Forced CO2 Conditioning at Ambient Temp

Cali Co Brewing

New Member
Premium Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2020
Messages
15
Reaction score
9
Points
3
Location
San Diego, CA
Hi All!

I want to take my home brew to the next level by doing forced CO2 conditioning. However, everywhere I check says that chilling the beer will help the process. Would it be alright to force CO2 the beer at room temp? Besides expediting the process that cold does, is there any other reason chill it?

Thanks!

[EDIT] The purpose of this step would be to bottle carbonated-beer rather than using sugar to do the job.

Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
Hi All!

I want to take my home brew to the next level by doing forced CO2 conditioning. However, everywhere I check says that chilling the beer will help the process. Would it be alright to force CO2 the beer at room temp? Besides expediting the process that cold does, is there any other reason chill it?

Thanks!

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Your post is pretty vague and open to interpretation.
 
Are you considering serving your beer at room temperature?
 
Hi All!

I want to take my home brew to the next level by doing forced CO2 conditioning. However, everywhere I check says that chilling the beer will help the process. Would it be alright to force CO2 the beer at room temp? Besides expediting the process that cold does, is there any other reason chill it?

Thanks!
Yes, there is. Chilling the beer drops any leftover yeast out and help clear the beer. Also, no one really wants to drink room temp beer - unless it is a 45-50 degree Fahrenheit cellar/basement.

There really isn't any reason to "force" carbonate warm. The only thing I can think you are planning on doing is force carbing a keg of beer warm and then chilling it on ice for a party? If that is the case, be sure to check out the charts out there on what setting to carbonate at warm and what will happen once it cools.
 
I’d like to bottle carbonated-beer rather than use sugar.
So you are planning on buying a bottling gun in order to bottle from a force carbonated keg? - Sounds like you should either just carbonate in the bottle per usual with sugar OR get a kegerator or Keezer and start officially kegging your beer.
 
The reason why I’d like to carbonate in a keg and transfer to bottle is because I’m impatient - I don’t like waiting around for my beer to carbonate in the bottle. I think (and please correct me if I’m wrong) this would also preclude the risk of having beer over carbonate (assuming I’m force carbing it correctly). The reason why I wouldn’t be chilling the keg is because I don’t have a kegerator.

I would then chill the bottled beer before enjoying. For me, spending $200 on the setup to force carb beer gets me two thing: (1) a quicker turnaround to enjoy it and (2) a product more similar to what a professional brew house would do.

Also, I think I would be able to adapt the setup for nitrogen when I do stouts, right?

Dankeschön!
 
Have you ever opened a warm bottle or can of beer?

Cold beer will more readily absorb CO2 than warm beer, so you'll need a higher pressure to reach the desired carbonation level at room temperature.
When the pressure is reduced, CO2 will come out of solution. The greater the pressure drop, the faster the CO2 is released from the beer.
I think you can see where this is going. If not, I can do a follow up on this response.

If what you're thinking of worked, it would be a popular subject in brewing forums. New ideas are few and far between among home brewers. Most everything, within reason, has already been tried. If you want to take your beer to the next level, and you've mastered basic brewing techniques, yeast health and fermentation temperature control are a couple of the best things to concentrate on. Water chemistry is another.
 
I’d like to bottle carbonated-beer rather than use sugar.
I had the same idea once... It's harder to carbonate warm beer than cold, you want to over-carbonate the beer to bottle from the keg. Much better to chill before you carbonate and if you can't, bottle condition. You'll get better results.
 
The reason why I’d like to carbonate in a keg and transfer to bottle is because I’m impatient - I don’t like waiting around for my beer to carbonate in the bottle. I think (and please correct me if I’m wrong) this would also preclude the risk of having beer over carbonate (assuming I’m force carbing it correctly). The reason why I wouldn’t be chilling the keg is because I don’t have a kegerator.

I would then chill the bottled beer before enjoying. For me, spending $200 on the setup to force carb beer gets me two thing: (1) a quicker turnaround to enjoy it and (2) a product more similar to what a professional brew house would do.

