Why is my beer flat?

[brett1341]

I have a Vienna lager in my keezer right now. It is totally flat. I've had it under pressure for 1.5 months now. I subscribe to the set and forget method. So 1.5 months ago, I set my temperature to 40 degrees and the PSI on my regulator to 14, shooting for just north of 2.5 volumes.

After two weeks it was still completely flat. The CO2 tank is still full so I don't think I have a leak anywhere. Over the last month, I've slowly ramped up the PSI to just over 30. It's still flat coming out and the CO2 tank is still full.

I've tried the soap and water solution on the connections but don't see any bubbles. Again, the CO2 tank is still full so I don't think I have a leak anywhere, otherwise it would have emptied by now.

Any thoughts on why the beer is still flat?

 

[doug293cz]

Did you do a multiple cycle vent, and repressurize w/CO2, purge of the headspace at the beginning? To get the correct carbonation, the headspace needs to be very close to 100% CO2. If you don't purge at all, the headspace is more than 1/2 air, and your CO2 partial pressure is only 14 psi (less than 1/2 what it should be.) At 14 psi gauge pressure, the absolute pressure is 28.7 psi (assuming sea level.) At 40°F and 28.7 psi CO2 partial pressure you would get 2.66 volumes of CO2 at equilibrium. If you forgot to purge the headspace, so have only 14 psi CO2 partial pressure, you would only get 1.31 volumes at equilibrium.

Did you shut off a valve after pressurizing the keg? CO2 needs to be left on for set and forget carbonation, so that more CO2 is supplied to the keg to make up for what gets absorbed by the beer, and maintain the CO2 pressure in the headspace.

Brew on

 

[radio2]

Pull your pressure relief valve on your keg and see if you get c02 coming out

 

[FloppyKnockers]

What doug said....

At this point I would just force carb. I wait for no beer!

 

[brett1341]

Applied about 30 PSI to seat the lid, purged, let it sit.

I've checked the pressure relief valve and it was still under pressure. Once the valve is closed I can hear the CO2 flowing in.

 

[pcollins]

Have you poured more than a pint? Pour a couple and see where you're at. If you're just pouring a small sample you're only getting what's in the beer out line in the keg. More than a pint and you'll be getting what's actually IN the keg and what has had a chance to be carbed.