First Pour wasn't what I expected...

Tried my Apfelwein yesterday for the first time. I kegged it just over two weeks ago. Fridge is at 38 degrees and 10 PSI. When I poured it (I had several samples throughout the day) I would get about 2 inches of head/foam that would disappear within 60 seconds. A slow trickle of bubbles would float to the top while I drank it. There wasn't a pop/fizz in my mouth from the bubbles when I drank it. I am pretty sure it needs at least 1-2 more weeks on the gas. Does that sound about right? Is it just not fully carbonated yet?

Probably not fully carbed.. but hey... it will only improve with time.. unless you drink it all in a couple of days.

not that I've done that or anything

Apfelwein head disappears rather quickly-- I just don't think it has the components to make a long-lasting head (insert puerile joke here).

10 psi at 38 deg. F. is about 2.4 volumes of CO2... good for a beer, but maybe not enough for apfelwein, IMHO. It might be that it's fully carbed, but just not to your taste. Also, the pour can cause a lot of CO2 to be lost as well. I carb mine up to 3 volumes, maybe a tad more, which suits my tastes.

-Steve

how long is your tap line? You might be blowing half the CO2 out of solution.

10 feet 1/4". I think I am going to let it sit at 10 PSI for another 10-14 days and try it again. If it isn't fizzy enough at that point, I will up the PSI to around 17-18 and see if that will do the trick. I figure everyday I wait the better it will be...

OrlandoHomeBrewer said:

I figure everyday I wait the better it will be...

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Definitely. I tasted a year-old apfelwein a few weeks ago, and it was very nice. I'm not suggesting you wait that long! But maybe you could tuck a little away and forget about it for a while...

-Steve

There aren't proteins in applewine like there are in beer and thus the head will disappear quickly, just like a soda.

If you got a lot of foam when serving, you are knocking out a lot of C02. Apfelwein doesn't hold head (like others have said).

Are you serving with a party tap? Try dialing the pressure down to 5psi and serving it slowly. Also the shape of the glass can affect how much foam is produced. I can serve a beer at 10-12 psi out of my 5 foot line into a goblet and get a perfect pour. I try this in a "pint glass" or a mason jar and get almost all foam. The subsequent beer tastes very flat since all the carbonation was knocked out.

I am serving via a picnic tap. If it will help with the carbing, I am going to leave it on the gas for another 10-14 days. Do most people dial the PSI down for serving if they are doing the 12 PSI set it and forget it method for carbing?

I have no idea. I just know that I sometimes have to. also what I've found that helps is to not be "cautious" when serving. If you start with a slow flow (smaller opening), it forces more CO2 out. Open it up full blast as fast as you can. Kind of tilt the glass to let it gently go into the glass. Once it gets fuller, let it fall harder to get some head.

Thats just what I do. I always have to dial down my wheat since its carbed higher. I can get away with other ales with the method I described above.

I will try pouring faster. I was not opening the picnic tap fully initially. After it got going I would.

Since it is my first attempt at kegging I keep telling myself "practice not perfection." It isn't bad and can only get better...