At what temperature do you set your kegerator for serving?

CornyKegs 728
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Good question, I was going to ask the same thing with a poll. I keep mine a bit lower, (around 40 deg) so that I can let the beer warm up over time vice having a beer be too warm.
 
Idunno really, I've got the Sanyo set at a kinda high temp....I've taken temp readings in a glass of water before but I kinda forgot. I think it's around 45* or so......beer tastes good to me!
 
mine pours at a frosty 32F.....that way, buy the time I actually get around to drinking it....it's mid 40's. I usually drink from tall thin Pilsner style glasses, so it warms fairly quickly. I suspect I'll lower it a bit come winter when the Kolsch - Cream style ales give way to Stouts, Porters and Browns.
 
I was thinking about starting the same thread. I am in the processes of building a kegarator, and everything I read says 38 degrees or the wrath of the foam gods will attack. I am hoping to be able to keep it a little warmer than that. more opinions please :)
 
stevea1210 said:
I was thinking about starting the same thread. I am in the processes of building a kegarator, and everything I read says 38 degrees or the wrath of the foam gods will attack. I am hoping to be able to keep it a little warmer than that. more opinions please :)
Click to expand...

Use one of the charts for properly balancing a keg system and temperature won't be an issue when it comes to foam. I think the single biggest thing you can do to minimize foam is to use lines at least 10' long (personal opinion).
 
I have a feeling I will be replacing the liquid lines, as they are only 5'. I bought the 4 tap system from MW, and they came with 5' lines.

10' seems to be a popular length. At least beer line is cheap. :)
 
Air temp: 38F. Beer temp, who knows. I'd rather want my beer warmer than wish it were colder.
 
Not sure - I keep my Sanyo at the warmest setting available - probably somewhere between 40-45 if I had to guess.
 
stevea1210 said:
I have a feeling I will be replacing the liquid lines, as they are only 5'. I bought the 4 tap system from MW, and they came with 5' lines.

10' seems to be a popular length. At least beer line is cheap. :)
Click to expand...

Same here. I thought mine were 6', but same story either way. I'll give the lines I have a shot and see what happens. I'll only have one beer hooked up for the next three weeks anyway.

I asked about longer lines when I bought mine over the phone, but the guy I talked to said they'd work fine. He may have assumed I'd be waiting for the mountains to turn blue before pulling the tap.
 
Mine is set between 33-36. Ihad it higher, but the beer warms a bit before I drink it.
Norm
 
Second pour is at 40f, I find it pours better a little on the colder side, I usually let it sit for a few minutes and drink at 42-44f. 6 feet of line @12psi.
 
My first full test pour seems to suggest 5' lines will be just fine for me as well. It is still a bit undercarbonated, but not so much I'm expecting foamy trouble in a couple days. We'll see.
 
42-45* with 10 foot lines @12-15 PSI I tried the 5 foot lines that came with the tower lots of foam put 10 footers on no foam . But I think I may cut them down as now there is very little head.
 
Currently at 33º but that's because I'm lagering in the keezer I'm drinking from. Typically around 40º. I have an 8' line right now but I'll be putting in 10' lines when I get my taps set up properly. The pressure is typically around 12psi.
 
This is a very interesting thread.
I just started using a Haier Kegerator, the one that holds 2 1/6 kegs.
Everything I've read on other boards said that the temperature HAS to be 38 in the pour.
You guys seem to have it much higher. My question is if the beer is in the 45+ temperature range how do you not get a glass full of foam? Is it all in the PSI setting?
I currently have two kegs setup, liquid temperature is around 39-40 degrees and at 11psi i was getting a lot of foam. I've since dropped the temperature and increased the psi, but haven't tried a pour yet. So theoretically if i liked a nice warm 50 degree beer, i just need to change the psi on the regulator and it should work?

Beer lines are 5', i do not have any mods on the kegerator.
Thanks so much.

-Jody
 
I have the same problem-I am getting longer beer lines. Everywhere I read it seems to be a good fix (also planning on adding fa/blower setup so my tower stays cooler).
 
Jodeus said:
So theoretically if i liked a nice warm 50 degree beer, i just need to change the psi on the regulator and it should work?
Click to expand...

The two factors that affect foam is the speed at which the beer exits the tap and the temperature the beer is at.

Regulator PSI and line length affect the speed of the beer exiting (so lower PSI and/or longer lines will reduce foam). Temperature directly affects CO2 solubility (so lower temps will better prevent the CO2 from coming out of the solution, i.e. beer).
 
Jodeus said:
This is a very interesting thread.
I just started using a Haier Kegerator, the one that holds 2 1/6 kegs.
Everything I've read on other boards said that the temperature HAS to be 38 in the pour.
You guys seem to have it much higher. My question is if the beer is in the 45+ temperature range how do you not get a glass full of foam? Is it all in the PSI setting?
I currently have two kegs setup, liquid temperature is around 39-40 degrees and at 11psi i was getting a lot of foam. I've since dropped the temperature and increased the psi, but haven't tried a pour yet. So theoretically if i liked a nice warm 50 degree beer, i just need to change the psi on the regulator and it should work?

Beer lines are 5', i do not have any mods on the kegerator.
Thanks so much.

-Jody
Click to expand...

The problem with increasing temperature is carbonation. As temperature increases, the pressure must increase to keep the same level of carbonation.

Example: If you currently are at 40* and 11psi, you've got about 2.4 volumes of CO2, which is right about the sweet spot for a pale/amber ale. If you bump up the temp to 50*, you'll need roughly 16psi to keep the same 2.4 volumes of CO2. 16psi at your current line length probably equals foam bomb. Lower psi would mean insufficient carbonation, depending on style. Somebody who hasn't been testing beers all night please correct me if I'm wrong:D:drunk:

I ~think~ you could get away with serving at 16psi if you purge and then re-set your pressure to 11psi or possibly lower to push the beer into your glass. Pain in the arse probably, but I think that would work.

So far I'm fine with 5' lines at 42* and 13ish psi, but I've only got one beer fully carbonated. I should have more datapoints over the weekend when three more beers should be carbed up. The one I have going now is horrible and it's a stout, which is the major style I have the least amount of experience with, so it's hard for me to tell if the carbonation is sufficient. I'll have two proven recipes ready this weekend, so I'll know for sure if I have to order longer lines by Sunday.
 
6 foot lines (3/16") at 44 and 13-14 psi.

I was at 36 for the last year, but I think having the temp up higher allows the flavors to come through better right out of the tap.

Question: For you guys that have 10' lines. 3/16" line right?
 

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