Carbonation and foam issues!!

[ShowPonyBrewing]

So I initially force carb’d an Irish Red about 5 days ago and the pressure is now at 8psi but it’s super foamy and the beer isn’t that carbonated at all for all the foam. Any ideas why.

 

[GoeHaarden]

So I initially force carb’d an Irish Red about 5 days ago and the pressure is now at 8psi but it’s super foamy and the beer isn’t that carbonated at all for all the foam. Any ideas why.

Are you using a short line or party tap perhaps?

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

No it’s off a draught tap and it’s a 3/16” x 5’ line.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Have you had success with the setup prior to this?

Without any further info, and if I had to guess your line is too short. It seems flat because all, or most, of the CO2 leaves suspension when its poured as all foam...

What temp are you serving at?


EDIT: just re-read OP. Do you mean burst carb or have you had it on gas for 5 days at 8psi? Its going to take longer to fully carb, like 10-14 days...

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Yea my last ones were fine. The temp is about 30 deg F. I force carb’d at about 25 psi for a couple days and then had it at about 8 psi for 5 days and still foamy.

 

[GoeHaarden]

It might be overcarb'd. How many days exactly did you have it at 25 psi? Anything over two days might have been over kill, and I would dare say two days might be too much. It's very hard to dial in exact carbonation with the burst carb method. I usually set it to 12 psi and let it ride for 10-14 days. Never an issue...

FWIW. I know everyone has their own personal preferences, but unless your dispensing BMC or something, I would try to bump your kegerator temp and adjust serving psi. You might be having some freezing issues somewhere. Mine is set to 39F

 

[Yooper]

Also, you need longer than a 5' beer line to dispense. What happens is the lack of restriction in a shorter line means the c02 "breaks out" of solution, creating lots of foam but leaving seemingly little carbonation behind. When you burst carb, go to 30 psi or so for no more than 36 hours, purge and reset to whatever you need to keep the desired carb level (likely about 10-12 psi), and go with 10-12' 3/16" serving line.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Ok. Everything I’ve seen says the line should be about 5’ I thought?

 

[GoeHaarden]

Ok. Everything I’ve seen says the line should be about 5’ I thought?

I agree with Yooper, and my lines are 10' as well. Since you've had success in the past, I figured it might not be your issue but save yourself the headache and get longer lines.

You can use a calculator like this: http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/

I don't even want to try to understand the physics behind it, but it works...

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Ok great. I also bumped my temp to about 38-40 F.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Ok great. I also bumped my temp to about 38-40 F.

Just be sure to adjust your psi as well, you will need it a little higher with the warmer temps. There is a chart on that site as well for this...

Cheers!

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Thank you.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Will the foam issue go away once I correct the issue and let the beer sit for a while?

 

[Yooper]

Will the foam issue go away once I correct the issue and let the beer sit for a while?

Maybe. If it's overcarbed, letting it sit won't help but pouring a few pints out of it should give you an idea if it's overcarbed or not.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Won’t the foam dissipate over time.

 

[GoeHaarden]

If it's over carb'd? I believe if you bring it to room temp, purge periodically, it should go flat rather quickly. Then I think you can start the carbing process again, but I could be wrong. I don't over carb with the set-it and forget-it method. Not sure what effects this will have on the beer, but I guess it's better than a keg of foam.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Yea I even let all the pressure out, removed the lid and looked inside. It looks like all beer to me. No foam was even visible. [emoji53]

 

[GoeHaarden]

Looks can be deceiving my friend!

Juuuusssttt kidding...There is still CO2 in solution, same reason a normal pint will continue to bubble after poured. I'd let it warm up and go completely flat, then start over...

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Ok. I’ll try it [emoji53]

 

[cloudybrewer]

An over carbed beer won't be foamy inside the keg. The foam appears in your glass as the CO2 rushes out of solution as the beer is depressurized. I just fought this same problem. I didn't warm the beer back up, just closed the tank, pulled the valve and let the beer sit. I had to pull the valve twice a day for five days, then reset the pressure to 10, and it was better. That's the last time I try to carb in two days.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Gotcha. I’ll c what happens.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Overcarbed/foaming issues? Pour it into a pitcher before serving.

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

Into anything. Ha.

 

[day_trippr]

Because everyone enjoys a pitcher of flat beer...

 

[ShowPonyBrewing]

So I let it sit at room temp overnight, let all the pressure out and started over at 10 psi. Success.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Looks like beer! Glad it worked out!

Cheers!