Good head, not many bubbles?

CornyKegs 728
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Djanvk

Djanvk

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Ok just set up my kegging system I just bought. I have a blonde ale in there and have been force carbing for the last 5 days. When I fill a cup the beer gets a good head which hold nicely and the beer seems to look like a stout with all the little bubbles right after the pour then clears up. The beer though doesn't seem as carbonated as the head would make you seem though, or am I just worrying myself and i need to, "Don't worry relax, have a homebrew.".

the beer tastes good though. :mug:
 
If it's set at serving pressure, it usually takes me about 10-14 days to get a nice carb level. Sometimes I rush it a bit, and start with a higher psi for a couple of days, then set it to serving pressure, but it only saves me about 3 days or so.

What psi are you set at now?
 
It's been anywhere from 20-30psi for about 4 days, right now I'm at 6 because I poured myself a glass.
 
20-30 for 4 days should be sufficient.

My guess is you don't have enough resistance (long enough line) that the CO2 is getting agitated out of solution and into the head by flowing too freely.

It's not uncommon for tapped beer to be a bit...shall we say "creamier" because more CO2 comes out of solution.

Here's a link to a cheap solution that seems to be spreading.

I just installed one last night on a new keg and am on my way home to test the results. :)

You may also want to burp your keg of excess pressure. Just dropping the PSI doesn't mean your serving at that PSI unless you've purged the keg of extra gas pressure.
 
I have 8-10 feet of line, at 12 psi at 39 degrees, and I get a nice pour with nicely carbed beer.

As Biermuncher said, though, you definitely had it high enough for long enough that you should have good carbonation. How long are your lines?
 
My Line is probably only like 3-4ft, it's the line that came with my keg setup I bought from my LMB Store.
 
Djanvk said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a good head normally mean carbonation?
Click to expand...

No, not necessarily. Look at the beer in the glass. You should have bubbles rising up to the surface from the bottom. I think Biermuncher is correct on this one- the short lines are knocking the co2 out of solution, giving you nice head but having the beer be undercarbed. You can have foamy beer that isn't carbonated, if you're using short lines.
 
So I just checked and mine is 5ft of line and from what I'm seeing is 8-10 is optimal right?
 
BierMuncher said:
20-30 for 4 days should be sufficient.

My guess is you don't have enough resistance (long enough line) that the CO2 is getting agitated out of solution and into the head by flowing too freely.

It's not uncommon for tapped beer to be a bit...shall we say "creamier" because more CO2 comes out of solution.

Here's a link to a cheap solution that seems to be spreading.

I just installed one last night on a new keg and am on my way home to test the results. :)

You may also want to burp your keg of excess pressure. Just dropping the PSI doesn't mean your serving at that PSI unless you've purged the keg of extra gas pressure.
Click to expand...

BM, So how did the method work for you? Does it seem like a good solution or not?
 
Djanvk said:
So I just checked and mine is 5ft of line and from what I'm seeing is 8-10 is optimal right?
Click to expand...

Maybe. If you look in the kegging FAQs, there is a sticky that talks about balancing your lines. It takes into consideration the temperature of the kegerator, the height of the taps, etc. In my case, 8-10' is perfect, at 12 psi. But in your case, in might be a bit different.
 
Maybe the stick deals with this, but it seems like a good place to ask. What should the proper balance look like? The OP said he has good head but no bubbles, so if he had the 'proper' balance what should his pour look like?

I've got a stout and don't really want too many bubbles, but now i'm wondering if i don't have them because of the carbonation level or because my lines are too short and i knock too many out of suspension on my pour.
 
Donner said:
BM, So how did the method work for you? Does it seem like a good solution or not?
Click to expand...

Meh...

So far...mixed results.

I have a highly carb'd BMS style beer that is already on a 7' line. I think adding these gadgets to long line setups may nor be effective. Slowed the beer down so much that I think CO2 was building in the lines as it flowed.

I think they'll work much better to balance a short-line setup.
 

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