I kegged an IPA about 12 days ago and after 6 days of dry-hopping in the keg, started to force carbonate. I tried to pull a sample yesterday and after getting some fine dry hop leftovers the line clogged. I'm assuming that the liquid dip tube or the poppet valve are clogged and will need to be flushed.No matter what, I have to remove the poppet valve. I've never opened a carbonated keg. Since beer absorbs the CO2 will this have any effect on the carbonated beer? Anyone have any experience with this?
Not entirely sure what you're asking, but there will still be some CO2 in the headspace, at equilibrium with the CO2 in the beer. When you remove the liquid post, the CO2 in the headspace will seek equilibrium with the CO2 in the atmosphere, and the CO2 in the beer will start migrating to the headspace (and beyond). So in other words, you'll lose a bit of CO2. How much you'll lose depends on several factors, including how long you have it open. But it won't be much, and CO2 loss is not what I'd be concerned about. I'd be concerned about O2 getting in. The way to minimize that will be to work quickly and to purge the keg afterward. Also, make sure to turn off the CO2 (from the regulator) and release the pressure in the keg before removing the liquid post, or hilarity will ensue.
Yes, this comes up all the time: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/kegging-question.636731/#post-6847272 https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/kegging-question.128663/#post-1874059 https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/clogged-dip-tube.336462/#post-4082429
You might be able to clear your dip tube without disassembling. Put a liquid fitting on your CO2, reduce pressure in the keg and shoot some gas down the dip tube. This is likely a temporary solution so keep the setup handy. This procedure is less likely to oxidize your beer than disassembling. Doesn't always work but worth a try.
