I'm new to homebrewing, but I've been using my kegerator with commercial kegs for a long time. This wheat beer is my second keg of homebrew (first was a Kolsch with no problems) I'm getting an absolute absurd amount of foam with this beer. I read that a wheat beer should have around 3.5 volumes of CO2. Using a carbonation calculator I figured I had to have my pressure around 23 psi. I've had it there for a couple of days, and now when I pour a beer, its nothing but foam. I've tried pouring a couple beers in a row and each one is nothing but foam. I knocked the pressure down to about 5 psi and it still foams that way. When I say excessive foam I mean there is literally no beer at the bottom, just nothing but foam. Did I have my psi set to high in the first place? Any ideas what's going on here?
Excessive Foam with Kegged Wheat Beer
- Thread starter PKLehmer
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I am very new to kegging myself and I am trying to wrap my head around figuring out the length for different beers but I'll try to help lol
23PSI seems right at 45 degrees F for a wheat beer. How long is your line and what is the height from the middle of your keg to the shank? It seems like line length is what gives most people foam problems.
23PSI seems right at 45 degrees F for a wheat beer. How long is your line and what is the height from the middle of your keg to the shank? It seems like line length is what gives most people foam problems.
If you pressure up to 23 psi at 45 degrees you will need a 138+ inch line
Check out this post and Calc
Cheers
Check out this post and Calc
Cheers
I am a newbie with this too but from what I read, you would want to carb a wheat around 23psi and then bleed the keg and then serve it at 12psi. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
From doing research on here, using those formulas and calculators is not really the best way to go for home kegged beer. Plus 138 inches is right where most people say they are anyway...between 10 and 12 feet.
GSM said:
Me too, but that's what everything I read told mefor this style of beer, I've never gone over 15 before.
My line is only five feet long, I just recently replaced all my lines, and I asked my local homebrew supply if five was good and he said it was.This was before I got on here and found out ten is the norm Again, five is what I had before, and it had worked fine in the past, but this beer is different. Definitely a lot higher pressure then I'm used to though..
What is the diameter of your beer lines? They may suggest 10 feet of 3/16" hose, but you may have 5' of 1/4" line (that's what I have). Less footage, but less restriction as well.
Also, you need to carb at one pressure, but then bleed excess pressure and dial regulator down to 8-10 psi to serve. Good luck.
Also, you need to carb at one pressure, but then bleed excess pressure and dial regulator down to 8-10 psi to serve. Good luck.
3.5 volumes is the correct level for that type of beer so your right. The more pressure you have the higher the carbonation level. The higher the carbonation level the longer the line you need.
The reason why you are getting foam is because your carbonation level is to high for your 5 feet of hose.
If you dial down your beer to "serving pressure" it will eventually become carbonated to the pressure that you set it at.
So you have a couple of options
1. Get the proper length of line for the size line you have to serve your beer at 23 psi which would be true to the style.
2. Set you system to 10-12 psi and use the shorter line that you have.
Number 2 is what most people do but it will take a bit of time before the carb level reduces to 10-12.
Cheers
The reason why you are getting foam is because your carbonation level is to high for your 5 feet of hose.
If you dial down your beer to "serving pressure" it will eventually become carbonated to the pressure that you set it at.
So you have a couple of options
1. Get the proper length of line for the size line you have to serve your beer at 23 psi which would be true to the style.
2. Set you system to 10-12 psi and use the shorter line that you have.
Number 2 is what most people do but it will take a bit of time before the carb level reduces to 10-12.
Cheers
So your saying that his first option is to correct his line to run it at the 23psi for a wheat? His second option is to carb at 23psi, bleed the keg and serve at 12psi?
Did I understand you correctly?
I thought most people carbed and served at the same psi as the beer should be at using that chart.
Did I understand you correctly?
I thought most people carbed and served at the same psi as the beer should be at using that chart.
The kegs carbonation level will eventually reach whatever it is set at no matter what it was previously carbed at, whether it be 23 or zero, assuming it it is being used.
So if it's set at 10 psi it will eventually be carbed to 10 psi.
Does that make sense?
Cheers
What about something like a porter that is supposed to be carbed at 3 or 4 psi? Same thing...carb and serve at 12psi?
PS sorry for high jacking your thread OP and thank you ShakerD for the info
Can anyone explain the scientific basis of longer lines for me? I simply don't understand. It seems like a longer line would accumulate more foam as the CO2 bubbles rise up the line. Hence more bubbles would be obtained through a long line... at least thats what makes sense in my mind....
I'm not exactly a physicist but can someone explain the forces at work and why a longer line is more effective?
I'm not exactly a physicist but can someone explain the forces at work and why a longer line is more effective?
Ok, I've now had this beer knocked back to 10 psi, just to see if I could get it to go without all the foam. I've been venting pressure every day trying to get the beer to "uncarbonate" (probably not the best word, but you get my meaning) so far absolutely nothing has changed. I've even thought of knocking it back to about 3-4 psi to get it to drop down. Again, I had no problem with previous beers at around 6-12psi.
