When to carbonate in a bbt?

[CSBC]

When is the better time to carb a bbt? When you transfer into the tank, after cooling, or when you are ready to keg/package the product? Thank you for any input. Also, what is the best way to clean a pico carb stone, like from gwkent?

Nick

[TL Services]

Gases dissolve into liquids better when the liquid is cold, so your carbonation will be most efficient when your beer is at the lowest temperature it's going to be, ie. after cooling/chilling.

Also, when carbonating (or nitrogenating, for that matter) it takes a while for the gas to truly dissolve, so it is worth carbonating some time before you want to package to allow full dissolution.

Hope that helps!

[cpelz]

...and the earlier you carb, the more time you have for "adjustments."

[gitchegumee]

Spund your fermenter 1.0-1.2 points before TG, then cool after you hit TG, then blow off yeast twice a day over a few days, then transfer to BBT under pressure (lots of info on this site regarding this issue), then carbonate to final level. As far as cleaning goes, there's information here on that too. Take a search. Good luck!

[BDL]

Best to do it once cold, as it requires less pressure, and the beer absorbs the CO2 more readily. But ideally your crashing your beers in the fermenter to get all the yeast to floc out. If the beer is already cold when it is transferred, I have found it is best to start carbonation during the transfer. Speeds things up with all the agitation.

Don't wait too close to package day, especially if your not filtering. Carbonating can kick up any yeast/hops/trub that makes it into the brute. Plus sometimes carbonating can actually help beer settle clear. Plus like kwlsd mentioned, volumes in solution are not always accurate when measured during carbonation, and you want to leave a little time for "adjustments".

As far as cleaning a stone, we either remove them during the CIP, and let them soak in the dosing tank during dosing and cycles (we blow them out with co2 between cycles). Or we leave the stone in the tank, and hook up a jumper tube between the quick disconnect on the shower arm and the carb stone during CIP.
If you do that method be sure to pull the stone out and just clean the area around where the stone enters the tank as it tends to accumulate gross stuff.

Good luck!
-Brian