Noob kegging question

I just tapped my first keg and the results are mixed.

* The beer itself tastes good
* The first three draws have been all foam, I have let it settle and am drinking them but they are basically flat topped by a great head
* I initially had the keg at 15 PSI and dropped it to 5 for the 3rd draw

With the reduction in PSI can I expect a more reasonable pour now? In other words, should I get a beer that is carbonated and won't be a foam monster?

how long did you carbonate it at 15psi and at what temp?

Kegged since April 9th at 15 PSI at 40 degrees (F)

Yeah, you should see a reduction in the foam at 5psi. I usually serve at 3-4psi with good results.

brian74 said:

Yeah, you should see a reduction in the foam at 5psi. I usually serve at 3-4psi with good results.

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How many beers do you usually draw before the foaming quiets down ... I am already tipsy and am hoping for a good pull on one beer before it is nap time.

How long are your beer lines? Are they cooled too? Short or hot beer lines can cause excessive foaming.

1. Use 5' of beer line and keep it cold.

2. If you are using priming super, how much. If its over done you might need to keep gas off and release pressure a few days in a row.

3. If force carbing, pressure may be to high. With little head space just turning down the CO2 won't change anything quickly. Remember, the gas is absorbed in the beer so a vented keg will allow as much to leave the beer until pressure is equalized.

make sure you purge the keg of air before applying your serving PSI

OK, I had not cooled the beer line first *and* I only have maybe 3-4 feet of line.

No priming sugar used and, worst of all, I did NOT purge the keg of air before applying the serving PSI.

Thanks everyone, good tips for my next attempt at this!

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a "serving pressure" or a "carbonating pressure". In my system, the kegerator is 39 degrees, and the regulator is set at 12 psi. I never turn up or down or adjust, unless there is a "special" beer that needs a very low or very high carb level.

If you do this "set it and forget it" method, you will never have foaming or overcarbed or undercarbed beer.

3-4 feet of line is probably way too short for your system, though. I'd suggest starting with 8 feet of line.

I find that cranking my picnic tap only partway open makes foaming worse. Crank 'er open down the side of your glass; tilt the glass up near the end and you'll be great! Just takes practise. Some people purge their keg before pouring & turn the gas down but I've heard that can cause aroma loss. Like Yooper I'm at a constant 12 psi.

osagedr said:

I find that cranking my picnic tap only partway open makes foaming worse. Crank 'er open down the side of your glass; tilt the glass up near the end and you'll be great! Just takes practise. Some people purge their keg before pouring & turn the gas down but I've heard that can cause aroma loss. Like Yooper I'm at a constant 12 psi.

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2nd that, but i jsut do the 30 psi for 2 days set it to 9 after wards no foaming problems.... always hammer down on the picnic tap...

Primevci said:

2nd that, but i jsut do the 30 psi for 2 days set it to 9 after wards no foaming problems.... always hammer down on the picnic tap...

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Yeah I like the 30 psi for a day or two method then down to "normal" pressure.

For anyone who is really picky, there are plenty of force-carb charts out there to help set your psi based on temperature and desired volumes of CO2, which can vary by style.

I really like this one:

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Yeah, whwen you carbed at 15psi and then set your 'serving pressure' at 5 psi. the beer is still carbed at 15 psi so the 5 psi regulator isn't letting any more CO2 into the keg until the keg gets down the 5 psi. You could even unhook your airline and STILL have 15 psi inside the keg. You need to purge the keg down to at least 5 psi. BUT, the beer will then release the CO2 that is stored in it and bring the pressure back up to a higher PSI. It needs to get equalized at whatever pressure you want to serve/carb at. So, if you set your regulator at 10 psi and keep purging the keg once a day for a few days, it should all equalize at 10 psi.