Another Foaming Problem

[mdbk]

I have been looking through the forums and have not seen anything that addresses my particular issue.

Set-up: 5lb co2 tank, 14' 3/16" I.D. beer line with a picnic tap. Beer line and picnic tap are kept in the kegerator. Kegerator kept at 38 degrees.

Some history: Got the corny keg, co2 tank regulator, etc. about 2 months ago. First beer in was a kolsch. I over carbonated and then monkeyed with the thermostat and the fridge got too cold and the beer froze. I had pulled off a few too many pints before I realized what was going on, but it did explain why there was a lack of carbonation and why the beer was waaay to strong. I tossed the remaining 3 gallons of ice.

I next brewed an all-grain BIAB centennial blonde. left in primary for 1.5 weeks and then into the keg. I put into the 38 degree kegerator on 10psi, planning on a week or so to fully carbonate. Pulled a glass after 3 days and it foamed the entire glass. I checked my regulator and it was at 10 psi. I gave it a few more days and again, the same problem. tried a few more pints over the next few days with always the same result. Purged the keg and set pressure to 3 psi. Poured great.

Seems that my break point between beer and foam is 5-6 psi. I am running 14' (yes, that's 14 feet) of 3/16" I.D. line. I used the 3/16" clear line from Home Depot. I worry that if I leave at 5psi, my beer will eventually be under carbonated, and I don;t want to purge the corny, reduce the pressure, pull a glass, and increase pressure every time I need a drink.

By all of my calculations, I should not need 14' of line. should be <<10 ' of 3/16" line.

Not sure what is going on and hoping someone can point me in the right direction! I can always try 20' of line to see what happens there....

 

[deepcdan99]

I usually leave mine at about 10psi and have approx 6ft of line and have had no problems with foam at all.

 

[igotsand]

I next brewed an all-grain BIAB centennial blonde. left in primary for 1.5 weeks and then into the keg. I put into the 38 degree kegerator on 10psi, planning on a week or so to fully carbonate. Pulled a glass after 3 days and it foamed the entire glass. I checked my regulator and it was at 10 psi. I gave it a few more days and again, the same problem. tried a few more pints over the next few days with always the same result. Purged the keg and set pressure to 3 psi. Poured great.

What was your Fg? Sounds like it was still finishing up maybe? That would explain the extra c02 in the keg.....

 

[worksnorth]

I'm with igotsand, 1.5 weeks fermentation and then in the keg sounds pretty fast. May have needed more time in fermentation.

 

[mdbk]

The centennial blonde fished with a f.g. Of 1.006 after 4 days. I left it for another week to lest the yeast do a little clean up. was still at 1.006 when I racked to the keg.
I am wondering if my regulator is reading to low....maybe it's screwy and the psi is really 10+psi more than what the gauge shows, it certainly carbed much faster than I had anticipated. Maybe it's time to borrow a regulator to do a test.
Anyone ever have this sort of issue with a regulator?

 

[mdbk]

The beer was still a little green, but perfectly drinkable at 2 weeks. was better at that point than the miller I used to help green up the lawn!

 

[eobie]

Get real beer line. The home depot stuff offers no resistance iirc.

 

[mdbk]

Went to the my LHBS and got 15' of 3/16" line. The wall is much heavier (and opening is slightly smaller) than the line I had from Home Depot. I hooked it up to the keg and a picnic tap and let it sit in the kegerator for about 2 hours to get cooled down.
After about 2 hours I pulled a glass....same problem as before, lots of foam, almost no beer. It did fill slightly slower than the previous line I used. Keg pressure was at 9 psi.
I am starting to think that my regulator is off. For this entire keg, the pressure never exceeded 10psi but the beer seems more like it is over carbonated. With 15' of 3/16" line, and 9psi on the regulator, I figure the beer should be trickling out instead of a firehose of foam. I have a probe thermometer in the fridge and it is a constant 38F.
An off regulator would explain why the beer seemed to carb in 3 days @ 10psi and 38F, and why 15' of line doesn;t seem to offer enough resistance for a keg @ 9psi.

 

[Brewnoob1]

Sounds like the reg. With long lines and proper temp and reg settings, it sounds like the only thing it can be. I'd get a new reg or have that one checked.

 

[beerhound]

This is just a thought, but I've had friends pour a beer from my setup and get all foam because they tried to slow the pour with the tap. It has to be wide open when you pour or foam is all you'll get.
I use 10-12 psi on APA, IPA's and 5' of 3/16 beer line on a picnic tap that's all kept at 40 degrees and usually wind up with about one inch of head.
Cheers.

 

[mdbk]

Thanks for all of the comments. Going to swap out the regulator (luckily i have a few laying around at work) and see if it makes a difference.
Thanks again

 

[Brewnoob1]

Keep us posted!

 

[JuanMoore]

My first guess would also be a faulty gauge on the reg, but the other possibility is an obstruction somewhere in the line causing the CO2 to break out of solution. If it were at the keg I would think that with 14' of line the CO2 would mostly re-absorb by the time it got to the faucet. Have you pulled the faucet apart to see if there are any irregularities or hop particles lodged in it? I seem to recall someone having a similar issue with a picnic faucet, and it turned out to be a small piece of plastic leftover from the molding process was stuck inside.

 

[mdbk]

Didn't think about the possibility of something stuck in the tap. Will have to take it apart and make sure there is nothing in the way. Will have to try this before putting on a different regulator. Thanks for the idea!