I'm Gassing Up A Recent Brew And...

[Wortgames]

OK, try some detergent on your glassware. If they have any traces of fat/grease/oil on them water isn't going to get it off. There's nothing wrong with using detergent on glassware, it just needs to be rinsed off well.

Dishwashers can attack and pit the surface of the glass. This could have the effect of causing the beer to foam up a bit more than normal to start with, making it go flat too early. Unlikely to be the sole cause of your problems, but certainly a possible factor and now that you are a brewer and in the business of scrutinising your beer it's probably worth getting a bit particular about your glassware.

Regarding the lubricant, most people use some kind of lubricant on/in the keg posts to help the disconnects go on and off easily and also to help the poppet seal properly. The best stuff is proper food grade keg lube (available from our online sponsors or your friendly local homebrew shop) but some folks use vaseline or KY jelly (not recommended). Some less 'particular' brewers use spray vegetable oil etc, this is obviously not a good idea if you want a decent head on your beer.

Have you serviced your kegs since you got them? You need to take the posts off once in a while, give everything a good soak, replace any damaged rubber bits etc. This is especially important if you're not sure of the history of your kegs, as they can gunk up over time and if the last owner used bacon fat as a keg lube you'll want to get rid of it

 

[Hargie]

...sorry mate....plain sugar in your beer will be pretty much completely converted by the yeast into alcohol and co2..that will leave it watery feeling in your mouth...beer that has a nice mouthfeel still has some (however small) amount of un-fermentable sugars and just feels fuller in your mouth, more satisfying perhaps...it has more 'body'... try this....

..go to a good bottlo, try a Pilsner Urquell then a Crown Lager.....you will instantly feel how different they are....


your beer needs some of the right type of proteins to produce and hold a head...to me it sounds like they are lacking in your beer-if the glassware isn't the problem.... I don't wipe my glasses, just hot water rinse twice and into the fridge upside down...

 

[jkeysers]

WG - OK. I just joined Craftbrewer and bought some lubricant and a brand new beer mug. So hopefully those things can eliminate some problems. The keg setup is a reconditioned one, so all the seals and keg posts should be pretty good. I will lube it all up anyway. As for the glass, I'll make sure this one never goes in the dishwasher, and that I wash and rinse it well. Those couple of things should eliminate some possibilities as the cause of problems.

How often should I be servicing my kegs? I have 2, but have only used 1 so far (and its only on its 2nd batch of beer now). I haven't take in apart as yet.

Hargie - I didn't use plain sugar, I used dextrose that came with the kit. I'm no expert, but I guess it feels somewhere between the 2 you mentioned. It's not quite watery, but not "full" either. Hopefully my HWK is a lot better. Every bit of info I learn on this keg, I will apply to the next one, so hopefully I end up with a nice drop!