Another foamy pour question

[MrMeans]

I am running a single keg through 10' of 3/8" beer line at 10 psi. My first pour off of the handle is ALWAYS nothing but foam. if I immediately pour a second pint I get a nice 3/4" head on the beer.

I carbonate for 48 hours at 30 psi, vent all pressure, bring the beer up to 10 psi. It generally takes about 3-5 days after I have done the carbonation dance for the symptoms to occur. What am I doing wrong here?

 

[zachattack]

First of all, I assume you mean 3/16" beer line, not 3/8".

A foamy first pour is generally indicative of either

1) the lines/shanks/faucet are warmer than the keg. This usually happens in a keezer if you don't have a fan installed, or if you have a tower and aren't cooling it somehow. Alternatively,

2) CO2 building up in the lines between pours can also be due to an overcarbed keg relative to your serving pressure. In that case, CO2 is breaking out of solution to balance things out, but after you pour enough pints eventually things will equalize.

Since you said it does it every time, it's probably the first one. Are you using a keezer or a mini fridge? Tower? Do you have a fan or a tower cooler? You want the faucet to be cold to the touch, even when you haven't pulled a pint all day.

 

[brdb]

Yeah chances are its the first one that was mentioned above. Find a way to cool your lines all the way to the faucet and that should solve your problem. I ran copper tubing from the faucet to about 8" inside of the fridge and ran the beer lines through the inside of the copper tubing and that solved my foaming problem. Others have used computer fans to blow cold air from inside the fridge up and into the tower to keep the lines cool (assuming you have a tower).

 

[BierMuncher]

I always have the same issue on all my taps. It's normal to flush a few ounces out of the line first before serving. Bubbles in the line are pretty much unavoidable.

 

[zachattack]

I always have the same issue on all my taps. It's normal to flush a few ounces out of the line first before serving. Bubbles in the line are pretty much unavoidable.

I respectfully disagree

My pours are foam-free every time. If the carbonation is stable, everything's the same temperature and everything's sound in the dip tube, the gas will stay dissolved from the keg all the way to the faucet.

 

[hunter_le five]

I respectfully disagree

My pours are foam-free every time. If the carbonation is stable, everything's the same temperature and everything's sound in the dip tube, the gas will stay dissolved from the keg all the way to the faucet.

Yeah I'm with you, I don't have that issue either. First pour is always perfect.
If the lines are balanced and you minimize temperature variance in the in the lines, foam should be minimal.

I agree with the others as well re: the beer lines/shank/faucet being warmer than the keg.

 

[MrMeans]

its a mini fridge with the tap mounted on the door. The tap stays cold to the touch all of the tubing is inside the fridge so it at the same ambient temp as the rest of the set up. I did mean 3/16" line instead of 3/8". The tubing is in a 10" coil help in place with velcro ties so its not kinking or bunching the lines.

 

[Yooper]

its a mini fridge with the tap mounted on the door. The tap stays cold to the touch all of the tubing is inside the fridge so it at the same ambient temp as the rest of the set up. I did mean 3/16" line instead of 3/8". The tubing is in a 10" coil help in place with velcro ties so its not kinking or bunching the lines.

What happens to me if I burst carb (hold at a higher pressure to jump start carbonation) for more than 24 hours, and then reduce to 12 psi (my usual pressure), the same thing happens to me. I think it has to do with the co2 level trying to equalize. If you have it at 30 psi for 48 hours, and then reduce it to 10 psi, that's probably what is going on.