Keg flat after repeated pouring from Keg

[Drink To Odin]

Ahoy brewer's,

I'm having a problem with my fourth ever batch of ale (Brupak Old Ale kit with added spices and honey). I kept it in the primary fermenter for just over a week, then transferred it to the keg for about two weeks before tasting it. The first pour was fine, but the following pours were pretty flat. I opened the keg and reprimed it with 2 teaspoons of sugar, and again left it in a warm place for 5 days or so. The result was a good amount of pressure, but over a week or so on, and 8 or so pints later, the ale has gone flat again!

I was wondering if this is just what happens with ale as oppose to beer, and if there's any way of getting more pressure/head in to the ale at this stage (there's about half a 5 gallon keg left). I'm pretty sure that I don't have a leaky keg, and I can't afford to get equipment for forced carbonation (plus I hear that this can impair the flavour).

As I'm an ale fan, these are all I've ever brewed at home- is this just what happens with homebrewed ales?!

Thanks for any info!

I'm gonna put another batch on in the next few days, so it would be good to know anything before I put this next brew on!

 

[BierMuncher]

You can't maintain carbonation and push beer from a keg without a CO2 tank.

 

[cubbies]

Even if you are priming your beer (ale is beer) you still need CO2 to force the beer out of the keg. What is happening is your yeast is releasing CO2, eventually there is not enough room in the headspace of the keg so the beer absorbs the CO2, thus making it carbonated. However, after you pour a beer, there is now more headspace, thus, some more of the CO2 is able to make it's way out of the beer. Same thing for the next pint and the next one and the next one...until all of the CO2 is out of the beer and in the headspace of the keg. If you want to serve beer out of a keg, you need to get CO2. There are other ways of doing it I am sure, but none that I am aware of. You can still naturally carbonate and use the CO2 on a low setting just to pour. It should not impart any flavor that way.

 

[rdwj]

You could use an air pump to serve beer, but it won't stay very long. You'll get roughly 48 hours.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

I'm pretty sure that I don't have a leaky keg, and I can't afford to get equipment for forced carbonation (plus I hear that this can impair the flavour).

Using CO2 to force carb and using it to serve are two different things. You can certainly naturally carb if you wish, instead of force carbing, but you still need pressurized CO2 to actually serve your beer. As explained by cubbies, the reason your beer is going flat is that without an external CO2 source, all the pressure in the keg is due to CO2 that would otherwise be in the beer, and as you have experienced, it doesn't take many pints before it goes flat.

 

[Joker]

Long story short, you need the equipment you can't afford. Welcome to the obsession we call brewing.

 

[Donasay]

Similar questions to this one come up all the time. I wonder why people think kegs will magically solve their problems or let beer out without putting anything in. I have a friend who I brewed beer for with the stipulation that he come over to bottle it. He asked if I could put it in a keg for him, and I have no problem lending him a keg, but I then told him how much a Co2 system would cost to get set up he balked at the cost and asked to borrow mine. That's a big NO, I guess his beer will sit in secondary and "condition" a little longer, at least it won't go bad for quite a while.

O-well a rant about kegging.

if you cut your diptube to about 3 inches and stand the keg on it's head, you can have gravity help get the beer out of the keg. This will of course still require you add sugar to build up pressure and carbonate every few pints, but On the plus side, your beer will be come more alcoholic the longer you do this.

 

[Drink To Odin]

Aw really- how much would a basic CO2 system cost?! Does anyone have links to such a thing? Regarding equipment, I don't have a cornelius keg which a lot of you guys seem to use, just a 5 gallon plastic keg with a tap- will such a system be compatible with this?

Also, are there any special considerations when bottling ale from the fermenting bin?

Many thanks for the help doods- really appreciate it!

 

[Scimmia]

What kind of "plastic keg" are we talking about? Do you have a link or a pic or something?

 

[olllllo]

He has a pressure keg.
Bear in mind the OP is in Scotland.

 

[Joker]

Also, are there any special considerations when bottling ale from the fermenting bin?

Many thanks for the help doods- really appreciate it!

Tansfer from the fermenting vessel to a bottling bucket, add priming sugar (see one of many calculators for amount of sugar), and bottle. Give it roughly 2 weeks to carbonate. The brew will still be green and will change flavor as time goes on so don't be in to big of a rush to drink it all.

 

[CBBaron]

Something like this keg charger might work to serve your beer and keep it carbonated without too much cost. Ofcourse you have to keep buying CO2 cartridges if you continue to keg beer.
Craig

 

[Drink To Odin]

Thanks for all of the tips!

I've been pointed towards these two items for my keg:
http://www.hopshopuk.com/cgi-bin/browse-no-frames.cgi?view=item&item=sp043&session=156886990


http://www.hopshopuk.com/cgi-bin/browse-no-frames.cgi?view=item&item=sp038&session=156886990



Think this will do the trick?

 

[Orfy]

Yes they will.

I think it'll take around 4 bulbs to dispence a full keg.

more info can be found here.