Lager in a king keg = Flat Lager?

[razer]

Tried my first lager kit a few weeks back and did 3 x 2l PET bottles (only had this many and dont have 40 glass bottles to put it all in) and the rest in my king keg. Now i cracked open the bottles and everything was fine (Coopers Australian Lager). Probably added a bit too much glucose (did 1.25 x sugar, as noted on here. But can taste it a little)

Since the bottles have now all been consumed i decided to crack open the keg last night. Poured off a little to try first and it dispenses fine (lots of head) just like my first brew a few months back (Woodfordes Wherry)

So have i made a fundamental mistake by putting lager in a king keg as out of the PET bottles it was fine?

Anything i can do to recover the situation?

[MightyMouth]

I dont think Lager in a King keg is ever going to be carbonated enough. If you liked it out of the PET bottles then just buy a bunch of the cheap 13p for 2 litres water from Morrisions or Asda to make your next batch from and use the bottles for the lager afterward. PET aren't brilliant for beer as they are clear and they leak gas so the beer goes off eventually but if you keep it in the dark and drink it fast enough it is fine.

[EoinMag]

I'd say if you have fridge space, to put it in the fridge and then when it's cooled a bit, charge it with a cylinder of gas. Because of the cold a lot of the CO2 should go into solution and carbonate it a bit. A bit like force carbing using a cornie keg.
Then cold condition it for a day after adding the gas charge and you should have fizzy lager.

[razer]

Superb! I do have a spare fridge down the shed with the keg and may be able to squeeze it in. (hopefully)

Cheers!

[EoinMag]

Let us know how this works out, I'm not sure how effective this can be with the one shot gas cylinders, but really there's no reason it can't work as it's standard with larger kegging setups with controllable CO2.

[razer]

Will do. likely to be a few days before i get hold of a cylinder. Keg is in the fridge though.

[razer]

Just got round to getting a gas cylinder, how much do i put in? The bottle says apply only a 1 second burst but surely i need more than that?

[EoinMag]

If you have a cylinder that you can control, as in it's not a one use cylinder, then I'd say do about a one or two second burst for three days running with the keg in the fridge, and after you've blasted it roll it about a bit gently to get some of the gas into solution.

[razer]

Thanks i'll do that (its not a one use cylinder)

And there was me hoping to have a pint or two tomorrow!

[Horden Hillbilly]

If you give it a blast of co2 for much longer than 1 second the valve will ice up, a big no-no. Give it a blast for 1 second & try the brew. If you need more co2, give it another quick blast & repeat if necessary.

[razer]

Thanks for all the advice

[razer]

Well, a few days later and the keg wont accept any more Co2. If i attach the canister and remove it there is a hiss for a short period meaning it wont accept anymore gas.

Although there are more bubbles in the lager i wouldnt say it has a fizz when consumed. Is all lost?

[EoinMag]

I'd have said the force carbing was the best possibility, or release all pressure and prime again. Or just drink it flat.

[MightyMouth]

I reckon you now need to get the beer quite cold for a week to let it absorb the CO2 properly.

[razer]

I did have a few pints last night and there were more bubbles than i gave credit for. They were all very small but were certainly pleasant. I'll lower the temperature of the fridge and see if that helps.