CO2 rushing through corny keg release valve

[Eric Arteaga]

Greetings everyone,

I recently kegged my first beer and I’m pretty excited about the whole process. I set the PSI to 30 and forced carbed for about 36 hours based on a recommendation from my LHBS because I need it for an event this weekend (I purged CO2 after rolling the keg around too), and have let it sit at 15 psi since then (kegged it 7/29 around noon). But being really paranoid about getting under carbonated beer, I pulled the release valve on the keg today to make sure there was no oxygen left inside.

What I’m getting now is constant air flow from the valve that doesn’t stop the way oxygen normally would. When I do burp it though, I’m noticing the psi meter on the regulator drop, then go back up when I stop burping. Is the air I’m getting when I burp purely co2? Or do I just have an insane amount of oxygen inside? After force carbbing I made sure to burp the oxygen out a few times.

Any advice helps!

 

[Br3w4u]

You put CO2 in so when you are pulling the release valve you are getting CO2 out. Of course there is some oxygen in the keg but it should be mostly CO2. At this point you don’t need to be purging the keg or rolling it around just leave it alone in the fridge. You only need to purge when you first put the beer in the keg. Have you tried the beer?

 

[Eric Arteaga]

You put CO2 in so when you are pulling the release valve you are getting CO2 out. Of course there is some oxygen in the keg but it should be mostly CO2. At this point you don’t need to be purging the keg or rolling it around just leave it alone in the fridge. You only need to purge when you first put the beer in the keg. Have you tried the beer?

I appreciate the response, I figured I was doing things right so far. I planned on trying it this evening after work (crappy day so I could really use a pint) so I hope all is well with it. It’s a blonde ale, I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

[mkelly601]

Did you shut off the Co2 before you purged? If not that would be why you were getting the continuous flow since it was still sending Co2 to the tank.

 

[Eric Arteaga]

So the blonde is a little darker than I hoped it would have been, from what I’ve read, I should add the DME later in the boil so the sugars that give it color don’t boil out? Please correct me if I’m way off haha. It’s defintely carbonated, but I didn’t get all the aromas or flavor I was hoping for too. I’m thinking I need to be better at monitoring the temperature of the room the fermentor sits in, its been pretty hot in San Diego and I don’t have a clear cut way of capturing the temp of the room where the carboy sits. I was in a tight pinch for brewing this beer for a friends party I’m going to, which is why I force carbed and kegged. Lessons learned though

 

[Br3w4u]

So the blonde is a little darker than I hoped it would have been, from what I’ve read, I should add the DME later in the boil so the sugars that give it color don’t boil out? Please correct me if I’m way off haha. It’s defintely carbonated, but I didn’t get all the aromas or flavor I was hoping for too. I’m thinking I need to be better at monitoring the temperature of the room the fermentor sits in, its been pretty hot in San Diego and I don’t have a clear cut way of capturing the temp of the room where the carboy sits. I was in a tight pinch for brewing this beer for a friends party I’m going to, which is why I force carbed and kegged. Lessons learned though

Yes add the DME near the end of the boil, not sure if it’s true but it is rumored to darken the beer if added early because of Maillard reaction. For fermentation temp try putting your fermentor in something like a large kettle or plastic storage bin filled with cold water or sanitizer solution. Cover the fermentor with a black T-shirt that hangs in the water and turn on a fan. This will help keep it a little cooler than room temp. You can also add an ice pack or 2 every now and then to keep the water from warming up. 60-70 degrees is good. Last tip is don’t purge your keg so much next time. You could be losing some aroma from purging too much. I have noticed that my beer can change dramatically over time in a keg. It could take up to a month in the keg to start developing the flavor that you expect.