Keg Vs Bottle problem

[kieron100]

Hi,

I'm completely new to brewing my own beer. i recently purchased a lager kit (I know. . . but I figured it was the best place to start) I followed the instructions to the letter. I bottled eight bottles of the beer and put the rest in a 5 gallon keg.

It's been about 4 weeks now and the bottled beer is crystal clear, nice and fizzy with a substantial number of bubbles rising, it's crisp and surprisingly delicious. However the beer in the keg is almost competely flat, still a little cloudy doesn't taste anywhere near as good as the bottled beer (though is quite drinkable) and also seems much weaker.

Why did this happen? Is the kegged beer pretty much worthless? Will it get better with age or should I just abandon it?

Thanks,

 

[A T]

Is there a gas leak in the keg somewhere? In my experience bottled beer is usually better but you should reach the same carbonation levels in the keg. What kind of keg are you using and did you prime it or force carbonate?

 

[kieron100]

This is the barrel http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0022554

There doesn't appear to be a gas leak and I primed it.

 

[Wez]

Welcome to the forum first :thumb:

AT's question about what sort of keg is a good one.

If you're using a plastic keg you won't get the pressure you need to carbonate a lager, you WILL in a bottle which is why they have done so well

 

[Buzz]

And the reason the bottles are clearer is that the yeast has much further to fall in a keg, against a very short drop in a bottle. Bottles will always clear more quickly.