Root beer not force carbing...move to bottles?

[TerryNJ]

I've had a 4 gallon batch of root beer at 40 PSI for about a month now and it hasn't carbonated. I need to get this out of the keg at this point. Can I add yeast and bottle it? I've read about rolling the keg to help carb it...is that the trick that I'm missing? Below is the recipe I followed. Thanks.

1 Bottle Rainbow Flavors Rootbeer Extract
4 gals of water
2 lb Dark Brown Sugar
6 Cups White Table Sugar
2 Teaspoon Vanilla

 

[Yooper]

I assume your keg is at 40 degrees or so? If it is, I have no idea why it's not carbed, but there must be a leak somewhere as it's not possible for it to not be carbed up if the pressure and temperature are where they are supposed to be.

If you don't have preservatives in the root beer flavor extract, you can bottle carb. I'd use some neutral champagne yeast and mix it up and bottle in 2 liter soda bottles. Keep at room temperature until they carb up, and then store cold so the bottles don't blow up!

 

[TerryNJ]

The keg has been at 36 degrees. Should I bring it up to 40? I'll check for leaks tomorrow.

 

[Yooper]

The keg has been at 36 degrees. Should I bring it up to 40? I'll check for leaks tomorrow.

No, 36 degrees is fine! I just wanted to make sure it wasn't too warm.

It's got to be a leak, or a problem with the regulator, because to not get carbonated would be denying the laws of physics.

You can pull the pressure relief valve, and hear gas coming out, and then gas going back in from the tank?

 

[TerryNJ]

No, 36 degrees is fine! I just wanted to make sure it wasn't too warm.

It's got to be a leak, or a problem with the regulator, because to not get carbonated would be denying the laws of physics.

You can pull the pressure relief valve, and hear gas coming out, and then gas going back in from the tank?

Yes when I taste test it, I turn down the pressure, release pressure from the keg and pour. Then I turn the pressure back up to 40 PSI and I hear the gas going back in. It's been a few days since I've checked on it so I'll do some leak testing tomorrow.

When I last researched this awhile back I remember people saying they had to roll the keg to carb it but I figured that was just to speed it up.

I only have a 1 keg system and I need to have beer in it and not rootbeer!

 

[Yooper]

Yes when I taste test it, I turn down the pressure, release pressure from the keg and pour. Then I turn the pressure back up to 40 PSI and I hear the gas going back in. It's been a few days since I've checked on it so I'll do some leak testing tomorrow.

When I last researched this awhile back I remember people saying they had to roll the keg to carb it but I figured that was just to speed it up.

I only have a 1 keg system and I need to have beer in it and not rootbeer!

Well, don't release the pressure and then pour. Either get long enough lines to pour properly (30' ish of 3/16" beverage tubing), or just bottle it. You don't want to keep releasing all the pressure to pour- that screws it all up.

If you roll the keg, and you can't handle the pouring pressure now as it is, you'll have an explosive glass of foam.

What happens when you don't turn down the pressure and release it and pour? Does it just blast out fast because the lines are too short? If so, that doesn't mean it's not carbonated! The co2 is just getting "knocked out" of suspension by the short lines. If you're releasing the pressure to pour, that explains the seemingly flat soda right there.

 

[TerryNJ]

Yes my pour line is probably too short. Thanks for the pointers!

 

[Jesseedge]

ALSO,

If you're going many days between tasting, make sure you pour a 10oz glass or so for the first glass and pour it down the drain. Then pour another glass and taste that to see if it's carbonated. I know if I go 4-5 days without pouring a glass, all the soda in the 30' of 3/16 line I have seems flat. So I just pour it out. Bars usually pour half a glass out if their taps every day to get the crap in the lines out. I think I did math once and 30' of 3/16 I.D. line is 5.7 oz of fluid. So I just pour out a red Dixie cup down the drain. F.Y.I. I keep one of those bristle tap cleaners in the end of my tap when not using. Helps keep the o2 out but it's not airtight which prob doesn't help with the first 5.7oz. And for what it's worth, I'm running 30psi and my brews got bite after 5 or 6 days. I get good head at the same time. Actually thinking of running the next brew at 20psi to see if it helps. I think after 14 days it's almost too much carbonation for my taste. It's smoother at the 5-6 day mark. The 14 day mark it's got so much carbonation I feel it steals from the flavors cause your mouth is fighting the kick.