Force Carbonation Corney Keg Temps!! Help pls!

TomKzn

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Hi guys
I'm about to keg and carbonate my first Corney keg, very exciting stuff. American Pale Ale will be kegged.
If I carbonate at fridge temp +-5C I can save CO2 by not having to carb at high pressure and the beer will absorb the CO2 quicker and easier. But I plan to take the keg out and put it into a mobile kegerator and serve at a party using a cold plate.
The keg will then warm up and the gas will expand, will this make it foam up and cause issues while serving? Even though its running through a cold plate?
My other thought is to carb at room temp using more gas and when its ready, move it to the kegerator and go to the party and serve through the cold plate - but will this affect the expansion/contraction of the gas in the beer?
So basically, question is to carb at room temp or fridge temp?
Oh and off topic - could I use the same cold plate to fast-chill hot wort after the boil?
 
I'm sure there is a carbonation chart on brewersfriend here. As Mark said stick you keg in a garbage bin filled with icy water and it should hold your carbonation steady for you. That way you can percarbonate your keg at set co2 levels eg 10-12psi for general 2 level carbonation. Transport it in your garbage bin of ice slurry and serve as needed;)
 
Warm at higher pressure, cold at lower pressure both 'absorb' the same volume of gas for carbonation (to the same level). There is a calculator on brewers friend, but makes more sense if you look at a chart like this http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Can't help with advice on the cold plate though......
 
Think of your college days. Nobody ever considered buying a half barrel and allowing it to get warm. You did what was needed to keep it cold after it left the distributor's refrigerator. First thing you did when you got to where you were going was to ice it down. And you kept it on ice until the party was over.
 
Think of your college days. Nobody ever considered buying a half barrel and allowing it to get warm. You did what was needed to keep it cold after it left the distributor's refrigerator. First thing you did when you got to where you were going was to ice it down. And you kept it on ice until the party was over.
Hahaha, point taken. Thank you!
 
The beer in a keg has a lot of thermal mass. You can wrap it in a couple of blankets for the duration of a party and it'll hold it's temp better than you might expect. Even if the keg is in a bucket with ice covering only the lower part and wrapped in a blanket, it'll serve nice and cold.
The CO2 in suspension won't come out of suspension in the keg when it's warmed, but it will increase in pressure and will tend to foam more if it's actually served warm. If you're running through a chill plate or a jockey box, it should serve just fine.
 
I have never used a jockey box however have every intention of trying one if I need to serve away from the garage - fantastic rig by looks of it. If you have an immersion chiller, perhaps you could make a jockey box for the event. Of course, keeping the keg itself cold is the best way to do it.
 
Right, I served the keg last night at a party and it served perfectly. I kept the keg cold and ran the beer through a chill plate as well. No foam, no fuss. Gassed it at 10psi and no problem. Thanks for the advice guys! Looking forward to the next kegging session!
 

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