flat and no head???

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MN2MT

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My first pour of an Imperial Stout after 2 weeks at 10psi was flat with no head??? Any troubleshooting insight?
 
I set 12psi at 36-38F and it really isn't ready until the 3 week mark. At 38-40 at 10psi it will need at least another week for minimum carbination. The colder the beer, the faster it absorbs C02.
 

It may not be fully carbed yet, but should be very close. That temp and pressure combination is going to result in ~2.3 vol of carbonation. If you want something closer to the level of most commercial beers, you'll need to bump the pressure up to 12-14 psi.
 
Thanks for the tips. All the lines are secured. I'll crank it up a little higher, maybe 15-16, cause I need it ready for Tuesday. Speading some yuletide cheer...
 
I've noticed that the bigger beers tend to take longer. I don't have the science behind it though.

I know gas absorption in a liquid in general is affected by surface tension, viscosity, and density. My guess would be that the higher FG of bigger beers causes an increase in surface tension, viscosity, and density which slows the process down some.
 
I know gas absorption in a liquid in general is affected by surface tension, viscosity, and density. My guess would be that the higher FG of bigger beers causes an increase in surface tension, viscosity, and density which slows the process down some.

It's a pretty dense beer, so that would make sense.
 
Stouts take 3 weeks at 40F to carb up for me. The lower the pressure, the longer it seems to take to hit the CO2 volumes you want. My stouts only see 8psi, so at 2 weeks they are definitely not ready. 2 weeks for beers that get 12psi+ seems to be enough though. YMMV.

In the future, you can put it on 2-4psi higher for the first week, then drop to your desired pressure for the next week. It should carb up faster that way. If you carb on the liquid side, make sure to switch to the gas side when you reduce the pressure or you'll wind up with beer in your gas lines.
 
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