Hi folks , you wont believe this . I have conditioned my ipa in a pressure barrel, tested about 3 weeks ago and then moved it to the fridge . I have just tried to pour a pint and found it wont come out of the tap , well it does at a dribble , I think when moving it to the fridge i may have disturbed the sediment , what the bloomin hell can i do , can i unblock the tap in situ , i'm at a total loss here , and theres 20lts of beer in there waiting to be drunk , any help appreciated folks
pressure barel
- Thread starter GF21
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I’m guessing that the drop in temperature has produced a corresponding drop in pressure. Do you use a CO2 cartridge to maintain pressure as you draw off the beer? If so, you could try using one of those to see if it resolves the problem. Disturbing the sediment wouldn’t cause the pressure to drop. You’re not at disaster stage yet!
hi tony , i'm not sure the pressure has dropped , the beer just comes out as a very small dribble , when i steralise it and run it through the tap it comes out in a decent stream , this is a vey slow trickle , what i'm asking is can i sort the tap in situ or can i syphon it off into bottles , at least i woont waste the beer that way ?
RoomWithABrew
Landlord.
I agree with TonyT how do you know that you haven't lost pressure in the barrel over those few weeks? Do you have a gauge? Is the lid bulging up? Did you dry hop it?
Fireside Ales Homebrewery
Regular.
You definitely will have lost all the pressure in the head space of the barrel. As soon as the beer begins to cool the carbonation level will change. This is why you are getting a trickle. Co2 is dissolved more easily into cold beer. You will need to dispense some Co2 into the barrel to serve your beer.
RoomWithABrew
Landlord.
But no less CO2 in the barrel !!, just that it has dissolved into solution hence less head space pressure
Fireside Ales Homebrewery
Regular.
Yes, sort of. If there was a regulator on the barrel. You would see a drop in psi as the Co2 dissolves into the beer. The loss of pressure is due to the Co2 dissolving into the beer and forming carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is part of what gives the beer it’s carbonation. More Co2 is needed to re pressurise the barrel to obtain a serving pressure. Otherwise, despite the beer being nice and carbonated, you will not have enough pressure in the keg to pour the beer.
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RoomWithABrew
Landlord.
@Fireside Ales Homebrewery
By your theory you are suggesting that the carbonic acid changes state when the beer is poured into a glass and reforms bubbles of gas that then leave the glass. I agree that the dissolved CO2 changes the pH but that chemical reaction you discuss occurring better when the liquid is cooler, normally reactions in chemistry get quicker with more temperature. CO2 wants equilibrium as the temp falls not a chemical reaction.
I think you need to look at Henrys' Law he worked it out a while ago.
But regardless that beer needs a push to get out of the keg and a blast of CO2 is needed. Or a party and just open the barrel and drink it all in a weekend!
By your theory you are suggesting that the carbonic acid changes state when the beer is poured into a glass and reforms bubbles of gas that then leave the glass. I agree that the dissolved CO2 changes the pH but that chemical reaction you discuss occurring better when the liquid is cooler, normally reactions in chemistry get quicker with more temperature. CO2 wants equilibrium as the temp falls not a chemical reaction.
I think you need to look at Henrys' Law he worked it out a while ago.
But regardless that beer needs a push to get out of the keg and a blast of CO2 is needed. Or a party and just open the barrel and drink it all in a weekend!
Fireside Ales Homebrewery
Regular.
Pardon me but I am not suggesting anything of the sort. I am not talking about carbonic acid changing state as it’s poured into a glass or anything at all to do with PH. Also, no one here needs to know Henry’s law. I am familiar with it, but you don’t need to know it to have experience with dispensing beer and how carbonation works. I have worked in pubs and have been pouring home brewed beer from Corny kegs for years.
What I was saying was.
Co2 dissolves in a liquid quicker the cooler the temperature. Fact.
‘CO2 will dissolve quite readily in beer, with solubility increasing with decreasing temperature.’ - as reiterated by Beer and Brewing magazine.
As the CO2 dissolves into the beer, the headspace pressure goes down. The OP is wondering why his beer, in the fridge, is now not dispensing from the keg. This is the reason. All he needs to do is re apply some pressure to the keg and he will be back on track.
BridgeBrew
Regular.
I'd just take it outta the fridge, so it's at room temperature, then give it a blast of CO2, and hope it holds pressure, if it doesn't you've got a leak.
RoomWithABrew
Landlord.
Dear Fireside ales your knowledge is true but for someone who has a problem with dispensing as @GF21 and you " have worked in pubs and have been pouring home brewed beer from Corny kegs for years" lets keep it simple for @GF21. The Carbonic acid chemistry bit is a red herring as far as dispensing and I'm not sure why you mentioned it. You are quite right as a liquid cools gases become more soluble in them, but they don't become more reactive and you are right that's why there is reduced pressure above the beer in this closed system and the beer won't come out of the tap. Unless there's a hop block.
