Too Fast at 10 psi

I'm at a loss and need an expert.

My system temp is set for 37, it's a big keezer and may be around 43 ish realistically.
I've carbed at 25 for a week about a week ago, the keg has been sitting under 10 to 12 psi since.

The beer still seems to pour really fast, fills the glass with half head, but the head dissipates after 2 to 3 minutes, so it doesn't linger. It's not how I'm pouring either, its seems that the first good chunk of every dispense is head, then it clears out mid pour. But I'm still left with a cup of bubbles.

Thoughts? Redirects to Forums already covering this?

Thanks and Cheers.

Lines look way too short.

Check here: http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/

I see, so with these calculations, 1/4 inch line causes me to need 40ish feet, If I move to 3/16, 8 feet. That is a major bummer as all my beer line equipment is 1/4.

Thank you for this, I will make some changes and move on from here.

You can get a 3/16" hose on a 1/4" fitting. You just need to want it bad enough.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that turning the serving pressure down to 2psi is the wrong way right? Haha

jburton1103 said:

...I've carbed at 25 for a week about a week ago, the keg has been sitting under 10 to 12 psi since....

The beer still seems to pour really fast, fills the glass with half head, but the head dissipates after 2 to 3 minutes, so it doesn't linger.

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If you carbed cold beer at 25 for a week then you're overcarbed and the foamy pour issue would be the problem. To resolve this would be to remove the gas line and just vent the excess pressure slowly over a few days; even simply pouring a beer will create more headspace and allow excess carbonation out of solution to re-equalize.

Lines are probably too short...and you over carbonated. At 25 psi at 37-43F, you carbonated to 3.5-3.7 vol. you should have 7-8ft of 3/16 line for normal carb level and you'll need much more than that for 3.5-3.7 vols. you need to either make the lines way longer or get some of that carbonation out.

jburton1103 said:

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that turning the serving pressure down to 2psi is the wrong way right? Haha

Click to expand...

Probably not the best solution.

Alright,
I'll release the pressure over the next few days and get 3/16 lines to replace the 1/4.
And re-evaluate my force carb method as well.

Thanks everyone.

Pull the keg out of the keezer. Don't try to purge the pressure cold of it will take forever.

If you want to serve at 10-12 psi. Carb there too. If you want to do it quick at higher pressure. Just do it for a day or two to get a jump on it. Then bring the pressure down to serving pressure to finish.

jburton1103 said:

Alright,
I'll release the pressure over the next few days and get 3/16 lines to replace the 1/4.
And re-evaluate my force carb method as well.

Thanks everyone.

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Chill to serving temp, 30 psi for 1 1/2 to 2 days with no shaking. Then drop to serving psi usually 10-12 psi. Youll be right where you need to be

I'm trying to find the math, if I carbed at straight 12 the whole time, how long would that take to hit 2.4?

I'm mainly brewing pale ales at the moment.

Also, it seems most tap shanks are 1/4 barb. Are you guys using reducers?

jburton1103 said:

I'm trying to find the math, if I carbed at straight 12 the whole time, how long would that take to hit 2.4?

I'm mainly brewing pale ales at the moment.

Also, it seems most tap shanks are 1/4 barb. Are you guys using reducers?

Click to expand...

3/16 line will fit on a 1/4 barb. No reducer necessary. Soak the end of the hose in hot water for a minute or so, then push it on there. It will be tight, but it works.

Oh and do yourself a favor, if you're changing your beer lines, put at least 15 ft of 3/16 line on each of your faucets. You will be glad you did. Otherwise, you'll be posting again with foamy pour issues. Or, if you really want to dial it in, use the line length calculator linked above.

Also, 25 psi for a week most likely over carbonated your beer. It will be foamy until you get it back down to a reasonable carb level.

jburton1103 said:

I'm trying to find the math, if I carbed at straight 12 the whole time, how long would that take to hit 2.4?

I'm mainly brewing pale ales at the moment.

Also, it seems most tap shanks are 1/4 barb. Are you guys using reducers?

Click to expand...

I think the slow carb method is around 2 weeks. I always force carb the way I gave you with perfect carbination. Ive never had a standard shank not fit a 3/16 hose,buy a quality line and not Home depot stuff,It makes a difference,They're thicker walled

Wow, 1/4 lines no wonder.

Yeah 3/16 will fit on 1/4 barb no problem. You can either dunk the end in hot water to get it pliable or i use a heatgun to heat the end for a few seconds on each side and push it right on.

However in order to stretch this you need to make sure of the wall thickness is good enough. The quality stuff you get from most homebrew shops such as bevlex is usually more than enough for this at 3/16 x 7/16. However i had some old 3/16 x 1/4 lying around and that didnt cut it (it tore when i tried to make the stretch). I bought thicker (but still smaller and cheaper 1/3 the price than the bevlex) 3/16 x 5/16 off amazon and this was sufficient, no tearing.

As for how long i've to carb up at serving pressure the lower you go itll add a little time. I've heard 4 days and i've heard 2 weeks.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=73328

Cheers!

Perfect timing for this thread ... for me. Was going to ask a similar question. Using that great link I realized the base setup picnic tap hose I received was WAAAAY oversized at 5/16" No wonder I was blasting out 50% foam.

These are my go to suggestions in the store when customers have kegging issues.

Carbonate slow 5-7 days at about 15 psi (depending on the beer style and the FG) adjust slowly as needed, and test along the way.
DONT SHAKE IT! It's not a martini!
Carbonate COLD 34-36 Deg F
Serving lines ALWAYS 3/16" and keep em long. 15' is where I like to see them. Yes the calculators will tell you 15' is too much. Experience tells me differently.
Serve at 10-12 PSI shooting for 1-2 PSI at the faucet and adjust as needed to reach this.

This ALWAYS seems to cure the kegging wows we get.

Good luck

Cheers
Jay

Jaybird said:

DONT SHAKE IT! It's not a martini!

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Don't even shake a martini. Stir them. 007 was wrong.

Speaking of which, as soon as I finish this beer, I'm going to go make one.

Thanks for the help everyone, got the lines changed out with proper lengthed 3/16. Lines are flowing much friendlier now.

Cheers!