Tom ...
Carbonation...will take 2 weeks minimum if you prime with sugar....but Co2...you may wish to read this from a very good USA site they put it in a nutshell..much better than me.. :thumb:
"We recommend using your CO2 tank to carbonate your beer. It's just as easy depending upon how you do it, and you'll end up with less sediment in your beer. Isn't that part of the reason you bought the kegs in the first place? The easiest way to carbonate with your keg is to simply connect the gas to it, crank the regulator to your desired PSI setting, then just leave it there for a week. When you come back after that time, you'll have a wonderfully carbonated beer to sample! The only caution with this method is that you have to be absolutely certain that your system has no leaks, otherwise you'll come back a week later to find an empty tank of gas. We cannot overstate the importance of checking your system regularly for leaks, and in generally keeping your draught system well maintained.
There is a way to use your CO2 cannister to have your beer ready to drink in as little as 1 hour after filling it. You simply connect the tank and dial in the desired pressure setting exactly as above, then while keeping the gas connected you shake the bejeezus out of your keg to dissolve the CO2 into the beer. Some people tip the keg over and roll it around on the floor, but that runs a higher risk of getting beer into your gas lines. We simply tip the keg slightly to one side, then rock it vigorously back and forth until the CO2 tank stops hissing. Realistically, you'll probably want to take a break or two in there, as it could require as much as 5 minutes of constant shaking. Some folks suggest that you can speed up the carbonation by jacking the pressure up to about 1.3 to 1.5 times what you really want to have, and stopping before the tank stops hissing. Why this is indeed true, it also opens the door to over-carbonation, so we don't recommend it. Take the extra minute or two, and we'll guarantee your results. The big trick when shaking your keg to carbonated is that you have to leave it rest for at very least a half hour (and preferably an hour) before serving, otherwise you'll get a great deal of foam. Some very reputable people in the homebrewing world say that shaking your keg to carbonate can break down some of the midsized proteins, and thus have an adverse affect on head retention. We've been shaking to carbonate since about June 1997, and have yet to notice any problems in this regard. Nonetheless, let the buyer beware"
and there it is...brill.
ps..you may need a box of one shots.. :rofl:
