Keg did not carbonate - Options?

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mlradford

Keg did not carbonate - Options?

Post by mlradford » Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:09 pm

About two weeks after kegging my Ruby Ale I decided to try a bit. The batch had not carbonated. I think while fermenting the CO2 was escaping. I have come to this conclusion because A) I filled 4 bottles with the same batch and they are carbonated, and B) The rubber seal in the lid looked twisted when I checked.

I have a simple Young's barrel.

I am guessing my best option is to carbonate again but should I...

A) Simply pour in some sugar and seal with a spare lid I have.
B) As (A) but pitch some more yeast in.
C) Force carbonate by buying some CO2 bulbs and a connector lid (if I did this would need some guidance on how many bulbs to pump in).

I fancy point C but am interested in your thoughts.

Mark

EoinMag

Re: Keg did not carbonate - Options?

Post by EoinMag » Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:16 pm

mlradford wrote:About two weeks after kegging my Ruby Ale I decided to try a bit. The batch had not carbonated. I think while fermenting the CO2 was escaping. I have come to this conclusion because A) I filled 4 bottles with the same batch and they are carbonated, and B) The rubber seal in the lid looked twisted when I checked.

I have a simple Young's barrel.

I am guessing my best option is to carbonate again but should I...

A) Simply pour in some sugar and seal with a spare lid I have.
B) As (A) but pitch some more yeast in.
C) Force carbonate by buying some CO2 bulbs and a connector lid (if I did this would need some guidance on how many bulbs to pump in).

I fancy point C but am interested in your thoughts.

Mark
Take the lid off, take some beer out and put it in a pot with some sugar, boil to sterlise the sugar and then put it back in and sort out all your seals. Go over them with vaseline or keg lube or whatever and make sure they are properly sealed.

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6470zzy
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Re: Keg did not carbonate - Options?

Post by 6470zzy » Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:35 pm

When I fill a corny keg and intend to let it naturally carbonate, I always hit it with a shot of CO2 in order to ensure that the lid has sealed. Do as EoinMag suggested and feed the beer some more sugar.

Cheers
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Ditch
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Re: Keg did not carbonate - Options?

Post by Ditch » Fri Dec 25, 2009 4:32 pm

Mark; Take that as ye first lesson about checking ye kit over before committing gallons to it. Better to 'waste' five gallons of water than have ye wort gushing out of a faulty tap. eg. This game's all about seals, at the end of the day :wink:

Regards the CO2? Proper bottle, every time. Not forgetting to get the right brass for the big bottle too. If ye had one in hand, ye could get back at that beer a lot sooner too #-o

Twist the bottle on till ye hear it discharging into the keg. Say " Kangaroo " and twist it back to stop it. There's drills about taking one off too. But, I'm fed up with typing and have to get my Dogs out :mrgreen:

garwatts

Re: Keg did not carbonate - Options?

Post by garwatts » Sat Dec 26, 2009 12:07 am

Had a similar problem - just make sure there is no vaseline under the seal, just some on the surface. Re-prime with some more sugar (80g dissolved in hot water/beer). Keep in a warm place for a week and check after a day or two to see if the pressure is building :wink:

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