All foam, flat beer

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Very new here...So here's my issue.
I have a kegerator that I've used for several years successfully. I had a co2 regulator that had zero ability to dial in (hand me down). Ended up finding a way to deal with that and would end up with well carbed beer that poured just fine.

Now I have a new regulator and can dial in precise co2. My stout turned out decent but I did the "shake and pray" method of carbing due to impatience, but my amber ale that I tried to carb in more of a classic style has gone batty...

Long and short of it...
Beer 38F @30psi for 3 days, purged and then @17psi for 3 more days. Now I have purged the keg and applied serving pressure and all I get is foamy (long lasting) head, but flat beer.
Also, it's a 5 ft line and I've tried varying my serving psi from 5-12...having no luck.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wardens355]

What is the serving tube diameter and material? What is your serving pressure? You are probably either overcarbonated, have too short a serving line, or both. Take a look at the google doc spreadsheet located in this thread (there may be a better thread to explain it but couldn't find it quickly):

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/beer-lines-431655/

I have the best luck with the set it and forget it method where I set the proper carb pressure and let it sit for 2-3 weeks until it is slow carb'd up. I also find this patience exercise helps to cold condition and improve the beer. In any case, look at the spreadsheet and calculate what length should give you the proper pour. I switched to 1/8" ID Tygon tubing to use only 3-4 feet of tubing for a good pour. I was previously using 10-12 feet of 3/16" tubing.

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

For the life of me I couldn't find the link you spoke of in the link you sent...to be fair, I do have one hand on the phone typing here and the other working away on the tap/in the kegerator haha

I fear a bit of both may be true. I vented it completely, finished my (more or less flat) pint and came back; it seemed to have more to vent just in that 5-10mins. It also seemed to have more co2 in suspension as I finally did start to see some bubbles coming up from the bottom/middle of the glass.

I assume there is no "quick fix" to salvage having some pints this evening, but what would be the best course of action from here?

 

[day_trippr]

Has this keg been used successfully before? If the O-ring under the Out dip tube flange is compromised you'll get a lot of spitting foam and not a lot of beer.

Otherwise, from the 3 days at 30 psi plus 3 days at 17 psi - all at 38°F - I'm gonna go with "horribly overcarbed", and recommend removing the gas QD and "burping" the keg head space every chance you get over the next couple of days.

Then, set your regulator for 11 psi, which at 38°F will yield a carbonation level of 2.5 volumes - smack in the middle of the carbonation range for amber ales - once the beer reaches equilibrium (check out this handy carbonation calculator).

And while you're waiting for equilibrium to happen, buy 10-12 feet of 3/16" ID beer line to replace your too-short line. If you want to know why, visit the only beer line length calculator worth using...

Cheers!

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Yes, I've used all of the equipment before. This keg held a stout perfectly before this.

I plan to gut this old beast of a kegerator that got handed down to me and turn it into a stout tap (reworking all the line lengths/sizes etc). I'm building a new three tap kegerator for my main bar unit and will be making sure the lines for that one are adequate.

Side note: I have "burped" the keg fairly frequently tonight. Since its the start of my very short vacation, I decided to push my luck. I put the keg on about 1-2psi and it's actually starting to flow and taste pretty decent! (I just meant not tasting flat, not to say my recipe is very good haha)

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

I am going to research those links pretty heavily during my new construction phase. My sincerest thanks to both of you!

 

[Eh_Modern_Drunkard]

Hey Day_trippr, I like the carb calculator you linked me to but it doesn't have a time index. That does seem to be a bit of an on going thread issue though...haha

 

[day_trippr]

I've never found a tool that predicted "time to equilibrium" based on factors like temperature, volume, vessel geometry, head space surface area, pressure, SG, moon phase (ok, the last one's a stretch )

My experience has been my typical 5 gallon 60 point brews take between two and three weeks at dispensing temperature and constant CO2 pressure to reach equilibrium, and bigger beers can take longer. So I plan accordingly - and built out my pipeline with a separate cold-carbonation fridge...

Cheers!