I just finished carbonating a batch of beer and hooked it up to my draft system to pour off a test batch and I can’t get any flow off the keg. I looked in the lines and it looks like there is a few inches of sediment in the line heading up to the tap about 5 inches above the keg. When I try to pour no beer flows up behind this line of sediment. I’ve trouble shooted my system and tried the same keg on a line I know works well but to no avail.
Could there be a chunk of sediment clogging the inside of the keg? I added gelatin to the keg as a clarifying agent like always and I’ve never had this problem. Any ideas on how to fix this problem? I pumped the pressure up to about 30 psi and still had no movement.
I had something similar happen to me recently where I was getting a slow and weak pour and what came out had some sediment. I took out the dip tube and covered the opening with some foil. I quickly rinsed out the dip tube, re-sanitized and replaced the tube. The beer then poured like it should and it tasted great. This was an IPA that got too much sediment (mostly hop particles) while transferring to the keg.
I have a problem keg that has the end of the dip tube turning and the opening is flush with the bottom of the keg. This rotation only occurs with the final tightening of the fluid-out post–so I have to tighten it just enough to seal it, but not enough to rotate the dip tube and block the outflow. When rotated, the result is very much like when you hold your hand right in front of the vacuum cleaner attachment–the flow shuts down real fast, and you’re lucky to get a half an ounce out.
I dealt with exactly this until the final pint of beer as I didn’t want to open the keg. I think I have two kegs with the bent tubes. Definitely you cannot torque down on the post or the tube swivels and closes off. I thought about cutting it, but it seems to seal just fine without the last torque.