excessive keg foaming

So. . . I just finished my 1st keg of homebrew. I used a picnic tap, with one foot of hose. I forcecarbed (just invented a new word!), and kept it at 10 lbs of pressure.

Here's the deal. It foams like crazy when I pour it. I've heard that I can buy the $40 taps and it won't do that. Or that I can vent the keg it each time before I pour it, or that Austin Home Brew sells a thinner and smoother(?) hose that won't let it foam up like that.

My question is:

Is there another way?

I can't afford the new tap, have heard that venting could affect the taste of my beer and don't want to order and don't trust the other tubing.

Surely, among all of the keggers out there, you know a way to keep the foam down without resorting to any of those measures.

Thanks in advance.

I'm assuming everything is at a proper temperature. Could it be the 1 foot hose? Try using about 6 ft. I don't remember any of the crazy math and physics involved, but I know the length of the line affects the carbonation. I only have a party tap, but the hose is about 5-6 ft. My keg is only at cellar temp and the foam is not bad.

Brewsmith said:

I'm assuming everything is at a proper temperature. Could it be the 1 foot hose? Try using about 6 ft. I don't remember any of the crazy math and physics involved, but I know the length of the line affects the carbonation. I only have a party tap, but the hose is about 5-6 ft. My keg is only at cellar temp and the foam is not bad.

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I'm refrigerated. About 40 degrees. I'd be willing to try the longer hose. That would slow the beer down, don't you think?

It's not the speed, but the resistance and pressure. Search balancing draft lines or resistance similar to find all the crazy equations. The short answer, more tubing, less foam when using the same pressure.

Yeah, You need at least 5 feet of hose. Another problem could be the beer line was warm. That will create foam.

Usually when my system foams, it means it was over-carbed too. It only happens when I force carb it too.

Yup. More hose should do the trick. Try 5~6 feet.

Darth Konvel said:

Yup. More hose should do the trick. Try 5~6 feet.

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whew, I'm you guys had the easy answer. I tried searching for balancing draft lines and it got real deep real quick.

Thanks, I'm going to head to the LHBS today! Anyone know of another place to buy that food grade hose?

What size hoses are you using? If you are using 3/16 inch ID you'll need 1 foot of hose for every 2 psi. The equivalent for 1/4 inch ID hose is about 20 feet give or take.

All has to do with the resistance...

Check this guys page out..He has an excellent explanation of the line length and PSI chart...He's about 2 hours away from me and makes commercial and homebrew kegarators.....His prices are all in $US as well and he'll ship anyway.....

http://neatbrewingideas.ca/faq/carbonation.htm

Yeah, I'm using the bigger stuff. I don't think I can get the smaller stuff locally. Are there other sources for that? Maybe a drug store?

I just called my LHBS and he said that I need to keep it at 2 lbs instead of 12. He's the only person I've ever heard reccomded that. He's also the guy that told me I only needed a foot of hose. He seems pretty knowledgable, but that's kind of weird. The guy has been kegging for years, so I can't completely write off his opinion.

I'd try get as close to balancing the system as I could. I'd do this by adjusting the length of the hose as much as possible instead of trying to change the PSI in the keg (to the extent that you can).

Over time, I think the CO2 will come out of the beer and you beer will be flat and still possibly foam due to higher PSI in the keg.

here's a link on balancing
http://hbd.org/clubs/franklin/public...s/balance.html

Doesn't it depend on the style of beer that is in the keg;
and on your preference??

Carb to the style and keg temp, adjust the beer hose length to match.

Almost all poly hoses are food grade and available at the local Hdw/box store. I would avoid the thin vinal - they kink too easy.

Remember - Excess CO2 will give a bite to the beer (Carbonic Acid).

When using that short of a line, don't you store the beer at one pressure and dispense at a much lower pressure?

I think you have to change the pressure when dispensing. It's a pain...get a tap.

cowain said:

http://hbd.org/clubs/franklin/public...s/balance.html

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Your link is broken!

Igorstien said:

http://neatbrewingideas.ca/faq/carbonation.htm

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Just follow this link and read the instructions......It worked perfectly!!!!

IGOR

crap. stupid link.

here's the same version of what I posted. I like it better

http://ceisites.com/balance.html