Hi,
I just kegged my second beer two weeks ago. My first keg beer is a Copper Ale and the second is a Belgian Trappist Ale. Both are currently on tap, and my kegerator is set at 39 degrees. Both beers taste great, but there are a couple of issues I'd like to discuss.
1 - Clarity. The Copper Ale is pretty cloudy, and I thought maybe I'd rushed it a little (a week in the primary and one in the secondary). The Trappist is cloudy too, although better than the Copper. It spent two weeks in the primary and four weeks in the secondary, plus I used Irish Moss for the first time. It looked very clear in the secondary, but not so much now. I've let a sample warm up to room temperature and it's still cloudy, so it shouldn't be chill haze. The beers that I previously bottled are much clearer than either of these.
2 - Carbonation. Both beers have some foam on top when poured, and both immediately have a collection of bubbles sticking to the side of the glass, roughly half the size of a BB. These bubbles release from the glass, and within five minutes the beer appears flat. I used the set and forget method on both kegs, setting them to 10 psi. I've tried kicking the Trappist up to 12 psi, but it didn't seem to help much. My bottled beers seem to generate a better head, and they generate very fine bubbles for some time - almost like champagne. I've used the same glasses for this test.
Both beers are in used Coke kegs. When I got the kegs, I filled them with a baking soda solution and let them soak overnight, then I repeated the process with OxyClean. I rinsed them very thoroughly with hot water using my carboy spray attachment. I finally used StarSan on them and then kegged the beer. The double tap tower still has its original 5' beer lines on it, but from what I've read this should cause more foaming, if anything.
So, what are your thoughts? Is this just normal for kegged beer vs bottled? Should I keep increasing the psi until I get more carbonation (I thought 10-12 was the "sweet spot")? Any other ideas?
Thanks as always for your help!
I just kegged my second beer two weeks ago. My first keg beer is a Copper Ale and the second is a Belgian Trappist Ale. Both are currently on tap, and my kegerator is set at 39 degrees. Both beers taste great, but there are a couple of issues I'd like to discuss.
1 - Clarity. The Copper Ale is pretty cloudy, and I thought maybe I'd rushed it a little (a week in the primary and one in the secondary). The Trappist is cloudy too, although better than the Copper. It spent two weeks in the primary and four weeks in the secondary, plus I used Irish Moss for the first time. It looked very clear in the secondary, but not so much now. I've let a sample warm up to room temperature and it's still cloudy, so it shouldn't be chill haze. The beers that I previously bottled are much clearer than either of these.
2 - Carbonation. Both beers have some foam on top when poured, and both immediately have a collection of bubbles sticking to the side of the glass, roughly half the size of a BB. These bubbles release from the glass, and within five minutes the beer appears flat. I used the set and forget method on both kegs, setting them to 10 psi. I've tried kicking the Trappist up to 12 psi, but it didn't seem to help much. My bottled beers seem to generate a better head, and they generate very fine bubbles for some time - almost like champagne. I've used the same glasses for this test.
Both beers are in used Coke kegs. When I got the kegs, I filled them with a baking soda solution and let them soak overnight, then I repeated the process with OxyClean. I rinsed them very thoroughly with hot water using my carboy spray attachment. I finally used StarSan on them and then kegged the beer. The double tap tower still has its original 5' beer lines on it, but from what I've read this should cause more foaming, if anything.
So, what are your thoughts? Is this just normal for kegged beer vs bottled? Should I keep increasing the psi until I get more carbonation (I thought 10-12 was the "sweet spot")? Any other ideas?
Thanks as always for your help!