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naga77777 · 01-26-2013, 12:28 AM

Ok, so I used a combo of these 2 resources to try and balance my first kegged batch.

(preface, I rock/rolled @ 12psi, and then hit it with 20psi for a day to start off. This was well over a week ago, so I hoped any screwup has reached equilibrium)

Here, I determined that @ 38F, and 16psi, I would have a pretty good carb level @ 2.94vols. I'd like it a bit on the high side.

Ok, so then I went Here, and it says at 16psi I'd only need 7.75' of 3/16" beer line to be balanced.

I have 10' beer line as a result of majority recommendation when I was researching buying my keg kit. I just researched a bit more, and apparently the only thing having too long beer line would just result in a slower pour. I'm totally fine with that.

Well, @ 16psi, I get a full 16oz pint in about 3-4 seconds. I'm drinking out of a taller hefewiesen-type glass now (20oz glass I believe), and it still fills in about the same amount of time. 80% foam, 20% beer. And the beer is pretty flat.

So, experimenting, I backed the pressure down to 12-14 psi. I swear I think I'm getting more foam, and barely a slower pour.

Sanitized everything with star-san. Did not clean brand new lines with hot water (seen where that could potentially cause ripples in the line).

Have my beer line looped/coiled on the fridge door @ about the level of the top weld of the keg. Taps (perlick 525 chrome on SS shanks) approx 2' above keg center.

Now granted, I've had a few homebrews today while "experimenting", and I'm out of ideas. I thought the carbonation would equalize or get better with time, and I do believe I was more satisfied when I first tapped the keg. (either that, or I was just so excited to keg my first batch that I didn't care

)

Any ideas on what gives?

**beaksnbeer** · 01-26-2013, 12:46 AM

Leave it sit on gas for a week at 12-14psi sounds like it is under carbed, next time hit it with 30psi to set the lid seal vent 2 times set it in the cold wait 12-24 hours hook up gas at 12-14psi wait 2-3 weeks and you will be happier with the results. Burst carbing never gets consistent results.

naga77777 · 01-26-2013, 04:31 AM

^will do. "set and forget" next one.

just not sure why this one is so foamy, with longer lines than the calc recommends.

Edit: also I counted after posting this thread, and it was a bit more than 3-4 seconds. More like 5-6, but still foamy as h*ll. I cranked the pressure back up to 16.

**Roadliner** · 01-26-2013, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naga77777

(preface, I rock/rolled @ 12psi, and then hit it with 20psi for a day to start off. This was well over a week ago, so I hoped any screwup has reached equilibrium)

This confuses the crap out of me.. I need to do some reading before I start kegging.

**MagicBrownies** · 01-26-2013, 08:54 AM

FYI

Been kegging for about 6-7 months now. I also have 10 ft lines. Far from an expert, but I have gotten pretty consistent results from this method: Rack beer to keg, seal with 30 psi. let chill. Once cold, hit it with 30 psi for 36 hours. Vent keg and hook up serving pressure (in my case, 12 psi) I can usually drink and enjoy after 1 day at the serving pressure, but obviously it gets a little better over time

**MaxOut** · 01-26-2013, 10:33 AM

Vent keg and let sit overnight at 12 PSI. Make sure all of your serving lines are cooled. A significant drop in temp will cause the beer to foam. I also cool my mugs in he serving refrigerator. Be prepared to pull three consecutive mugs off. By the third mug you should have a good poor. Make sure you tilt your mug and let it run down the side. Do not poor to the center of the mug and splash the beer in. You should be good.

zachattack · 01-26-2013, 12:03 PM

Also make sure you're opening the faucets 100% when you're pouring. I have to explain to everyone that touches my keezer, and half the time they still only open them part way.

Are your lines kept cold? What kind of setup do you have (tower, collar, etc.)? If you pour a couple beers in a row, is only the first pour foamy?

naga77777 · 01-26-2013, 12:45 PM

Thanks everyone. I have a standard fridge conversion with 3 taps on the door.

The beer lines are in the fridge, propped on the door (so they're cold) but my pint glasses usually start out room temp. If i drink one rather quickly, the glass is still a bit cool when i pull the next pint, but i didnt notice a difference in the pour. I havent tried pulling 3 or 4 back-to-back. Will try that tonight. I Always open/close faucets fully and quickly.

Roadliner, the rock/roll thing is what some people do to burst carb a keg quickly. Technically, they usually do it at higher than serving pressure. I did it at serving pressure to try and avoid overcarbing. I figured getting as much as i could into solution @ serving pressure would be a good "head start" and i wouldnt have to wait so long for the keg to fully carb. Basically you rock and roll the keg around under pressure, and you will hear co2 keep going in. Thats the co2 being absorbed into the beer. It will reach a point where it wont take anymore after a few min, and thats when you set it to serving pressure and let it sit for a while to equalize. Well, the next day i got impatient and put 20psi on the keg for 24hrs hoping to bump up the carb level some more. Most people serve @ 12psi.

**Bobby_M** · 01-26-2013, 01:27 PM

For anyone that insists on doing elevated pressure acrobatics to carb faster, I highly recommend you buy yourself an extra gas QD and attach a standalone pressure gauge to it (make sure it's a 0-30psi range). Now when you can't figure out why it's foaming, you can attach the gauge assembly and let it sit for an hour to find out how many volumes of CO2 you have in the keg.

naga77777 · 01-26-2013, 01:40 PM

^so, reading between the lines here, are you saying it could be overcarbed and that's why its foaming?

I briefly entertained that notion, but figured it had been @ serving pressure long enough to stabilize. I also have vented/purged it 3 or 4 times, basically any time i wanted to decrease the regulator pressure. Could it have retained enough co2 in an overcarbonated beer to still be overcarbed after all this?