I have been through many of the overcarbonation/foaming issues in kegs threads in the forum, and tried to follow most of the advice, but am still having some 'too much foam while pouring issues'.
Here is my situation:
I kegged a Dunkelweizen and a Hefeweizen about 10 days ago. I cooled them to 40 F (my chest freezer temp), jacked the pressure to 20psi (this is as per the charts for ~3 volumes of carbonation recommended for the German wheat) and have pretty much left them at this pressure without shaking or anything. I have been occasionally trying out small glasses to check for carbonation levels.
I checked around day 5 - beer was pouring well, and head could be created tilting the glasses properly etc. Next I tried on Day 8 and both the beers were suddenly creating a lot of foam - on the first as well as the subsequent pours. Turning down the serving pressure to 1-2psi did not really help.
I forgot to take pictures, but I am getting about half foam, half liquid per pour.
Currently I have 10 feet of 3/16 hose with a picnic tap at the end - this is temporary while I build my collar. Also, I used glasses that were chilled to the freezer temp - however I was mostly using tulip glasses so as to pour small amounts for tasting.
My question is - is the beer overcarbonated by any chance even though I followed the set and forget method? Or is this typical foam for a wheat? (I have had Erdinger & Franziskaner Hefeweizens as well as hefes poured from tap at German pubs, and they do have a strong head, but mine seems excessive.) Will foam trouble go away once I complete the collar and install the Perlick faucets?
Finally, if the beer is indeed overcarbonated, what is the solution to reducing the carbonation - bleed the gas from the kegs and reset the pressure ?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Here is my situation:
I kegged a Dunkelweizen and a Hefeweizen about 10 days ago. I cooled them to 40 F (my chest freezer temp), jacked the pressure to 20psi (this is as per the charts for ~3 volumes of carbonation recommended for the German wheat) and have pretty much left them at this pressure without shaking or anything. I have been occasionally trying out small glasses to check for carbonation levels.
I checked around day 5 - beer was pouring well, and head could be created tilting the glasses properly etc. Next I tried on Day 8 and both the beers were suddenly creating a lot of foam - on the first as well as the subsequent pours. Turning down the serving pressure to 1-2psi did not really help.
I forgot to take pictures, but I am getting about half foam, half liquid per pour.
Currently I have 10 feet of 3/16 hose with a picnic tap at the end - this is temporary while I build my collar. Also, I used glasses that were chilled to the freezer temp - however I was mostly using tulip glasses so as to pour small amounts for tasting.
My question is - is the beer overcarbonated by any chance even though I followed the set and forget method? Or is this typical foam for a wheat? (I have had Erdinger & Franziskaner Hefeweizens as well as hefes poured from tap at German pubs, and they do have a strong head, but mine seems excessive.) Will foam trouble go away once I complete the collar and install the Perlick faucets?
Finally, if the beer is indeed overcarbonated, what is the solution to reducing the carbonation - bleed the gas from the kegs and reset the pressure ?
Thanks in advance for your replies.