Head but no carbonation - kegging

So I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this but figured I would check here. The head on my beer is large but there is little to no carbonation in my beer.

I kegged my beer, put it to 20 psi 3 times and let the pressure out each time. Then put the kegs in my fridge overnight at 15 psi. About 24 hours later, I set the kegs to 30 psi and rolled them on the ground for 10 mins, let the pressure out. Let them sit for about 1 and a half hours and tested it....large head with little carbonation.

My question....should I let the beer sit at about 15 psi for awhile for the CO2 to work itself in to fully carbonate? Thanks for the help!

Christian

Your attempt at "burst carbing" was a little hap hazard but I'm going to assume you got some CO2 dissolve there. I'm guessing this is a dispensing issue more than anything. Do you have at least 6 feet of 3/16" ID tubing on there?

Yes I do....What should be my next move? What should I set my psi for and for how long?

Try serving it at 8 maybe 10 psi. You very well could be agitating the carb out in dispensing. How much hose do you have? If not 10' or more you might want to get epoxy stir rods to add resistance.

For set and forget pressure I would put it at 12 and let it go.

I am curious why you keep releasing the pressure when your force carbing. That co2 is supposed to get dissolved into solution.

Then again I haven't been happy with any burst carbing I've done either. The only way I'm ever happy is with set and forget for at least 2, usually 3 weeks.

Is this a situation where all the pressure is still in the keg so you pour a glass that is 90%+ head so when the head dissipates it tastes somewhat carbonated but doesn't appear to have any bubbles coming up? If you've carbonated your beer and you're sure it should be carbonated try dropping the carbonation to something like 5psi and pouring a glass.

I don't force carbonate. I prime a keg and let it carbonate. After a couple of weeks the beer comes rushing in to the glass as described above. I let it sit 3-5 minutes and taste/look at it. No bubbles coming up through the beer and it tastes a little flat. I release the pressure down to serving pressure and pour a perfect glass with great bubbles and the carbonation tastes right. Maybe someone with a little more experience than I can explain why that is?

I just read dontmans post again. I vote agitating carbonation out.

Vent the keg until the pour just dribbles out. If you get bubbles coming up and forming a head for a few minutes, you know you're carbed at least a minimal amount.

Thanks @Bobby_M, came across this article as I've been carbing at 20 PSI in my kegerator for 3 days and when pouring I just got a huge head. Did not think about the pourer causing the issue. I was using a Party tap on a 2-3 inches of line. I plugged into my kegerator with flow control and it poured well. I could now see that it still just needed more time to carb.

Checking the pressure on the keg with a gauge after a period of not force carbing or venting and cross referencing with temp on a carbonation chart gives you an idea of how many CO2 vols you have got in the keg. Then confirm that your line length and internal diameter and keg position in relation to tap is okay.
If you get those factors right you shouldn't need a flow control faucet which will smash some of the pressure up when you serve the beer so it could be well carbed or over carbed in the keg but flat in the glass.

I really like my flow control. I often find the first glass after not using for a couple of days can be a bit heady and so I turn it down. Then back up for the rest of the pours that day. I roughly made my line length according to some calculations but can't remember. I agree your method sounds correct but I find it reliable and simple if your looking for something easier.

First pour often a bit lively as the tap isn't cold ( fact of life ) just drink the first bit from each tap before your friends arrive so that their pours look good!