Does Co2 Become Inert ?

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Hopeye

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Hi,

I've just kegged my first couple of beers for over a year and am using the old CO2 in the bottle (the CO2 is about a year and a half old, as that was the last time I kegged). The kegs have been in the fridge and gassed on 300 kpa since Sunday. Last night (and again this morning) I have taken the kegs out of the fridge and force carbonated them (shake, rattle and roll....). The problem..... The beers are still flat as, both of them have a fairly nice creamy head, but, the beer itself after it's settled from pouring is flat as, the fizzy carbonation feel is not there when I swish the beer around in my mouth. Does CO2 become flat, or inert, when left to sit for over a year ????

Beers and quiet respect for the day.
 
Hopeye said:
Does CO2 become flat, or inert, when left to sit for over a year ????
[post="122423"][/post]​

No. CO2 is CO2, it does not "change" just sitting around in a gas bottle over time.

I'm afraid; however, that I do not have any useful ideas. But, it definitely ain't the CO2's fault!

Hopefully someone else will make a constructive suggestion?

Keith
 
Hopeye,

Try bleeding the keg when your regulator is telling you that the keg is pressurised. Do you get a hiss?

If you manually press the valve in your quick disconnect from your gas cylinder while it is on do you get a hiss?

Perhaps you have a blockage somewhere. I'd be looking at:

- The valve in the male QD post on the keg.
- The valve in the female QD that couples the keg
- The gas line itself
- The regulator
- The regulator coupling onto the cylinder

Scott
 
sah said:
Hopeye,

Try bleeding the keg when your regulator is telling you that the keg is pressurised. Do you get a hiss?

If you manually press the valve in your quick disconnect from your gas cylinder while it is on do you get a hiss?

Perhaps you have a blockage somewhere. I'd be looking at:

- The valve in the male QD post on the keg.
- The valve in the female QD that couples the keg
- The gas line itself
- The regulator
- The regulator coupling onto the cylinder

Scott
[post="122430"][/post]​


Hi Scott,

As it has been quite a while since I used the kegs, I went thru and refurbished and checked the values and regulator. Gas lines have been replaced. CO2 is making it into the keg as there is the customary hiss while bleeding and I had forgotten what the correct kpa was for serving.... (read... I was sprayed with beer as it bounced off of the bottom of the glass....). Funny thing is when I swish the head around in my mouth, I can feel the carbonation, but, the beer itself appears to refuse to carbonate. I know it's been a long time since I've kegged, but, this has got me stumped. Hopefully she come out right in a couple of days......

Beers,
David
 
Hopeye,

It your beers are pouring very foamy, then it sounds like you've over carbonated. For some strange reason this will produce all head & flat beer.

cheers Ross
 
Ross said:
Hopeye,

It your beers are pouring very foamy, then it sounds like you've over carbonated. For some strange reason this will produce all head & flat beer.

cheers Ross
[post="122443"][/post]​
Hopeye,

I'd suggest you look at the glassware for cleanliness.
Then turn down the serving pressure from 300 kPa to 70 (if U haven't - you didn't mention it). If the beer has been on the gas since Sunday, at that pressure, I'd be inclined to think that it would be overcarbonated, and not flat. This leads me to the next question.

If you turn off the gas and leave the keg for a while (say 30 min) is there residual pressure which can be vented? If not, there may be a gas leak from the keg. So, when you pour the beer under pressure from the bottle, the head foams up but the beer under it is flat.

Just about to clean a keg and put some Irish red into it myself.

Best of luck, and please advise what the cause is when you find it.

Seth out :p
 
Ross said:
Hopeye,

It your beers are pouring very foamy, then it sounds like you've over carbonated. For some strange reason this will produce all head & flat beer.

cheers Ross
[post="122443"][/post]​


Ross,

The reason the beer sprayed back up out of the glass was because there was too much pressure in keg. When I bleed the keg of gas (with the customary hissing) and repoured a glass, the head was nice and creamy and only about 1 - 2 cm thick, not over-carbonated. Thankfully as the day is wearing on, even though the beer is still flat, everyone appears to have stopped complaining (it's the wife's family and I have to do some work periodically, so I get the chance to duck away from the rest of them........)(thankfully today is not as bad as Christmas generally is....). In other words, the more we drink, the less we care......

Beers.
 
Weizguy said:
Ross said:
Hopeye,

It your beers are pouring very foamy, then it sounds like you've over carbonated. For some strange reason this will produce all head & flat beer.

cheers Ross
[post="122443"][/post]​
Hopeye,

I'd suggest you look at the glassware for cleanliness.
Then turn down the serving pressure from 300 kPa to 70 (if U haven't - you didn't mention it). If the beer has been on the gas since Sunday, at that pressure, I'd be inclined to think that it would be overcarbonated, and not flat. This leads me to the next question.

If you turn off the gas and leave the keg for a while (say 30 min) is there residual pressure which can be vented? If not, there may be a gas leak from the keg. So, when you pour the beer under pressure from the bottle, the head foams up but the beer under it is flat.

Just about to clean a keg and put some Irish red into it myself.

Best of luck, and please advise what the cause is when you find it.

Seth out :p
[post="122453"][/post]​


Hi Seth,

Glasses are clean, pressure in keg is @ 60kpa, and I've had enough to drink to not really care anymore today. The guests (wife's family of a southern European ethnic descent which can also be found at the bottom of a roasting pan) have stopped complaining and are all yelling at each other so I'm happy........

Beers,
David
 
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