GF21 needs to increase the pressure above the beer to force it out of the tap in this closed system or open it to the air and let the miles of atmosphere push it out as you would remember from cask ales whilst working in a pub.
@BridgeBrew plan of reversing the process with a rise in temperature is also a good one.
We are all wondering how @GF21 is doing with getting the beer out of the barrel?
GF21 needs to increase the pressure above the beer to force it out of the tap in this closed system or open it to the air and let the miles of atmosphere push it out as you would remember from cask ales whilst working in a pub.
@BridgeBrew plan of reversing the process with a rise in temperature is also a good one.
We are all wondering how @GF21 is doing with getting the beer out of the barrel?
Fireside Ales Homebrewery
Regular.
I am not sure you are actually reading my posts
I briefly mentioned it. As an aside. You are the one banging that drum, mentioning Henry’s law and all that. My response to the OP is as clear as day. Bung some gas into the keg. Job done.Removing the keg from the fridge is only going to warm up the beer. It won’t re-pressurise the keg. He still won’t get a good pour. As for letting the beer free flow by opening up the lid and allowing the ‘miles of atmosphere to push it out’. well that’s ok in a pub situation or beer fest where there is a high turn over of beer. The poor OP, on the other handwill have oxidised beer and no hop aroma in his IPA in no time if he does that. Not to mention that IPA requires a good level of carbonation to showcase the hop flavour and aroma.
Fireside Ales Homebrewery
Regular.
@GF21 don’t let all this garbage confuse you. So far you have done everything correctly. Conditioning in the keg is a great way to achieve carbonated beer. Now that the beer has had time to cool in the fridge though. You will need to add some gas to the keg to bring the pressure up to be able to serve your beer.
Hi Gf21 I use one of these a one to two second blast will get yer beer moving
Hi @GF21 . I use pressure barrels and from my experience I think it unlikely that you have produced enough sediment during conditioning to block your tap. It’s not the same level as with fermentation. Any disturbance will at worst produce a hazy beer but will settle out eventually. As others have said above, the most likely cause of your problem is a lack of pressure probably caused by a leak in your cap/S30 valve.
As I see it you have 2 options...
1. Re-pressurise the barrel to see if that solves the pour problem. If it does fix it you probably have a leak which will cause the pressure to drop over time requiring more gas to be injected.
2. If you are convinced the problem is with the tap, it is unlikely you can easily fix it without putting some kit together to allow you to blow some CO2 through the tap to clear any blockage. That being the case, the easiest solution would be to re-prime your beer and bottle it. Then when the barrel is empty you check it out to identify the problem.
Good luck
As I see it you have 2 options...
1. Re-pressurise the barrel to see if that solves the pour problem. If it does fix it you probably have a leak which will cause the pressure to drop over time requiring more gas to be injected.
2. If you are convinced the problem is with the tap, it is unlikely you can easily fix it without putting some kit together to allow you to blow some CO2 through the tap to clear any blockage. That being the case, the easiest solution would be to re-prime your beer and bottle it. Then when the barrel is empty you check it out to identify the problem.
Good luck
ok folks , it seems you were all right , being quite new to this malarky I was a bit stumped , after reading the replies , i sped home , literally , and put on one of the little co2 bottles that came with the barrel and hey presto , so i'd like to thank you all for your advice and patience , thats what i like about these forums , they always help out those who need it , Cheers folks
RoomWithABrew
Landlord.
@GF21
Great news that the beer is flowing. But no open the keg and drink it all party!
@Rodcx500z suggestion of sodastream adapter will save a lot of money in the mid to long run. You get better carbonation control with that method. If you invest in a big CO2 cylinder and the adapter you can refill your own sodastream cylinders and save as well.
Hope the beer tastes good.
Great news that the beer is flowing. But no open the keg and drink it all party!
@Rodcx500z suggestion of sodastream adapter will save a lot of money in the mid to long run. You get better carbonation control with that method. If you invest in a big CO2 cylinder and the adapter you can refill your own sodastream cylinders and save as well.
Hope the beer tastes good.
Hi GF21, i only use the soda stream for top ups i carbonate with sugar 80gr for a 23L brew, i then use the gas for a quick top up if the pressure drops to low, i am in the process of swapping over to corny kegs
johncrobinson
Landlord.
Going by the many,many threads on here,It seems pressure barrels leak a lot more than they don't.
Its poor manufacturing, Design, AND quality control simple as that.
I personally would be embarrassed to put such a product on the market given that leaks have been reported for years now.
The numerous fixes and modifications end users have had to make to get these things working properly would fill a whole web site never mind a thread.
Two years ago I was thinking of buying a barrel until i looked on here and elsewhere, put me off for life.
Its poor manufacturing, Design, AND quality control simple as that.
I personally would be embarrassed to put such a product on the market given that leaks have been reported for years now.
The numerous fixes and modifications end users have had to make to get these things working properly would fill a whole web site never mind a thread.
Two years ago I was thinking of buying a barrel until i looked on here and elsewhere, put me off for life.
