Root beer, soda, keg pressure, line length

[billtzk]

I'm going to dedicate a 3 gallon corny to root beer, and I'm trying to decide how to set it up in my keezer. I've read a couple dozen threads on this topic, and the setup parameters seem to be all over the map. I read about pressures ranging from 20 to 35 PSI and 3/16th ID line lengths ranging from 15 to 35 feet. That's quite a variation. I guess a lot of it has to do with individual taste and tolerance or affinity for fizz and foam.

I like a moderately bright and sparkly, not too spicy but well carbonated root beer. I don't want it so carbonated that it burns or obscures the root beer flavor. I know I'll have to experiment to find the right combination.

I'm thinking 30 PSI at 39 degrees with 30 feet of 3/16th ID line. Will it pour too slowly with 30 feet of line? Or is that much line necessary to prevent foaming problems at 30 pounds of pressure? Or do I need to go even longer?


As a secondary question: I'm going to use an extract that I picked up at my LHBS. It's called "Old Fashioned Homebrew Root Beer Soda Pop Base", and it says "Ozark Made" on the box. Also, "Old Time Flavor" and it makes 4 gallons. The recipe just calls for sugar and water and yeast. I'm not using yeast because I'm going to force carb it. Have any of you tried this brand? What was your impression of it? How did you like it? Did you end up using anything other than white sugar (e.g., honey) to sweeten it?

 

[Yooper]

I'm thinking 30 PSI at 39 degrees with 30 feet of 3/16th ID line. Will it pour too slowly with 30 feet of line? Or is that much line necessary to prevent foaming problems at 30 pounds of pressure? Or do I need to go even longer?


As a secondary question: I'm going to use an extract that I picked up at my LHBS. It's called "Old Fashioned Homebrew Root Beer Soda Pop Base", and it says "Ozark Made" on the box. Also, "Old Time Flavor" and it makes 4 gallons. The recipe just calls for sugar and water and yeast. I'm not using yeast because I'm going to force carb it. Have any of you tried this brand? What was your impression of it? How did you like it? Did you end up using anything other than white sugar (e.g., honey) to sweeten it?

That might be ok. I found some cheaper line at McMaster-Carr that is a bit more rigid, with a smaller OD, and it was $.15/foot- so I bought 50 feet of it for $7.50! I keep mine at 30 psi, and I cut that tubing into one 30 and one 20 foot length. I like the 30 foot better. It doesn't pour slowly, and it worked great for me. I haven't made it lately, as my kids are grown up and gone now.
I haven't used that brand. I've used the plain old McCormicks from the grocery store, following their recipe and adding some maltodextrine to it for body and mouthfeel. It was really pretty good! The other brand I use (still have quite a bit) is the Sprecher's syrup, sold by Northern Brewer.
For the McCormicks brand, I used brown sugar a couple of times. My son loved it that way, but I hated it. I don't like brown sugar, I guess! I found that I liked plain old white sugar the best. If you like brown sugar, you could try a 50/50 mix of brown sugar and white- that's how my son liked it the best and he started making it himself and bottling it when he made it "his" way.

 

[billtzk]

Thanks Yooper. It's good to get some confirmation on the line length.

I'm mixing the root beer now, and I'm subbing brown sugar for a quarter of the white. I decided not to try the honey. I should be able to deliver an update in a few days once this stuff is carbed up good.

 

[bbbrew]

Huh. No wonder why my son's root beer was never carbed enough. I had been keeping it at 10 psi at 36 F, just like the beer. I suppose it time to get a manifold in the kegerator and jack that pressure up a bit.
BB

 

[billtzk]

You'll need a secondary regulator too. Everything connected to a manifold (air distributor) is at the same pressure.

You could put a Y splitter on your primary regulator and let one side go directly to the soda keg and the other side go to a secondary regulator to reduce the pressure and then on to your beer keg. You'd set your primary regulator to 30 psi, and the secondary regulator to 10 or 11 or whatever you like for your beer. Of course, you can use air distributors on either leg of the Y to split into as many kegs as you want.

Or something like this would be a simple solution for keeping any number of kegs at two different pressures:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=2363

My primary regulator is set at 35 PSI. It goes to a bank of 3 secondary regulators. Each secondary regulator goes to a 3 way air manifold. So I have 3 kegs at each of 3 different pressures, potentially. One of my secondaries is set to 30 psi and goes to the soda kegs, the other two are currently set to the same pressure, 11 psi, and go to the beer.

 

[billtzk]

The Rainbow root beer tastes pretty good, but I made it strong. I used the whole bottle of extract to make 3 gallons of root beer. It's supposed to make 4 gallons. I'm going to dilute it slightly, maybe add one quart of water. At it's current strength it makes a killer purple cow.

It carbed up in about 4 days. I have the pressure set to 30 PSI, and I have 30 feet of line. The amount of carbonation seems fine but it does foam up a bit when pouring. You have to let it settle, then add more to the glass. The head settles rapidly like all soda, much more quickly than beer.

I think a slightly longer line, maybe 35 feet, might help reduce the head, but a downside I've noticed to the long line is that the first glass I pour after letting it sit for a couple of days has very little carbonation. Should the soda sitting in the long line for a couple of days lose carbonation? I'm going to try to figure out how much soda is in 30 feet of 3/16th ID line.


Edit: OK if I did it right, 30 feet of 3/16th ID line would be a volume of 9.95 cubic inches. About 5.5 fluid ounces, assuming a gallon of water is 231 cubic inces?

 

[WAORGANY]

I have my rootbeer set at 20 lbs and 20 feet of line I also have kegged Sprecher's syrup, as well as their orange temp is 38 degrees works great

 

[billtzk]

I keep mine at 37 with 3 degree hysteresis. It's pretty cold, so I may go up to 39. I'll try reducing my pressure to 25 PSI and see what happens.

WAORGANY (an acronym?) if that is your keezer in your icon, where did you get your drip trays? I need to cover 8 taps on 3 inch centers. I'm tired of the drips on the floor.

 

[JRems]

I have my soda set at 30-35 psi. Only using 5 feet of tubing, but installed 4 of the plastic epoxy mixers in the dip tube and it slowed it down perfectly. Also with that root beet extract I use half of the reccommended sugar, it's up to your taste but the recipe was way too sweet for me.

 

[billtzk]

A little too sweet for me too, JRems. Next time I'm trying Zatarain's extract, and I'll add the sugar in stages, dilute to proper strength, and taste before it goes in the keg.