 29, 2008 11:59 pm

Keep some,show your mates how to fill the rest :)
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