Help with OverCarbonated Keg

Ok, I've tried searching and piecing together from the forums how to handle this

I had a pale ale in a cornie. I was leaving for Chicago on a Friday for a week. I follow the 30 psi for 36 hour method

So I turned it to 30 psi with the intent of telling the SWBO to turn it off and bleed it on Sunday.

Unfortunately I forgot and it sat at 30 psi for a week.

I have been bleeding pressure when I get the chance.

How do i get it to respectable levels again?

This is exactly why I recommend the "set it and forget it" method. There's not risk of overcarbonating.

You'll have to release all the pressure, let it warm up, and start from scratch.

So release the pressure and put it back in the house at room temp?

I don't disagree with the set it and forget it approach. Just had a lull in production

Shake, purge, repeat. You don't need to get it warm.

If you shake, it's very hard to vent because thick foam just pours out. Not only that but you do risk spending up all your head producing "stuff" (listen to the brew strong episode).

Purge the keg every few hours for about 4 days straight. Warming will help.

Bobby_M said:

If you shake, it's very hard to vent because thick foam just pours out. Not only that but you do risk spending up all your head producing "stuff" (listen to the brew strong episode).

Purge the keg every few hours for about 4 days straight. Warming will help.

Click to expand...

Bobby, thanks for the clarification.

In my infinite wisdom I saw a thread about shaking and purging. Unfortunately I had a brain lapse and did exactly that and ended up with that outcome. Foam shooting everywhere. I was so anxious to fix my mistake i forgot common sense

If you are just looking to serve the beer you can do a several things to reduce the foam. without waiting 4 days

1. open the tap up all the way (trying to reduce the flow at the tap makes the foaming worse)

2. Dial down the dispensing pressure, it takes a little longer to fill the glass but you can have your beer just as carbonated as you like simply by reducing the pressure when you dispense

3. Get the tap head as far above the keg as the hose will go that slows the flow and also helps reduce foaming

4. A longer hose from the corney to the tap also helps but is not a requirement

Bobby_M said:

If you shake, it's very hard to vent because thick foam just pours out. Not only that but you do risk spending up all your head producing "stuff" (listen to the brew strong episode).

Purge the keg every few hours for about 4 days straight. Warming will help.

Click to expand...

I just shake it enough to agitate it and get bubbles rising, I don't shake the hell out of it. I never get foam. I had to do this with 2 kegs I naturally carbonated to normal levels, then ended up finally getting my nitro-mix tank, so I had to lower the carbonation level to serve through my stout faucets. I had an Extra Stout and Irish Red pour great with fantastic head. I've also done it on another keg I accidentally overcarbed when I first started kegging, served through a Perlick and with the same great results.

so I tried to keg my first beer last night, I'm a newbie to kegging. I have the keg in my lagering tank at 38 degrees F and 30PSI.(since about 1130PM last night) I was planning on turning it down to 10.2 psi tonight around 11 PM. Do I need to shake the keg? also, I read about bleeding the keg, but if I pull the release, I get a shower. do I just push out the red thing on my regulator? Also, I cannot lower my temp due to a Kolsch that is lagering at 38. Am I on the right track or am I screwed?