Why so much foam?

[Khan]

I'm new to kegging, but I've tried to read a ton on this forum before I started doing it. Based on everything I read, it sounded like 10ft of 3/16" house was the best way to go for getting a good pour.

I've got an AmberBock that I've carbed for over three weeks using the set and forget method at about 12psi and 40 degrees. I've got 10' of dispensing house connected to a picnic tap. When I pour a beer I get a ton of foam, the beer tastes great, but I can't believe all the foam I get. I disconnected the gas and vented just a bit and poured another one and it came out perfect. When I put the gas back on, tons of foam. I dialed the PSI down to 11, which I know isn't much, but that didn't help either.

Should I dial the PSI down to 5 or 6, or do I have another problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JoeBronco]

Is the picnic tap line in the fridge/cooler and cold? If the line is warm it will give you foamy beer.

 

[erikpete18]

Also, is the hose coiled up or is it hanging down? Coiling it up and laying it on top of the keg is usually better. If it hangs down to far, it builds up speed from gravity going down, then has to turn around and go back up the hose to your tap. This change in speed causes some of the CO2 to leak out solution which can lead to foaming.

If that doesn't work, you can check the poppits. I've had crap get stuck in them before and that can lead to foaming as well. But since it sounds like you can get a good pour after venting, I'd be surprised if that's it. With 10ft. you shouldn't have to turn down your psi (plus you'd have to turn it back up each time you were done, which would be a PITA).

 

[tmeier45]

Should I dial the PSI down to 5 or 6, or do I have another problem?

I had some major foam when i did a blood orange heffeweizen. Tasty Brew calculators told me to use over 25 psi!!! But since it was my second kegging batch and the 1st batch (IPA) went great at what TastyBrew said, I did it. Ended up burping the crap out of it and turning down to 5 psi. After a few days it finally settled.

Since I keep my keezer at 36-40 degrees, I'm gonna keep a rule of thumb to use 8-12 psi. No foam when I do that. I also cold crash my beer, do the shaking and it's ready to drink that night.

 

[Khan]

The line and tap are in the fridge and cool. The line is coiled around the top of the keg. I really have no idea what's causing the foaming. I may just have to lower the pressure and see if that helps.

 

[Backporchbrewery]

I had that happen with mine before when I forgot to turn the pressure down. The beer is carbonated, you just need enough pressure to fill head space and push the beer through the line. Try dropping it to 4-5psi, should come out nice and slow with little foam.

 

[Nuggethead]

I have 10' of 3/16 line on three taps but they have perlick faucets on them. I don't ever have foaming issues up to 14psi. The picnic taps should work just as well with the line length your using so length and taps shouldn't be your problem. Your carbonation method sounds right but the foaming does sound like overcarbonation. I would try degassing your keg, let it sit for awhile and then degass completely again. then repressurize to 10psi and try it. If it's ok, then slowly raise it until it's where you want it. Also, make sure to squeeze or open picnic taps completely. If you aren't opening all the way, they will always foam.

 

[Brewerforlife]

Is your gauge on reg. accurate? How fast is the beer coming out of tap to
fill a 16 oz. pint with gas on? Is this 3/16th vinyl or Poly/Barrier tubing?

 

[malkore]

what PSI did you 'set it and forget it' at for 3 weeks. You say you dropped it to 11psi, well you should only be carbing around 12-14psi to start with.

you might just have overcarbed it and it takes time to de-carb it to the right volumes.

 

[JoeBronco]

what PSI did you 'set it and forget it' at for 3 weeks. You say you dropped it to 11psi, well you should only be carbing around 12-14psi to start with.

you might just have overcarbed it and it takes time to de-carb it to the right volumes.

This is what im thinking too.

 

[erikpete18]

I've got an AmberBock that I've carbed for over three weeks using the set and forget method at about 12psi and 40 degrees.

He says in the OP that he set it at 12psi at 40 degrees, which according the table I've always used should be <2.5 volumes, which sounds pretty good. Unless his regulator is off, the pressure should be good and his hose sounds like its correct as well.

If your CO2 is correct, then your beer likely isn't overcarbonated, which means that something could be interrupting the flow of beer, causing the CO2 to come out of solution. I don't suppose you've got another picnic tap setup, do you? That could narrow it down that your tap isn't causing the problem. Is this the first beer you've kegged in this keg? If it is, did you take off the posts, clean them out good, and put new o-rings on them? Just throwing out ideas now

 

[Khan]

I think my regulator was bad. I had a two body regulator from kegconnection, and one of the bodies wasn't working. I just got the replacement today and hooked everything up. Not only do both bodies work now, but my foaming has stopped as well.

Thank you all for your help though, it was driving me crazy!

 

[erikpete18]

You're not the first person that I've heard wind up with a crappy regulator, but the beauty of kegconnection is that from what I've heard they've always been great about fixing it! Glad to hear you got the problem solved, and good luck from here on out!

 

[repomanz]

out of curiosity, how can you tell if your regulator is not working properly?

 

[Khan]

It was easy for me, no gas would come out of one of the regulator bodies. It was weird, it appeared that one body worked fine, but the other one didn't allow any flow of CO2. The only thing that makes me think that the body that appeared to be "working" might not have been, is the fact that after replacing the regulator my beer pours like it should.