Coopers Cerveza - 5 weeks and still flat. any ideas?

shinnster

Hi all,

well my Coopers Mexican Cerveza seems dead
it has been in the pressure barrel (23 litre) for 5 weeks now and it is still flat. When i pour the pint it comes out with a lot of pressure, but a few seconds after pouring the beer is flat, no life at all. Kind of a waste of the whole process.

Can i add more sugar into the barrel and see if that starts the process from the beginning? or do i just bite the bullet and tip this batch away, wasting 6 1/2 weeks in total.

I orignally moved it from the fermenting barrel after 10 days, adding 100 grams of sugar, leaving it in the same warm place for 2 days then relocating it into the shed.

any hints, tips, or help appreciated.

HBO_Staff

This is usually for one of 2 reasons, either the priming sugar needs longer to work, but after 5 weeks it should be getting there, or the gas may be escaping from somewhere on the barrel. A good thing to do would be to see if the lager tastes OK, any really strong off or vinegary flavours would suggest a problem. If it is fine and just flat, try re-priming with sugar again, and make sure the barrel is airtight, the lid should be firmly screwed down and the white seal in place on the underside, and if possible put a little lubricant on the thread to help it seal. 

The fact it has some pressure in the barrel is a good sign, but the brew itself should have some carbonation in it too. By re-priming and ensuring the barrel is airtight it should hopefully be OK, here are a few points to check;

http://homebrewonline.vanillaforums.com/discussion/209/barrel-problems-co2-injector-cap-leaking-tap#latest

shinnster

the beer tastes ok, its just flat and has no life.
the lid has been done up as tight as possible and i used petroleum jelly on the thread to stop any air escaping.


I will try again to re prime it and see if i have a better result this time.