beer lines

[ckcanady]

The typical beer runs between 2.2 and 2.8 volumes of co2. There are exceptions- Belgian beers are generally higher while American stouts are generally lower. The general rule of thumb would be 14 psi with 5ft line to have a balanced system. Yes there are times when longer/shorter lines would be ideal along with different pressures but unless you plan to change this with every beer you put on draft then the above is the most proven method. Also location matters ie. if you are located closer to sea level or in Denver. I like to use 12psi as most of my beers have a little less volumes of co2 and keep 5ft of micromatic 3/16 vinyl line.

 

[ckcanady]

Additionally a balances beer system pours 2 ounces per second...

 

[musclebrew]

I have 5ft lines with 3/16 tubing dispensing at 10psi@36 degrees am I over carbing the beer?

 

[ckcanady]

I have 5ft lines with 3/16 tubing dispensing at 10psi@36 degrees am I over carbing the beer?

If anything you're pressure is too low but a lot of that depends on your volumes of co2 in whichever beer you brewed. However even Budweiser, as temperamental as it is will pour half way decent at this pressure... And most craft beers require less volumes of co2 then an American lager which is relatively high.

 

[schroeder]

I have 5ft lines with 3/16 tubing dispensing at 10psi@36 degrees am I over carbing the beer?

At sea level 36F @ 10PSI you would net 2.5v/v

A thing to keep in mind is that your regulator guage is going to show pressure over ambient. Therefore at sea level with an ambient pressure of 14.6PSI and a regulator PSIG (guage pressure) of 10PSI your "absolute pressure" in your keg is 24.6PSI (absolute pressure is the pressure over total vacumn. PSIG is guage pressure over ambient)

At higher elevations the ambient pressure is lower so a correction is required on your PSIG to achieve the required absolute pressure for your target carbonation level.

If we apply the previous example of 36F and 10PSI in Denver then you would have a lower absolute pressure since ambient would be lower and consequently your carbonation would only be about 2.2v/v

BTW. this is also very temperature related. at 0' elevation, @ 10PSIG, and going from 36F to 38F your carbonation drops from 2.5v/v to 2.4v/v. Or put another way... if you carbonate at 10PSIG at 36F but try and serve at 38F with 10PSIG you will theoretically get foam due to 'breakout' as that difference of 0.1v/v tries to escape from your beer (this is a very minor difference, so it would probably be manageable). This is why warm beer foams.
A higher pressure would be required at the warmer temperature to keep the dissolved gas in the beer, and consequently a longer piece of restriction/choke line would be required to balance the pressure and control the rate of your pour.

 

[musclebrew]

1 brewed a red irish ale last week and kegged it,When i poured my first glass i had a really nice head, but had some larger bubbles on top of the head, thought maybe i had a little to much co2 on it.

 

[ckcanady]

An Irish red ale generally is 2.2-2.6 volumes of co2 so to be to style you should have a median volume of 2.3 and to maintain that in your draft system at 36 degrees you should have a keg pressure of 8.2. In order for you to pour 2 ounces per second you'll need maybe about 2 and a half feet of 3/16 vinyl line. I didn't do the math- this is an estimate... But then your next beer will most likely be different and the next and the next. This gets exhausting find a middle ground and stick with it.

 

[schroeder]

An Irish red ale generally is 2.2-2.6 volumes of co2 so to be to style you should have a median volume of 2.3 and to maintain that in your draft system at 36 degrees you should have a keg pressure of 8.2. In order for you to pour 2 ounces per second you'll need maybe about 2 and a half feet of 3/16 vinyl line. I didn't do the math- this is an estimate... But then your next beer will most likely be different and the next and the next. This gets exhausting find a middle ground and stick with it.

I think that beer would be better warmer. My laundry room sits at around 54F so I would be keeping it out of the fridge and pressurizing at 18PSIG for 2.3v/v with just over 6' of restriction

 

[ckcanady]

I think that beer would be better warmer. My laundry room sits at around 54F so I would be keeping it out of the fridge and pressurizing at 18PSIG for 2.3v/v with just over 6' of restriction

If you mean that beer would taste better warmer... I think most breweries/ brewers agree that the best temps for serving beer are between 38 and 48 degrees. Lighter American style lagers being closer to 38 while I personally like most full flavored beers to be served around 43-45. Big High alcohol beers are best served around 55 but much of this is personal preference.

 

[schroeder]

If you mean that beer would taste better warmer... I think most breweries/ brewers agree that the best temps for serving beer are between 38 and 48 degrees. Lighter American style lagers being closer to 38 while I personally like most full flavored beers to be served around 43-45. Big High alcohol beers are best served around 55 but much of this is personal preference.

I have had to set up some dispense systems at brewpubs that share this philosophy. We would employ 2 glycol systems each set at a different temperature and run the lagers and wheat ales at a colder temperature than the ales.The most challenging part of this was having the seasonal beers being able to be switched between the cold and warm trunklines but still come out of the same faucet at the bar. Brewers can be so demanding