Whats going on?

ninhydrin · Jan 8, 2012

I have made my first home brew (Woodfordes Nog) everything went well, tastes good and has a nice fizzy consistency which is not overpowering.... But... after half emptying the keg it is no longer pouring, it is glugging, I tried a CO2 charge which works for 2 pints then it starts glugging again.

Any ideas whats gone wrong?

RobWalker · Jan 8, 2012

if you're keeping it cool, that's why - plastic kegs are quite inadequate for cold, carbonated beer...more co2 is absorbed into the beer than if it's warmer.

carl_saint · Jan 8, 2012

And if it's been "glugging" then you need to get it drunk ASAP otherwise it might oxidise and taste foul! 5 days max!

Runwell-Steve · Jan 8, 2012

Basically the CO2 that was produced from the priming sugars has now been used up, so there is no longer any pressure in the keg, you managed to get half of the beer out before topping up with gas so that is quite good, it shows you don't have any leaks.

The little CO2 bulbs don't hold much gas at all so they don't last long, it works out quite an expensive way of dispensing beer. The Hambleton Bard S30 cylinders work out more cost effective.

An alternate solution is to take the lid off the keg and add some more sugar to reprime it, you will need to leave it in the warm for a week though for this to work. That should then let you dispense the rest of the beer.

Glugging air back through the tap is bad as that is allowing oxygen into your beer which will very quickly make it go off, so it's probably not worth trying to recover this keg, I'd just get it drunk quickly.

ninhydrin · Jan 8, 2012

just took my barrel CO2 cap to bits and looks like the brass nut was loose somehow

bad news about the glugging and it going off soon as I dont normally drink on a school night! I will put this one down to experience and get on with my 2nd shot at it. Was nice while it lasted anyways