Trouble force carbonating

[Brian-d]

Denny if your out there...just brewed Vanilla bourbon Porter for the third time. Great beer! This batch turned out as good as ever but I am having trouble force carbonating. I've never had this issue with any beer. What is my issue. I've had it under 30lbs of pressure for a week with no luck. I'm ready to
drink...help me out here!!

 

[Brian-d]

Anybody faced this???

 

[brettg20]

Have you checked for a leak?

 

[aiptasia]

Check for leaks and check your connections. What temperature is the keg at?

 

[ResumeMan]

Or a blockage.

What temperature is the beer at?

 

[Brian-d]

Temp 35. I don't think there are any blockages because I can release lots of pressure from relief valve. No apparent leaks either. This is a total puzzle. It's starting to piss me off

 

[day_trippr]

What was the FG of this batch?

Cheers!

 

[Brian-d]

what was the fg of this batch? Cheers!

1.087

 

[day_trippr]

No, it wasn't - unless you actually brewed up Porter Pancake Syrup...

Cheers!

 

[Brian-d]

OG. 1.087 FG. 1.026

I've brewed this beer before with no problem. These were the targets. The beer tastes fantastic...just won't carbonate. I guess I'll have to switch kegs. Does not make any sense though.

 

[day_trippr]

Higher gravity - that's Final Gravity - brews will take longer to carb, all else equal. 26 points is a pretty high finish compared to less toothy brews.

Time would likely fix things, but if you're bound to change kegs, try to push transfer the beer using CO2 to avoid oxidation...

Cheers!

 

[Brian-d]

I'll wait it out a bit longer. Just seems like it is taking forever.

 

[day_trippr]

I've found my "normal" ales take two weeks to be good enough to put on tap but three weeks to be perfect. Those finish around 12 points. My stout - which finishes in the low twenties - takes at least a week longer to get close and another week to be good, so figure five weeks total. All are carbed and dispensed at serving temperature and pressure, I don't do burst-carbing.

So from everything you've said, it sure sounds like it's all about time...

Cheers!

 

[JuanMoore]

Did you add vanilla beans and bourbon to it? If so was the 1.026 FG before or after adding the bourbon? A higher FG (like 1.026) will cause the carbonation to take considerably longer. A higher ABV will both increase carbonation time and reduce the carbonation you can get into solution at a given temp and pressure. Oils from things like vanilla beans can sometimes form a thin layer on top of the beer that doesn't let CO2 absorb into solution as readily.

 

[insanim8er]

I was going to suggest your regulator (pressure gauge) may be bad, and you're not actually at 30psi?