I recently built a jockey box and have run across a few things I need help with. The first time I used it I took it on fishing trip and bought a half-barrel of beer from a microbrewery in Ann Arbor, it worked great!!!! I then got all-full of myself and started to talk it up. This past weekend I went to a graduation party and was asked to bring my jockey box. I was so impressed with how it worked last time I could not wait to show it off. But to my surprise it worked as well and a flat tire. All I could get is foam and lots of it. I had a ¼ barrel of But Light. (Like I said I went to a party not hosted a party) I had my CO2 pressure set at 18 psi to start with and then played with it any where from 5 to 25 psi. Foam, foam and more foam. I am not sure if it was coming from the keg? I could see foam coming from the keg into the jockey box at all times. The only way I could get it to stop was to relive the keg pressure and turn off the CO2. I even tried to elevate the keg above the jockey box to create a “trap” and still lots of foam. The keg had been sitting over night and was around 60*F so I don’t think that it was too shaken up or warm. As for the jockey box it is made of two 50’ X 3/8” stainless steel coils and has two taps. The feed line to the jockey box is a piece of ¼” vinyl tubing about 5’ long and the CO2 feed line to the keg coupler is a piece of 5/16” vinyl tubing also about 5’ long. I keep the box full of ice so that the coils are covered at all times. The funny thing is that the next day I was told that the beer was pouring great. The pressure was still set at 18 psi and there was still plenty of ice left. Any Ideas on what I may need to do to not have this happen again???
Te keg was not on Ice only the Jockey box. So I don't think that the temp of the keg was any cooler the next day. The ambient temp outside did not drop enough to make a difference I don't think.
But Light is highly carbonated, even worse at 60F. So, even if your applied pressure is only 15 psi, the pressure of the dissolved gas is higher. Beer foam does not cool well, so the jockey box wasn't doing anything. The next day there was more head space in the keg, the dissolved gas pressure was lower and it poured nicely.
__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"
Let's say the beer was carbed to 2 volumes. At 70F, that's 26psi so you'll need to keep it there to maintain the original carb level. If you drop it much lower than that, a lot of CO2 will come out of solution as you're seeing. You need some resistance in the serving line after the cooling coil. What kind of tubing do you have between the coil and the faucet?
But Light is highly carbonated, even worse at 60F. So, even if your applied pressure is only 15 psi, the pressure of the dissolved gas is higher. Beer foam does not cool well, so the jockey box wasn't doing anything. The next day there was more head space in the keg, the dissolved gas pressure was lower and it poured nicely.
Right.
A cold jockey box does not repair foamy beer coming from a warm keg.
My guess is the warm beer was overly sensitive to movement and required a full night's rest to settle down.
You should have put the keg on ice. This will make the beer co2 stay in solution. Your pressure in the keg should be blead off as low as you can regulate it to pour beer. When it has finally calmed down you can reconnect the co2 and the lower pressure (Usually 8 to 10 lbs) on the regulator is all you need. Later if the pour is real slow you could raise it a pound.
__________________
Cheers,
WBC
Fermentor 1: Bill's House Ale II, Fermentor 2: German Helles, Fermentor 3: Bill's Schworzbier (Black Bier) Tap 1: Bill's House Ale II, Tap 2: German Hefewizen, Tap 3: Nut Brown Ale Future Brews: Stone IPA Clone, Blonde Ale, Budvar Clone, Newcastle Clone New toy: Blichmann 27 gallon fermentor
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging”
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment”
Let's say the beer was carbed to 2 volumes. At 70F, that's 26psi so you'll need to keep it there to maintain the original carb level. If you drop it much lower than that, a lot of CO2 will come out of solution as you're seeing. You need some resistance in the serving line after the cooling coil. What kind of tubing do you have between the coil and the faucet?
I have the 3/8" stainless lubing going into a 8" to 10" piece of 3/8" braded tube. What can I use to restrict this???
Jockey Box Questions???
Linear Mode
