carbonating beer with priming sugar vs co2 cartridge

[Just-Brew-it]

thought it would be a good idea for newbies like me to run through the pro's and con's of both methods with your guys help

c02 cartridge:
pros- no yeast sediment

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

You mean a keg??
It's better to use co2 if your pulling more than 2 pints per night off.

 

[Just-Brew-it]

You mean a keg??
It's better to use co2 if your pulling more than 2 pints per night off.

you can you both methods for both keg and bottles

 

[Dunfie]

I tend to prime with sugar for bottles but use CO2 when I am using cornie kegs.

For bottles it is fairly easy to apply a measure of sugar that will allow for a consistent volume of CO2 per bottle. It means you are using the yeast to provide the condition and it also give the beer longevity in the bottle.

For a keg you can also prime but the problems are that you are using the top pressure to force the beer out. When your keg is full you often have the problem that you have too much pressure so you either have to drip the beer out or you end up with a glass of froth. At the opposite end of the keg you struggle to get the pressure that will allow you to dispence - and you end up having to loosen the top to let air in so that gravity does its job. So to get around this you can use a bottles CO2, this will allow you to apply a consistent top pressure on the beer all the way down. It will also allow you to carbonate to any level you wish - its all down to taste.

If you are using a plastic keg then the most flexible way to do would be to fit your cap with an S30 valve and a get your hands on a hambleton bard CO2 cylinder. This way you can control the amount of CO2 that you need to inject into the barrel to control the flow.

As for CO2 cartridges, I would personally avoid them. They do appear convenient but work out as an expensive way to dispense you ale.