Also, I think I would be able to adapt the setup for nitrogen when I do stouts, right?

Dankeschön!
This would be exactly why I dropped the 200.00 and left bottling (mostly) behind. A keezer build is cheap enough if you can find a used chest freezer for a decent price (even a smaller one to start).

What you are suggesting isn't worth the time/effort or hassle. Getting a keezer built is.
 
This would be exactly why I dropped the 200.00 and left bottling (mostly) behind. A keezer build is cheap enough if you can find a used chest freezer for a decent price (even a smaller one to start).

What you are suggesting isn't worth the time/effort or hassle. Getting a keezer built is.
Found a Nostalgia model used for $250.

Yoink!
 

Attachments

  • 5B029962-9A35-48BB-AB2F-80D38D0E967F.gif
    5B029962-9A35-48BB-AB2F-80D38D0E967F.gif
    527.9 KB · Views: 99
This would be exactly why I dropped the 200.00 and left bottling (mostly) behind. A keezer build is cheap enough if you can find a used chest freezer for a decent price (even a smaller one to start).

What you are suggesting isn't worth the time/effort or hassle. Getting a keezer built is.
Agree. I'll be building my keezer soon.
 
I've done all the things you're thinking of. Yes you can carbonate at room temp - you just have to supply the proper amount of pressure as dictated by the temperature. It will fully carbonate and settle and do everything that a chilled keg will do, it just takes longer.
As for bottling, you will never get carbonated beer into bottles at room temp. The CO2 can't remain in suspension without the pressure and it just foams out. The beer has to be fully carbonated, very cold (32F preferred) and delivered through a long hose through some sort of beer-gun set up. A tap with a growler tube will work just fine if you have a long enough delivery hose.
Bottom line, Find a way to keep a keg very cold. ;)
 
So, you want to take your beer to the next level, but you are impatient, and want it to be drinkable sooner. In order to get to your next level, you need to learn patience. Whether you bottle or keg condition will not necessarily make your beer better, although some beers are better suited for one or the other process.
 
Sorry for the dumb question but I don't know, what does the LONG hose do to keep foaming down?
 
I'm no expert but if you have or will spend money on a CO2 tank, a keg and assorted taps and hoses just to end up in bottles, you may have wasted your money. As the others have said, either get a kegerator or build a keezer for just a few dollars more. Once you do this, you can carb your beer, keep it cold and serve it in the timeframe you most likely want it.
 
There is a pressure drop, it is "x" psi per foot. Essentially reduces the pressure at the tap.
If your hose was, let's say 200 feet long, the pressure in the keg might be able to push a little beer out (would have to do the math).
Now let's say your hose 2000 feet long, you may get nothing at all out the other end.
If your hose is 1 foot long, you will pretty much have full keg pressure at the tap, too much pressure, you get foaming.
Now if you increase hose diameter, there is less restriction to flow, and you need a longer hose.
My serving lines are 3/16" ID, and 10 feet long, works well for me.
 
There is a pressure drop, it is "x" psi per foot. Essentially reduces the pressure at the tap.
If your hose was, let's say 200 feet long, the pressure in the keg might be able to push a little beer out (would have to do the math).
Now let's say your hose 2000 feet long, you may get nothing at all out the other end.
If your hose is 1 foot long, you will pretty much have full keg pressure at the tap, too much pressure, you get foaming.
Now if you increase hose diameter, there is less restriction to flow, and you need a longer hose.
My serving lines are 3/16" ID, and 10 feet long, works well for me.
Remember that atmospheric pressure also plays a role. You may need longer hoses say in Denver, than you do at sea level as there is slightly less restriction to flow from atmospheric pressure. In a bar that has the kegs in the basement, they would use shorter lines than a bar with the kegs on the same level.
 
So, you want to take your beer to the next level, but you are impatient, and want it to be drinkable sooner. In order to get to your next level, you need to learn patience. Whether you bottle or keg condition will not necessarily make your beer better, although some beers are better suited for one or the other process.

“All good things arrive unto them that wait--and don't die in the meantime.”

-Mark Twain
 

Back
Top