Carbonation issues

[PhilEd]

Hi all,

mice been 50 years drinking beer but only recently got into making my own.
I’ve brewed Muntons American Style IPA adding the recommended amount of carbonation drops into the pressure barrel after fermentation.
When it was ready to drink it took about 4 pours on a slow dribble to fill a pint glass (not an issue really) due to it being very active.
Its got easier to pour as I’m getting through it but the problem I have now is that with about 8-10 pints before it’s empty, it is not creating a head at all and a very god beer now appears lifeless.
My question is - can I add more carbonation drops to the barrel?

Thanks in advance

 

[AnimatedGIF]

Hi all,

mice been 50 years drinking beer but only recently got into making my own.
I’ve brewed Muntons American Style IPA adding the recommended amount of carbonation drops into the pressure barrel after fermentation.
When it was ready to drink it took about 4 pours on a slow dribble to fill a pint glass (not an issue really) due to it being very active.
Its got easier to pour as I’m getting through it but the problem I have now is that with about 8-10 pints before it’s empty, it is not creating a head at all and a very god beer now appears lifeless.
My question is - can I add more carbonation drops to the barrel?

Thanks in advance

I thinks so, yes. It's known as re-priming I believe. I have never done it myself.
I'm confused about this bit:

When it was ready to drink it took about 4 pours on a slow dribble to fill a pint glass (not an issue really) due to it being very active.

Are you saying it pours slowly at first? If so, you may have a leak in the pressure barrel.

For the record, I don't have any experience with PBs as the only one I bought had a leak when I tested it, so it got sent back.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Hi @PhilEd . Out of interest, what kind of pressure barrel do you have? It’s not uncommon to have to recharge a 5 gallon PB with CO2 half way through with either a CO2 capsule or S30 cylinder depending on the type of cap you have. Some PB users do reprime with sugar to create more CO2 and pressure, it’s down to personal preference. If you’re experiencing a slow pour you might want to check the rubber bands on the cap valve for leaks (not uncommon). There’s a good post in the “How To” section regarding pressure barrels you might find helpful.

 

[PhilEd]

I thinks so, yes. It's known as re-priming I believe. I have never done it myself.
I'm confused about this bit:

Are you saying it pours slowly at first? If so, you may have a leak in the pressure barrel.

For the record, I don't have any experience with PBs as the only one I bought had a leak when I tested it, so it got sent back.

Thanks for getting back, when I said a slow dribble, I meant if I opened the tap up any more I would end up with a pint of froth!! It just needs a number of slow pours to achieve a good looking pint.
I’ll try some more drops and see how it goes. Cheers

Hi @PhilEd . Out of interest, what kind of pressure barrel do you have? It’s not uncommon to have to recharge a 5 gallon PB with CO2 half way through with either a CO2 capsule or S30 cylinder depending on the type of cap you have. Some PB users do reprime with sugar to create more CO2 and pressure, it’s down to personal preference. If you’re experiencing a slow pour you might want to check the rubber bands on the cap valve for leaks (not uncommon). There’s a good post in the “How To” section regarding pressure barrels you might find helpful.

to be clear, the slow pour was was not a pressure issue, I had to pour it slowly through the tap as it was very lively and frothed up too much otherwise. I was losing too much into the drip tray!!

It is only the second time I have used this barrel - from new, and this batch has been in it since early June and became clear and drinkable after about 3 or so weeks. It has a screw cap and I have put Vaseline on the cap and tap o rings but it does have what looks like a fitting to accommodate a co2 capsule.
As mentioned, I’m new to this and I appreciate your all getting back to me. I’ll do a bit more studying on all things home brewing and hopefully be able to use the forums on advice a bit more.
Doesn’t mean I won’t be back with more question though!!
Cheers

 

[Buffers brewery]

Do you have a “top tap” barrel? Sounds like you’ve got plenty of carbonation if you’re making foam! If you have a top tap barrel (tap is positioned high with a float tube inside) foaming can be a sign of gas leaking into the tap from inside.

 

[cushyno]

Sometimes you can move your PB somewhere a little warmer for a few days and the yeast may be pressed into producing some more co2. I sometimes manage a whole PB without having to re-prime or give it a top up of gas.

 

[PhilEd]

Do you have a “top tap” barrel? Sounds like you’ve got plenty of carbonation if you’re making foam! If you have a top tap barrel (tap is positioned high with a float tube inside) foaming can be a sign of gas leaking into the tap from inside.

It’s a bottom tap barrel which I believe I have tightened both tap and cap firmly without over tightening.
The “foaminess” decreases on each pour on the same day, but is back on the next day. It’s just a few days ago when it lost its “life” which is why I asked if re-carbonating is what was required.
The first batch I brewed was an ale which didn’t require carbonation at all and stayed fresh to the end, so I guess I’ll investigate the gas cylinder v carbonation thing. Thanks

 

[PhilEd]

Sometimes you can move your PB somewhere a little warmer for a few days and the yeast may be pressed into producing some more co2. I sometimes manage a whole PB without having to re-prime or give it a top up of gas.

It’s in the shed which is as warm a place can be at this time of the year. I would actually like it to be a bit cooler but I believe once it’s in the PB it has to stay there and poured into the glass. I experimented once with putting a long tube on the tap, and filled a flip top bottle from the bottom up and put it in the fridge. Good pour but it’s didn’t transfer well and was quite flat after 2 days in the fridge. Next time I’ll put half in the PB and the rest bottle directly using sugar or drops