Sorry if this has been posted but did not see anything specific to my problem. Kegged my oktoberfest last friday. Temperature at a constant 32-38 degrees. Set PSI for 30 over night, when tried the next day I released co2 and turned it to 10 psi. Beer was flat and cloudy. So I turned to 30 psi and rolled on the ground for about 10mins. Released the CO2 from the keg and kept at 10psi over night. Now the beer on sunday was carbonated, extremely foamy and cloudy but did not taste overcarbonated after the foam settled in the glass. Checked on it yesterday, still very foamy and cloudy. I unhooked from CO2 to let it settle, is this the right thing to do or not? How long before the cloudiness goes away? On another note, after the foam calmed down after I poured it tasted very good, if I can get this kegging down I think I am going to enjoy this even more.
Too Foamy and cloudy
- Thread starter Vlcek11
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The beer should be allowed to settle out clear or slightly misty before racking anywhere. and if you use any grains & no irish moss or the like,it'll be misty. If you don't get the wort chilled down in 20 minutes or less,you can get chill haze that can take a couple days to a wweek or so to form & settle out.
At any rate,kegging is no quicker to the glass than bottling,properly done. It needs time to carb & settle.
At any rate,kegging is no quicker to the glass than bottling,properly done. It needs time to carb & settle.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Sounds like you overcarbed it. If it's foaming a bunch, then it should taste flat after it settles because foam is carbonation being lost. Typically if you're going to shake the keg (which I don't recommend) you'd do it at the serving pressure to prevent overcarbonation. If you use an increased pressure, you would refrain from shaking it. Kind of a one or the other deal, unless you've worked out a system with an exact time and exact shaking method that doesn't overcarb the beer with your particular serving temp and carb level. Shaking is likely what caused the cloudiness, by stirring up the sediment that had collected from being cold crashed, but it should settle out in a few days to a few weeks if left undisturbed.
And FWIW 32-38° isn't constant. If your beer temp is fluctuating that much, you might have some minor pouring issues as a result. Hopefully that's just the air temp in your fridge/freezer, and the beer temp is actually holding steady.
And FWIW 32-38° isn't constant. If your beer temp is fluctuating that much, you might have some minor pouring issues as a result. Hopefully that's just the air temp in your fridge/freezer, and the beer temp is actually holding steady.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
I would leave the gas off and vent the pressure every few hours for a day or two, and then put the gas back on at serving pressure and see where the carbonation is.
As far as what pressure to set it at, you need the serving pressure to match the carbonation level. What carbonation level are you trying for? You can use a chart like this one to determine what your serving pressure should be for a desired carb level and beer temp.
Lines that are too short for the beer temp and carb level can also cause foaming. What size are your beer lines, and how long are they?
As far as what pressure to set it at, you need the serving pressure to match the carbonation level. What carbonation level are you trying for? You can use a chart like this one to determine what your serving pressure should be for a desired carb level and beer temp.
Lines that are too short for the beer temp and carb level can also cause foaming. What size are your beer lines, and how long are they?
+1
You are trying to do too much too quick and forgetting to be a little patient. Kegging is a bit quicker but not that quick!
Place a cup of water in the chamber with a thermometer and adjust your temperature to that reading after a day or two, then determine the vol of co2 you want. The combination of temp and desired volume will give you your serving PSI required. Also, if your lines are less than 10' and greater than 3/16" dia. foaming can be an issue. Foaming can also be an issue if the actual tap is warmer than the beer coming to it.
