My beer will not carbonate!

I brewed a German Pils that is now sitting in a keg trying to carbonate.

I had it sitting under about 12psi (at about 36 degrees) for a couple of weeks. When I went to taste it, it was almost completely flat. Confused, I cranked up the pressure to 20psi for another 3 days. Again, it's almost totally flat. The CO2 cylinder is full and there are no leaks. After venting and reconnecting the 20psi line, I can hear plenty of CO2 filling the keg, so I know it is truly sitting under pressure.

So what the heck is going on? Anyone had a beer that just would not carbonate for some reason?

Sounds like your over carbonating. Try taking it off the gas and release all pressure out of the keg. Let it sit for a couple hours then release pressure again. Leave it for a day release pressure again then put it back on the gas at 7psi.

nallanrex said:

Sounds like your over carbonating. Try taking it off the gas and release all pressure out of the keg. Let it sit for a couple hours then release pressure again. Leave it for a day release pressure again then put it back on the gas at 7psi.

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20 psi may be over carbonating, but 12psi@36˚F=~2.7 volumes, which is within style guidelines, so I don't see why that'd be causing an issue.

MBasile said:

20 psi may be over carbonating, but 12psi@36˚F=~2.7 volumes, which is within style guidelines, so I don't see why that'd be causing an issue.

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True enough.

But his setup might not be balanced for it. If he tries it at 7 psi and it is a little under carbed then goes to 12psi and its flat, he will know his setup is not balanced.

Guess i should have said that in my first post.

I have had this happen to me before. Took me a while to figure it out and my above post is how i figured out the problem.

nallanrex said:

But his setup might not be balanced for it. If he tries it at 7 psi and it is a little under carbed then goes to 12psi and its flat, he will know his setup is not balanced.

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Wait, if you use too high of a pressure, the beer won't absorb any CO2 ?!?!?!

I thought over-carbonating would just result in an overly fizzy beer, not a totally flat one.

And I don't understand your "balancing" comment. This keg of Pils is the only thing connected to my CO2 tank. If the regulator on the tank is set to 12 psi, and there are no leaks, and I am not trying to dispense the beer, then everything in the system after the regulator (hoses, head space in the keg, etc.) is sitting at 12psi. And according to carbonation charts, if I want 2.5-3.0 volumes, my pressure should be 11-14 psi at 36 degrees.

So again, can you clarify what you mean by "balancing" my system in this case?

Over carbing will make it appear undercarbed because it's so carbonated, when it rushes out so fast, your co2 is knocked out of solution, appearing to not be carbed at all.
But, 12 psi at 36° should not over carbonate. Are you sure your gauges are accurate? How long does it take to pour a pint? Have you sprayed all your connections for leaks?

Balancing the system means balancing the line ID and lenght with level of carb. IE, if you pour 14psi through 1 ft of hose, you're gonna have a crap ton or foam resulting in flat beer. YOu can over compensate by doing a generic 10ft of 3/16 lines but may pour very slowly and not get any head on your pour from too much resistance in the line.

IrregularPulse said:

Over carbing will make it appear undercarbed because it's so carbonated, when it rushes out so fast, your co2 is knocked out of solution, appearing to not be carbed at all.
But, 12 psi at 36° should not over carbonate. Are you sure your gauges are accurate? How long does it take to pour a pint? Have you sprayed all your connections for leaks?

Balancing the system means balancing the line ID and lenght with level of carb. IE, if you pour 14psi through 1 ft of hose, you're gonna have a crap ton or foam resulting in flat beer. YOu can over compensate by doing a generic 10ft of 3/16 lines but may pour very slowly and not get any head on your pour from too much resistance in the line.

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I know my equipment is good. I have several other beers on tap right now that carbonated in the same setup. I have sprayed all connections for leaks. Plus, the tank gauge on my CO2 cylinder (i.e. the one that indicates how much CO2 is left in the tank) is not dropping.

When I dispense the Pils from the keg, I get *no* foam at all. It is completely flat coming out of the keg. In other words, I am not losing the carbonation in the dispensing.

Might not have enough had space in the keg...

Poobah58 said:

Might not have enough had space in the keg...

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I did think about this. The keg is quite full, but there's still at least 3 inches between the lid and the surface of the beer. And even if the head space was too small, it would just carbonate slower, right? This keg has been under 12-20 psi for over 2 weeks now, and the beer is still flat.

Try (if it will fit) swapping your gas to the beer out post and then vent. That will cause c02 to bubble from the bottom of the dip tube and might help it carb a bit.

Hey maybe there's an obstruction in the gas inlet, like the poppet is stuck or the inlet tube under the poppet is somehow damaged? When you release the pressure relief valve on your lid, does it let out gas like it normally would on a carbonated keg connected to gas? Do you maybe have a closed valve somewhere after your regulator but before your keg?

How's this for a simple, plausible explanation: your tank is full of N2, not CO2!

No? IDK.