What should I expect on my 1st keg?

[NaymzJaymz]

My question is naïve. I have kegged a batch of double IPA that has been on 12psi in a fridge in the mid 30's. The beer has been carbonating for 4 days. I served a small glassful and received a glass of foam. After the head receded the beer had no carbonated feel. I'm sure that 4 days isn't very long. Any advice on what to expect or do differently from this point? When and if the beer carbonates fully, will I still get the massive glass of foam? Any thoughts? Thanks!!!!

 

[ChemEng]

There are literally hundreds of posts dealing with this exact issue. The search function will serve you well.

Otherwise we need to know more about your system. How long are your beer lines? Are you using picnic taps or real taps?

The typical cause of too much foam is:
1) too much pressure (although 12 psi at 35F is reasonable)
2) too short beer lines, you need to balance your system. You should need about 10' at those conditions for a proper pour. I would start at 12' and cut some off if needed to balance the speed of the pour with the amount of foam.

 

[day_trippr]

So our favorite carbonation table shows 35°F beer carbing at 12 psi would eventually equalize at roughly 2.7 volumes of CO2 - a bit on the high side for the typical ale, but not out of bounds.

But...a full five gallon corny keg will take a good two weeks at that pressure and temperature combination (or anything within arm's reach, really) to get in the "good carbonation" ball park, and honestly, another few days to really reach its peak.

So, there's that.

The other side of the equation is the dispensing system. For 12 psi using conventional 3/16" ID PVC tubing (eg: Bevlex 200) I'd recommend at least 10 feet of tubing between keg and faucet...

Cheers!

 

[NaymzJaymz]

Yes sir, ChemEng, I thought about mentioning that in the post itself. I apologize for starting a (knowingly)redundant new thread. FYI, my "system" is a bare bones system from Ebay. The gas and serving lines are about 5' maximum. What should I do from this point on? Day trippr, thank you for your latest help. After the appropriate carbonation is achieved, what should I do to compensate for the 5ft tubing? Will the excessive foam still be an issue? Surely, there are a lot of brewers using these bargain systems

 

[Gameface]

Yes sir, ChemEng, I thought about mentioning that in the post itself. I apologize for starting a (knowingly)redundant new thread. FYI, my "system" is a bare bones system from Ebay. The gas and serving lines are about 5' maximum. What should I do from this point on? Day trippr, thank you for your latest help. After the appropriate carbonation is achieved, what should I do to compensate for the 5ft tubing? Will the excessive foam still be an issue? Surely, there are a lot of brewers using these bargain systems

Buy longer beer line. It will make this kegging adventure much more enjoyable. 10ft is basically the standard length for kegging vets around here. If you want to do something different be prepared to hear 10ft over and over and over again.

But it works. 10ft balances your system so that you can set your pressure to 12psi, allow to carb and serve without ever having to adjust or bleed off or do anything else.

To compensate for short beer lines you'll want to carb at whatever pressure gets you the volume of CO2 you want, then bleed off excessive pressure from the keg and adjust you psi to about 4-6psi, then serve. After several pints you'll need to bump the pressure back up to 12 psi to get the carbonation right again, then bleed off, then reduce to 4-6psi and serve...then bump the pressure up again, then bleed off, then reduce pressure and serve...then bump pressure up, then bleed off, then reduce pressure and serve.

Up to you.

 

[doug293cz]

Yes sir, ChemEng, I thought about mentioning that in the post itself. I apologize for starting a (knowingly)redundant new thread. FYI, my "system" is a bare bones system from Ebay. The gas and serving lines are about 5' maximum. What should I do from this point on? Day trippr, thank you for your latest help. After the appropriate carbonation is achieved, what should I do to compensate for the 5ft tubing? Will the excessive foam still be an issue? Surely, there are a lot of brewers using these bargain systems

Is your system a tower tap, through the door, or picnic tap? First recommendation was given above: get longer beer lines (and make sure they're 3/16" ID.)

The beer lines need to be kept at the same temperature as the beer. If the lines are warmer, then CO2 will come out of solution more readily during the pour, causing foam. Towers are notorious for needing a way to cool the inside of the tower to keep the beer lines cold.

Brew on

 

[NaymzJaymz]

Doug, my "system" is just a 5' tube with a red fitting on the keg end a small dispensing valve on the other. I feel naïve not knowing a lot of the things that have been mentioned here, but you live and you learn. Thanks for the info on the temperature of the hose. I had no idea!

 

[doug293cz]

Doug, my "system" is just a 5' tube with a red fitting on the keg end a small dispensing valve on the other. I feel naïve not knowing a lot of the things that have been mentioned here, but you live and you learn. Thanks for the info on the temperature of the hose. I had no idea!

With a picnic tap system like you have, there a couple of things you can try:

1. Keep the tap and hose in the cooler with the keg (if you don't already)
2. Probably more useful: drop the keg pressure prior to serving to somewhere between 5 & 8 lbs. You'll need to experiment to find out what gives you the best pours. When you're done serving for the evening, increase the pressure back to where it was to avoid losing carbonation.

Brew on

 

[rjschroed]

Might want to try to back the pressure down to 8 or 9 PSI first. At 35 degrees this will get you close to typical carbonation levels AND help the beer serve better on your shortish line. If that doesn't work, look into longer 3/16" line.