Carbonation Problem

[PDXCoug]

So my buddy and I finally started to keg our beer. We kegged a pale about 72 hours ago. I was reading some different stories of how to carbonate (before I found this site). Here is what we did. Sealed the top with 30 psi, bleed the keg, put 30psi back in. Let sit over night. Next morning we bled the keg, put 30psi back in, shook the keg to get the CO2 into the beer. We then put 10psi in the keg and let it sit for 24 hrs. Now all we have is straight foam. Is there anything that we can do get the foam to settle? Or have we just ruined our beer?

 

[Walker]

it's not ruined. it just sounds overcarbed. disconnect it from the gas, but keep it cold. bleed the pressure off. do this a few times over the next couple of days.

OR....

the problem COULD be that your tap line is too short. how long is it?

 

[PDXCoug]

Its a 6' line. We have the keg at 39* right now. Ill disconnect everything and see what happens.

 

[Walker]

6' is probably too short. There is a sticky thread that covers how to balance your kegging system - line diameter, height of tap, temperature, and pressure are all factors in getting it right, but a general rule of thumb is "1 foot of line per pound of pressure".

So, 10psi and 6 foot = foam.

 

[PDXCoug]

Interesting. The lines are the ones that came with out regulator kit. I have disconnected the keg and will let it sit over night. Hopefully tomorrow or sunday the foam will have settled and we can finally drink out of the keg

 

[Walker]

Interesting. The lines are the ones that came with out regulator kit. I have disconnected the keg and will let it sit over night. Hopefully tomorrow or sunday the foam will have settled and we can finally drink out of the keg

make sure you vent the pressure off of it a few times.

 

[PDXCoug]

OK, I did it once when I turned the gas off. Ill do it again in about 10 minutes, then again tomorrow morning

 

[PDXCoug]

SO we finally got our over carbonating issue resolved. We have the gas turned down to 2psi at the moment. Now our beer is carbonated, but it pours with zero head and within 20 seconds all the little bubbles that were produced from the pour are gone. I want a more carbonation. Any idea?

 

[Yooper]

SO we finally got our over carbonating issue resolved. We have the gas turned down to 2psi at the moment. Now our beer is carbonated, but it pours with zero head and within 20 seconds all the little bubbles that were produced from the pour are gone. I want a more carbonation. Any idea?

Your system needs to be "balanced". At 2 psi, you'll lose carbonation but not have foam.

You need to set the regulator to 11 psi (or whatever carb level you want, but at 39 degrees, 11 psi is about right) and leave it there. No shaking, turning up or down, or messing with it. It might take a week or so, but then it will be perfectly carbed. You may need longer serving lines- how long are your lines currently?

 

[PDXCoug]

Our lines are about 4-5'. That is why we have the psi so low right now.

 

[Yooper]

Our lines are about 4-5'. That is why we have the psi so low right now.

Ah. Well, you'll have to either live with it or balance your system with longer lines or one of those lines inside the keg to increase resistance.

 

[PDXCoug]

Ah. Well, you'll have to either live with it or balance your system with longer lines or one of those lines inside the keg to increase resistance.

OK, we have talked about making longer lines. Guess it finally needs to happen