Beer took forever to carbonate

[wactuary]

I've been kegging now for at least 3 years and probably some 40 cornies. The other day I had something happen that never happened before. A keg wouldn't carbonate! Here's my tale, I would love to hear peoples explanations:

I brewed Denny Conn's Imperial Vanilla Bourbon Porter recipe and also brewed an IPA. Just before going on a work trip I loaded the keggerator with a fresh and flat corny of both. Turned on the CO2, shut the fridge door and went on my way. 2 weeks later when I returned, I went straight to the taps to pour me some beer. The IPA poured out with a nice rich head, fully carbonated and just right. But the porter was dead flat. Nothing. Zip!

I checked the valves - all open. I popped and replugged the gas disconnect. I pulled the pressure release valve and heard CO2 flow through the regulator as the pressure was replenished. Waited another week - still nothing.

Finally, I resorted to shaking, something I was avoiding because I didn't want to kick up sediment. Every day I gave it a little shake for about 3 days. Finally, it carbonated and now has a deep cascading head, almost like a guiness when I fill the glass.

So what happened?!?

 

[Screw991le]

Over filled keg? Clogged gas tube? Low co2 bottle pressure? Bottle almost empty?

 

[JJL]

I'm not an expert in kegging, but my first thought is a loss of pressure in the keg. Maybe a worn out O-ring or other seal. Maybe the seals were dried out and shaking the keg moistened them enough to get a tight seal. Just some thoughts.

 

[wactuary]

Good thoughts and thanks for the replies.

Wasn't a leak or the tank would have gone empty and the other keg would have been flat. Wasn't a clogged line or when I pulled the pressure relief it wouldn't have refilled. Also, I could pull a (flat) pint with the same flow rate as the carbonated beer right next to it. Both taps fed by 1 regulator and a distributor, so same pressure to both. It was getting pressure on top, just wasn't dissolving into the beer. I was/am stumped.

 

[wactuary]

Ooo... Overfilled keg! Now that is a possibility. That would also explain why it eventually carbonated. I kept pulling samples, drawing the level down. Eventually it got below the gas in.

But wait, I've heard (although I haven't done it myself) that people carbonate via the Out line to push the CO2 from the bottom, or even put a stone in. So if you can carbonate from the out line, then even if the In side diptube was submerged you would still carbonate. The head space would be filled with CO2 giving the surface area for dissolving into the liquid. It certainly wasn't filled to the point of having no head space. I think I'm still stumped...

 

[Sleepyemt]

I'm wondering if he higher gravity might be affecting your mouthfeel, in turn affecting your perceived carbonation level? If your initial pour had a head then it was carbonated, just not to the level of expectation?

 

[wactuary]

The only bubbles when I poured it were from the agitation of falling into the glass. No bubbles from CO2 coming out of solution. After some agitation (and pouring off samples over a period of time) it now has a nice full rich head. Actually a quite nice cascading head as it settles, like a guiness but with the bigger bubbles from CO2 rather than nitrogen.

 

[cheezydemon3]

It takes more pressure to push the gas down through liquid, the pushback from an overfilled keg would have showed the right pressure on the guage because it was pushing liquid so far down the dip tube but then stopping at that pressure, and the pressure would have been sufficient to dispense flat beer.