Carbonation trouble

[Soulshine]

I have now kegged two batches of beer. For each I used 3/4 cups corn sugar in the keg to carbonate. The keg sat at 68-70 degrees for about 3 weeks. I set my beer gun up. Beer tasted carbonated (warm). I bottle all my beers. Put them in the fridge and crack the first one a few hours later and it is hardly carbonated. This has happened with my first 4 cases of beer I have used with my new setup & beer gun. Any ideas what the problem may be? Too little corn sugar? Not sitting long enough? The beer gun itself? The bottles?

Thanks for any help. I cannot tell you how frustrating this is to have 4 cases or otherwise great beer, now not carbonated fully.

Thanks,
Bill Standish

 

[BostonRogue]

Hi Bill,


I may not understand the process fully, but having read your question as it reads, I suspect the issue lies in carbonating it in a keg and then moving it to a bottle. There will be a natural loss of CO2 as you move it (and allow the pressure to be released in transfer).

You should add the 3/4 cup sugar to the fermented beer, and then directly bottle it (i.e. not store it in a keg).

Hopefully I read your question correctly and answered it well. Let me know if I misinterpreted it.

 

[Bobby_M]

Are you trying to move the beer from keg to bottle while the beer is warm? If so, instant fail. Warm beer will not hold carbonation during an open transfer. If you are chilling first, are you dispensing the entire keg without any external CO2 applied? If so, you are losing carbonation about half way through.

 

[Yooper]

Are you trying to move the beer from keg to bottle while the beer is warm? If so, instant fail. Warm beer will not hold carbonation during an open transfer. If you are chilling first, are you dispensing the entire keg without any external CO2 applied? If so, you are losing carbonation about half way through.

This.

The keg should be cold to do this. I suspect some foaming issues, which would de-carb the beer. Also, push the beer into the bottles with about 2 psi (you probably don't need more) once the beer is carbed and cold.

 

[JuanMoore]

I'll add to the above comments and say that it also helps a lot to keep the bottles cold as well. Whenever I bottle from the keg I put the bottles in the freezer for a while first. There's no way to do an open transfer without losing some carbonation, but keeping everything as cold as possible, pushing with a low psi, and careful filling will all help minimize the loss.

 

[Soulshine]

Great advice all around. Thanks so much! This message board has been a savior. Unfortunately I've learned everything the hard way! But I'm close to having this down!

Cheers!

 

[Soulshine]

So I bottled a new batch from a keg last night. Out of the keg carbonation as perfect. Pop open one of my bottles tonight and beer is pretty flat. I am at a loss and pretty frustrated. Had the keg nice and cold in the fridge. Had the bottles chilled as well. I would shoot C02 into the bottles. Fill them. Give a blast of C02. Cap the bottle. I can't understand why I am losing carbonation. PLEASE HELP. I'm gonna lose my mind if I bottle one more perfect batch to have it go flat.

Thanks.....

 

[Yooper]

So I bottled a new batch from a keg last night. Out of the keg carbonation as perfect. Pop open one of my bottles tonight and beer is pretty flat. I am at a loss and pretty frustrated. Had the keg nice and cold in the fridge. Had the bottles chilled as well. I would shoot C02 into the bottles. Fill them. Give a blast of C02. Cap the bottle. I can't understand why I am losing carbonation. PLEASE HELP. I'm gonna lose my mind if I bottle one more perfect batch to have it go flat.

Thanks.....

How did you fill the bottles? If you filled then out of the tap without a counterpressure method, the beer will go flat pretty quickly.

 

[Soulshine]

I used the blichmann beer gun I purchased and followed those instructions.

 

[Yooper]

I used the blichmann beer gun I purchased and followed those instructions.

Then I'm at a loss! The beergun is pretty awesome.

You're certain the beer is well carbed when you pour a glass?

 

[Soulshine]

Yup. Had a couple glasses I filled right into my glass from the beer gun. Even tried one of the bottles about an hour later and perfect. Came home tonight - FLAT.

 

[Soulshine]

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