My issue with foam and the solution

My beer seems to be complete foam. Shocker! This has to be a common thread. A few things.

1) I used 6 foot 3/16 beer lines.
2) I keep my keezer at 36 ~ 38 degrees


I tried coiling the lines on top of my kegs which did not help. I then raised my temp to 40 and did not help.

I thought about why do the people in the bar always open the taps and let a bit out before pouring a beer. So I tried this and this actuall worked. Although I am not happy about pouring about a half glass of beer down the drain before I put my glass under the tap.

So my question is why does this work and how to correct the issue to allow me to pour a beer without foam on the first pour?

it sounds like the lines and or faucet are significantly above the beer temp.

Does this happen with all your corny kegs? I have one that defies logic by foaming religiously, despite a well-balanced system and thorough cleanings in the past.

Funny that you say that since it does happen everytime with one. The other three is hit or miss.

Are you setting and forgetting or setting it to a high PSI and shaking??

I've found that when I set and forget, I never have foaming issues but if I set it to like 30 PSI and shake the keg, I'll still have over-carbonation and foam issues a week later.

It doesn't take a lot of shaking at high pressure to cause foaming issues I've learned. I don't even know if you're shaking the kegs. Just a thought.

Sounds like a warm spot if it goes away quickly after starting the pour. Do any lines run by any warm spots in your fridge/freezer?

Also, if it's only one keg, take that sucker apart. Every once in a while I'll get a bad poppet or bits of crap stuck in the poppet, and the extra turbulence knocks CO2 out of suspension. Upon cleaning/repairing the post, everything is aces.

I know that all of his lines are in his keezer, so same temp as beer, he also uses the set and forget method.

Thanks for answering Jay.

Also you can actually see the bubbles (CO2) in the beer line that is still foaming regardless of what I do. Does this have anything to help find the issue?

Maybe the poppet is bad in that keg causing the CO2 to fall out of suspension.

Just because the lines are in the keezer doesn't mean they're the same temp as the beer. You can get some pretty major temperature gradients within the keezer itself.

Most people will run a small fan in there to keep the air moving. Even so, the faucets are exposed to room temp, the shanks warm up a bit. CO2 comes out of solution. The way I deal with it is to pour 1-2oz, chug it down, fill glass.

someone told me:

"get as long of a shank that will fit"

that way, it'll have more mass to keep the faucet cool. it...kinda...makes....sense....

I am trying the 3/16 line through the 1/2 copper pipe in the tower. Just filled one keg, so don't know what will happen. I have heard that it works well.
If not, bobby's suggestion sounds better then pouring out half a glass like I have been!

Dave258 said:

I am trying the 3/16 line through the 1/2 copper pipe in the tower. Just filled one keg, so don't know what will happen. I have heard that it works well.
If not, bobby's suggestion sounds better then pouring out half a glass like I have been!

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Sorry, it won't work, the tower needs to be cooled.

Interesting view about the taps being warm. So once I pour some beer through the taps they become cold and then I can get nice poured beer.

I was at the FrankenMuth brewery this summer and they has a system that formed a ring of ice around the taps. Looked cool (no pun) and actual serves a function.

So how do I keep my taps cold. Longer shaft like someone said?

BTW wildwest 450 don't let them pull your avatar. "FREE THE LESBIAN KISSING BEER MAIDS"

WhirlingBastard said:

So how do I keep my taps cold. Longer shaft like someone said?
BTW wildwest 450 don't let them pull your avatar. "FREE THE LESBIAN KISSING BEER MAIDS"

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What's your setup? A tower, or shanks through a collar? Also you said something about bubbles in your beer lines, that can cause foaming.


Over my dead body.

Shanks through a collar. Yes I can see bubbles in my line. What is causing the bubbles in my line?

WhirlingBastard said:

Shanks through a collar. Yes I can see bubbles in my line. What is causing the bubbles in my line?

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That's CO2 coming out of suspension. Either your pressure is too low for your carbonation level, or the beer in your lines is warming up.