Beer is foamy AND flat...

[JesterCK]

Hey folks. Sorry if this is already covered elsewhere. I looked around but didn't find it anywhere.

This question is actually not in reference to my homebrew, but rather a full keg I just purchased. I got it home, let it sit in the kegerator overnight and then tapped it the next day. CO2 is set to about 12 PSI (it is an Octoberfest) and when the tap handle is pulled beer SHOOTS out very fast. Actually, it looks like it is just foam that is shooting out. I have read a lot about causes of this and imagine my issue is likely line length, internal temp, or both. The thing I don't understand is that once the foam settles down and changes back to beer, it is very flat. No matter what the CO2 is set to, the foam-turned-beer is still very flat. Is this because it's foam that turns into beer? Like is all the carbonation in the foam, and then gets lost instead of staying in the beer? That seems like it would make sense, but I don't know if there is really any science or truth to it and I haven't been able to find a place where anyone explicitly said that.

So, if it is true, then it seems like solving my foam issue and flat issue is really the same thing. Does that seem right? Thanks everyone!

 

[glick]

What is your line length, and what temp is the beer? The foam turned beer is flat because all of the CO2 has come out of solution.

 

[Toy4Rick]

1 nite in the kegerator might not be enough, Beer must be cold to absorb CO2, ensure the whole keg is down to serving temp and at serving PSI for about a week and you should be much better off

Beer line length might be an issue, most use about 10 ft., I personally use ~17" but add an epoxy mixer stick to the beer tube in the keg and server at around 9-11 PSI

Ensure you are opening the tap all the way, a partial opening will cause the beer to squirt out

Good luck
Rick

 

[JesterCK]

Thanks y'all. Appreciate the advice. Can't remember how long my line is, but I do know that when I first learned that line length can be an issue, I measured mine and felt it was too short. Not sure about exact temp either, but it is about 40, so obviously dropping it down a bit is going to help. Mostly I was curious to know if solving the foam issue might also fix the flat issue, and it sounds like there is a good chance that is the case, so that is what I'm going to work on. I also get that more time can be helpful, so I will try and exercise some patience, but it is so hard...

 

[newbies13]

Sounds like you have two problems which are not directly related.

1. Your beer is flat. This is because you haven't let it carb long enough. It being overly foamy is just tricking you into thinking it's all from the beer.

2. Your beer is foamy. This is because of your system setup. There are actually a few things that it could be, but the easiest fixes are as follows:

• Go to home depot and buy a 10' hose. It makes a world of a difference, especially if you have a recipe that just wants to foam like crazy.
• Make sure your beer is cold.
• Make sure you are opening your valve to pour beer 100% of the way, opening any less will cause foam.
• Make sure air is not leaking into the tubes anywhere.

 

[E_Marquez]

Sounds like you have two problems which are not directly related.

1. Your beer is flat. This is because you haven't let it carb long enough. It being overly foamy is just tricking you into thinking it's all from the beer.

2. Your beer is foamy. This is because of your system setup. There are actually a few things that it could be, but the easiest fixes are as follows:

• Go to home depot and buy a 10' hose. It makes a world of a difference, especially if you have a recipe that just wants to foam like crazy.
• Make sure your beer is cold.
• Make sure you are opening your valve to pour beer 100% of the way, opening any less will cause foam.
• Make sure air is not leaking into the tubes anywhere.

Pretty sure from his first post.... the OP is talking about a commercial keg of beer.

If so his issues should not be either his recipe, nor that the beer is not carbed.

Line length, beer temp (not what the kegerator is set at, but what the beer has chilled to) and shaken keg that has not settled yet.. would be the most likely issues.

 

[zachattack]

I agree that this is likely a line length issue, but it's also worth noting that you probably have the pressure set too low. If you don't have a high enough pressure on the keg (relative to the carb level) then CO2 will come out of solution to try and equilibrate, and you'll get pockets of gas that form in the serving line. This can result in your first pour of the evening being foamy.

Chances are the commercial beer is carbonated in the range of 2.7 volumes of CO2, though you can call/e-mail the brewery and ask. At 40 degrees, that's 14.4 psi (use a calculator like this one). At 35 degrees, 12 psi will be fine. However, if the beer is shooting out of the faucet as you describe, this will just make it worse.

Go down to a homebrew shop (not Home Depot) and get 12 feet of 3/16" ID beverage tubing. It sounds to me like you only have a couple feet of tubing right now, and it might even be 1/4" ID. Once you're getting nice slow pours, then you should try to set the pressure properly.

 

[states02]

Hey folks. Sorry if this is already covered elsewhere. I looked around but didn't find it anywhere.

This question is actually not in reference to my homebrew, but rather a full keg I just purchased. I got it home, let it sit in the kegerator overnight and then tapped it the next day. CO2 is set to about 12 PSI (it is an Octoberfest) and when the tap handle is pulled beer SHOOTS out very fast. Actually, it looks like it is just foam that is shooting out. I have read a lot about causes of this and imagine my issue is likely line length, internal temp, or both. The thing I don't understand is that once the foam settles down and changes back to beer, it is very flat. No matter what the CO2 is set to, the foam-turned-beer is still very flat. Is this because it's foam that turns into beer? Like is all the carbonation in the foam, and then gets lost instead of staying in the beer? That seems like it would make sense, but I don't know if there is really any science or truth to it and I haven't been able to find a place where anyone explicitly said that.

So, if it is true, then it seems like solving my foam issue and flat issue is really the same thing. Does that seem right? Thanks everyone!

I have had this issue before. Quick resolution. Go to home Depot (the line is fine, it's food grade). Get yourself a 10ft tube and dispense at 10psi. You'll be drinking fine beer in no time. And Relax have a homebrew