Frozen beer in keg!

[ZacMac]

I got a little over zealous on the thermostat on the refrigerator I guess. It appears that I froze the top layer of my keg and apparently it is also frozen somewhere along the dip tube. I'm not getting any flow at all. Any advice besides letting it thaw. Thanks.

 

[malkore]

it needs to thaw out. its this a regular fridge thermostat, or a more precise temp controller?

either way, you want it in the low 40's...warmer than your kitchen fridge by a few degrees.
BMC's the only swill that should be drank ice cold

 

[Drunkensatyr]

There is not a "fast" answer. Let it thaw and re adjust your temp controller.


P.S. a fridge thermo is hard to use for precise control.

 

[ZacMac]

should i expect to see any affect on the taste from the freeze over?

 

[BierMuncher]

No taste effect that you'd notice.

Most likely, it's just the top of the dipe tube and some hose that is frozen.

 

[ZacMac]

Great, I'm glad to hear that. I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[missing link]

try flexing the lines especially where near the coils, then bump the PSI up while holding the faucet open. When I first got my kegerator this would happen occasionally and bumping it up to 30 psi for a few minutes and flexing the lines usually was enough to burp the ice out, then be sure to turn the PSI back down.

 

[Reverend JC]

I froze one solid a few months ago. Luckily there was enough head space. I just sat it out in my basemnt with a towel under it for all of the condesation that appeard on the keg and in 3 days it was good to go. tasted fine.

 

[RockfordWhite]

the liquid that isn't frozen will be uber alcoholic though.... happened to me once that part of my keg froze, i didn't know why i got so hammered that night until the entire thing froze...

 

[BierMuncher]

the liquid that isn't frozen will be uber alcoholic though.... ...

That's how you get frost brewed beer. If you reach in there and pick off the ice crystals, your essentially "ice brewing". Decreasing the final gravity of the beer by removing the (heavier) water in the form of ice...leaving behind a beer higher in alcohol (and with a lower gravity).

 

[Idlehanz]

I kind of just experienced a similar problem. I've had my keg ( first time kegger here ) in the fridge for the last 48 hours at what I thought was 38 degrees. Went out just now to drop the psi to 10 (from 30) and let it sit for a week. I discovered the water in the glass that I had the thermometer in to be completely frozen over and still reading 38 degrees. When I shake the keg, I hear a bit of liquid sloshing, but not much. I took it off the gas and out of the fridge. Can I just let it thaw, and return it to the gas in the fridge? And obviously turn the thermostat in the fridge down along with getting a new thermometer....

From the sounds of it, my beer will be fine?

Thanks!