Beer Gas causing 100% Foam

I just hooked up my first beer-gas beer. I am using a 75% N and 25% CO2 mixture with this stout faucet. I used this Beer Gas FAQ to help with my procedure. Prior to hooking up the beer gas, I carbonated with about 8 PSI of CO2.

However, I am getting 100% foamy beer, even when adjusting the beer gas down to 25 PSI. The temp is around 35F. What should I do now to fix this?

um, i think you should only have that thing set to like.......6 psi. but im not familiarywith the stout faucets or draft gas. i know that when i turn my co2 up to 25 psi and try to tap, i get a shower instead. hey....BODY SHOTS!!!!

Yeah, that 25psi sounds pretty high to me..... But, I've never used a beer gas setup

Does anyone with actual beer gas experience have any input?

the_merlin said:

Does anyone with actual beer gas experience have any input?

Click to expand...

I have beer gas all the time! Tho i dowbt by experience in beer farts will be of any use to this issue. :cross:

Stupid question I suppose, but do you have the restrictor plate in the stout faucet correctly?

Are you sure it isn't just the normal beergas pour? It takes longer to properly pour a beer off beergas than a normal CO2 tap.

Ha... I'm going thru the same exact situation right now. Would the 'cure for your short hose troubles' be a solution here as well? (Those epoxy mixer inserts).

I use the beergas, same blend, for guinness and homebrew. The same things apply here, how long is your beer line, and what is the ID? You want a minimum of 5', 3/16"ID hose, preferably 8'. Your PSI sounds about right, 25 to 30, at around 36-38˚.
Make sure the restrictor plate, flow straightener and O ring are correct in the spout. Also make sure you pull the tap handle all the way down, rather than partly open. If it's partly open you cause foam.
Dispensing goes like this:
Open faucet all the way towards you, holding the glass at an angle close to the faucet, to avoid excessive turbulence. Fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the glass, let it settle foe a minute or two. You should see the cascading bubbles, just like a guinness, but it clears up quickly.
Finish filling the glass by pushing the faucet, that will add the last bit of creamy head.
I'm off to brew an oatmeal stout right now so here is some good info.
Micromatic article and parts breakdown
Pouring A Perfect Glass of Beer

Um...I'm pretty sure it's supposed to come out as foam and the settle out. That's the cascading head effect. This is how mine pours and I have no issues. My biggest problem is over carbing with CO2 first.

That 8 PSI might be a little high for pre carbonation, 6 might be better. The accuracy of the gauges are typically not so great, so you may have had 10 PSI. You may want to try bleeding off some pressure for a day or two, and put it back on beergas, if the info I previously posted did not help. If you're patient, the 25% CO2 in the beergas will carbonate the beer on it's own within a week or two at refrigerated temperatures.

bdavanza, thanks for your help as you have the most insight. I think you are right about the pre-carb pressure with CO2. I am currently letting the beer depressurize by letting it sit for a while and dumping the pressure in the head space of the keg. The beer appears to be getting closer to where it should be. I have removed the restrictor plate until the head gets a little better even still. Next time I am going to avoid pre-carb with just CO2 and see how that goes.

As for the comments about the cascading effect, i wouldn't have bought the beergas setup if I didn't know the differences between the two and want the thicker head. This was a case of being 100% foam and only paring back to 90% foam after 10 minutes. I'm a patient person, but was a little too much.

I had thought about getting the epoxy mixer insert, but I'd prefer to diagnose what I'm doing wrong instead of masking the problem.

You need the restrictor plate or it will act like a regular faucet for the most part. Just make sure your lines are 3/16" ID and not 1/4" ID, and that you have around 8 foot. AT least 6 foot. Some 3/16" ID lines have less resistance than others.

right, i temporily took the restrictor plate out until i could get the foam under control. i was getting too much foam even without it. now that i've been able to get it under control by releasing excess CO2, it's back in. i'm a happy drinker now