Over carbonation?

I have another question about my first brewing/kegging experience. I think I over carved. hBS owner said I could take gas off, shake beer and then vent keg. He said continue to do this until I no longer have any co2 coming out when I vent. So I started this process, shook keg, vented, shook keg, vented, shook keg, vented and foam started spraying out of the release valve. Seems to be doing what it should. Any thoughts or help would be great. I burst carved on Monday, took it off the gas on Wednesday because I had only foam. Tried again Friday and only foam. Same thing today. Someone please help me get this beer drinkable.

bel said:

I have another question about my first brewing/kegging experience. I think I over carved. hBS owner said I could take gas off, shake beer and then vent keg. He said continue to do this until I no longer have any co2 coming out when I vent. So I started this process, shook keg, vented, shook keg, vented, shook keg, vented and foam started spraying out of the release valve. Seems to be doing what it should. Any thoughts or help would be great. I burst carved on Monday, took it off the gas on Wednesday because I had only foam. Tried again Friday and only foam. Same thing today. Someone please help me get this beer drinkable.

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Well, first things first. What is the temperature of the keg, and what pressure did you shake at?

Where is it now? Is it cold, or warm?

Shook at 30psi at 38ish degrees. Keg has been at that temp steady. Burst carved on Monday at 30, then set to 8 and left it for 24 hours. Took it off the gas Wednesday at noon and have only put it back on to test. Nothin but foam every pour.

bel said:

Shook at 30psi at 38ish degrees. Keg has been at that temp steady. Burst carved on Monday at 30, then set to 8 and left it for 24 hours. Took it off the gas Wednesday at noon and have only put it back on to test. Nothin but foam every pour.

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Ok, the first thing to do is turn of the gas (but I assume that's done already). Pull the pressure relief valve on the keg all the time- whenever you walk by, whenever you think about it, etc.

Check the length of your lines- they sound like typical lines (5') or so, but that's too short for a good pour. Consider buying 10' lines of 3/16" tubing.

Once the beer is de-carbed (is that a word?) you can start carbing it up again without shaking or foaming.

Keep pulling the pressure relief valve, but then about 1/2 later, try to pour a beer. When it's "good", let us know and you can turn the gas back on and at 10 psi or so- if the lines are long enough.

I have been doing that since Wednesday but once I relieve all the pressure, every time I walk by and pull the relief valve nothing comes out, until I shook it tonight then I get co2 releasing when I shake it. I already bought ten foot lines and plan on replacing the five footers. Should I keep shaking to get the co2 out of the beer?

bel said:

I have been doing that since Wednesday but once I relieve all the pressure, every time I walk by and pull the relief valve nothing comes out, until I shook it tonight then I get co2 releasing when I shake it. I already bought ten foot lines and plan on replacing the five footers. Should I keep shaking to get the co2 out of the beer?

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No- no shaking at all! That's what caused the foaming in the first place. think of a can of soda. It's fine, until you shake it!

Set it in the kegerator and don't move it any more. Put it at 10 psi, and let it sit. That will carb it up, and then it will be fine in about a week.

Like I said before, this is all new to me. So if I already over carbonated it, how is putting more co2 on it going to help. Won't it stay over carved?

bel said:

Like I said before, this is all new to me. So if I already over carbonated it, how is putting more co2 on it going to help. Won't it stay over carved?

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Yes. but you just said that no gas is coming out when you purge it, unless you shake it. So that means it's not overcarbed.

So why is there so much foam with what looks like millions of little bubbles rising to the surface? I appreciate all the help. This is just so frustrating. Seems like bad advice,by the HBS owner telling me to burst carb.

bel said:

So why is there so much foam with what looks like millions of little bubbles rising to the surface? I appreciate all the help. This is just so frustrating. Seems like bad advice,by the HBS owner telling me to burst carb.

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Yes, I think shaking it is a mistake, although people do it and say it works for them.

But I think of a bottle of coke- and what happens when it's shaken.

The foam is from the too-short lines, I believe.

Yooper said:

Yes, I think shaking it is a mistake, although people do it and say it works for them.

But I think of a bottle of coke- and what happens when it's shaken.

The foam is from the too-short lines, I believe.

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I'm having the same problem. I think the beer is still undercarbed, and I'm finally seeing bubbles rising to the surface in the glass, but there is tons of foam on top of the glass (1/2 the glass is foam).


I used a beer line equation to calculate the length of the lines for the pressure I'm serving at and it said I need 5.5 feet. My lines are 4.7 feet. If beer lines are 10 feet, wouldn't it be too long?

Length = (serving pressure -1 – (height/2))/resistance.

spaceyaquarius said:

I used a beer line equation to calculate the length of the lines for the pressure I'm serving at and it said I need 5.5 feet. My lines are 4.7 feet. If beer lines are 10 feet, wouldn't it be too long?

Length = (serving pressure -1 – (height/2))/resistance.

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Maybe in theory. But in reality, there is no such thing as a line that is "too long" (unless you're talking about running it extremely long- like into another room). The worst thing that can happen with a longer line is that it takes a few seconds longer to pour a beer.