Faucet on the keg

[bdnoona]

I have a noob kegging question so bare with me here. I have a keg set up in the basement fridge, but due to cleanliness reasons I won't be putting tappers on the outside. My first kegged beer is in the fridge and I have the faucet connected to the keg with no beer lines. But I'm getting a lot of foam. Is it possible to get the pressure correct so it doesn't foam in the set up? Or do you need the line resistance to reduce the foam? I have a picnic tap on a beer line, but I like the set up better with the faucet right on the ball lock. Any input would be a big help!

 

[ChshreCat]

I'm sure someone else will come along with a more specific answer, but you'll need to keep your serving pressure lower than you would if you have a line between the keg and the faucet. That, and pour slowly.

 

[McKBrew]

You might have success taking your pressure down to the 1-2 psi for serving. (Make sure you purge the keg to equalize at that pressure). If not then you'll need some line. From what I have heard the tap on the keg systems are very difficult to get a decent pour on.

 

[kirscp]

I'm using picnic faucets with 6 feet of 3/16" line, running 12 lbs.

You are best off just using trail and error. Keep turning down the pressure until you get a good pour. Remember to bleed off the keg though.

 

[bdnoona]

Yeah, I bled the pressure down to try and fill some bottles and it seemed to pour much better, but if I do that everytime I pour a glass, then won't I have to crank the pressure back up to keep the beer carb'd properly? Seems like I'd be wasting a lot of CO2 then.
Thanks for the replies!

 

[bdnoona]

I suppose I'll try hooking up the picnic tap tonight. I really like the look of the faucet on the keg though. It would be sweet if I could get that to work somehow.

 

[Moonshae]

It does waste CO2 to bleed down to serving pressure and then ramp back up to maintain carbonation, but CO2 isn't very expensive. Adding resistance to the line is the only other option, though, unless you're willing to drink nearly flat beer. Of course, if you brew and drink low-carbed styles of beer, you might be able to balance.

I turn my setup like this down to 6 psi, and it pours ok (I use it to take kegs to parties).

 

[bdnoona]

I'd rather not waste the CO2 though. It's kind of a pain for me to get them refilled. I'd rather have better tasting beer and not 100% of the set up I want, than a neat looking tapped keg and near flat beer. Thanks for the input though. It is appreciated.

 

[Brew-Happy]

bdnoona,

Been thinking about your issue with having the taps outside of the fridge. What if you were to build a mount on the inside of the fridge door to hold the taps?

In other words have the taps facing inward instead of out of the fridge. The hoses would still be inside as well. Since you will need to open the door to get to your keg-mounted taps anyway, why not mount them conveniently on the door?

Another option would be a piece of L-shaped aluminum (4" sides on it) mounted on the ceiling of the fridge interior. Predrill the shank holes of course. Then the taps would be facing out, but would be on the inside of the fridge. Mounting with screws may be an issue, but there are some adhesives out there for cool moist environments like a fridge.

No bleeding and taps stay sealed up in the fridge.

ok brain off.

 

[bdnoona]

Yeah, I was actually thinking about this. This is not a bad idea and something I'll have to consider for sure in the future. As is, I use the fridge for more than just beer, so I'm not really sure how I could do this yet. I will really have to consider doing something like this in the future though.

 

[bdnoona]

Oh and btw, after hooking up the picnic tap and hose it was pouring perfectly after about three pints. It's good enough for now I suppose.

 

[MoRoToRiUm]

Are your lines 3 ft? (Typical length if you purchase pre-assembled.) If you get longer lines, you may cut that 3 into half a pint.

If you still have the shelves on the door, you could easily use wood and drill holes for your picnic taps, and just have the lines zip tied on the end towards the hinge. That way they're always there, lines are contained. Or, just drill through the plastic bracket.

 

[jonp9576]

you could make a small bracket like Brew-Happy said, but mount it to the keg . you can have your lines coiled on top of the keg behind the bracket. does this make any sense? i can draw something i am thinking of if you like.

 

[EdWort]

I have those faucets on the keg and they work great for parties when you burp the keg to drop the pressure and then push the beer at 2 psi. This is only when you expect to consume the beer in one evening or day.

Austin Hombrew sells the picnic tap with 5" of beer line which will let you keep the keg at carbonating pressure while still reducing the foam.

 

[bdnoona]

Yes, my line to the tap is only three feet. Is that insufficient length to fight the foam? Do you need five feet?

 

[EdWort]

Yes, my line to the tap is only three feet. Is that insufficient length to fight the foam? Do you need five feet?

I use the 5 footers from Austin Homebrew and they work well. I also dispense into a pitcher when drinking beer from one of the kegs in the garage. This give the foam a chance to subside and keeps trips the garage less frequent.

 

[WApilot]

I have to agree with somehow hooking up the faucet inside the fridge.
You need the hose in there for resistance.
I use 1ft of 3/16"ID hose for every 2psi. I carb and serve my beers 12-13psi with 6ft of line and I always get a 1 inch head on top