CO2 issues when kegging

[djsereno91]

I kegged for the first time and I'm not super satisfied with the results. The brew tastes flat. I tried turning up the CO2 a notch, but all that did was make it crazy foamy at first when it comes out of the tap. I had it at a point where it seemed carbonated initially, but after a couple minutes in the glass, it seems to get flat and lose a lot of carbonation. Does anyone know what I did wrong? I'm kegging my next batch this weekend and want to get this one right.

 

[Dixon9717]

What was your carbing process? Did you force carb or set and forget for a couple weeks?

 

[rpolzin25]

Out of curiosity, how do you clean your glasses? Pretty sure I read that if you use regular dish soap or use jet dry in your dishwasher that can affect head and possibly cause beer to lose carbonation in the glass.

 

[Nagorg]

Need more info. Whats the temp of your kegerator, what psi are you setting to and do you force carb (shake the full keg) or just attach gas and let it sit for a while? For the latter it can take ~8-10 days before the beer is carbed.

 

[Knkbrand]

In my experiences, It has taken up to 12 days to carb fully with the set and forget method. On day 11, I got foam on top, but the beer was not really carbed (still tasted flat), then the next day wham, perfect. Now I usually just let em sit for 2 weeks before i sample.

 

[FVillatoro]

If the first pour is foamy, and then all subsequent pours are fine then there's a big temperature differential between the temperature of the keg and the temperature of the tap.
Cold beer going into a warmer tap will foam until the tap chills down.
What you can try doing is getting some fans inside the kegerator to blow cold air into your taps to minimize the temperature differential and get less initial foam.

For me it takes about 2 full weeks to get enough co2 into my beer where I like them- I set to 10ish PSI at 35-39 degrees.

 

[Atlmustang]

I set my keg to 20 psi at about 36 degrees for 2 days and I had carbed beer. It was awesome. The hops had great nose since the were still so fresh. Try force carbing for 2-3 days then set it to 10 psi for serving pressure and see what you get.

 

[ibrewmyown]

There's some info needed in order to try to figure out what's happening. How long is the supply hose? If the hose is too short, it can be hard to find a good set it and forget it setting. If the hose is too short and you crank up the psi to get good carbonation the beer will shoot out of the tapper because there's not enough restriction. I have mine at about 36 degrees, at 10-12 pounds of Co2 with about a 8'-10' of 3/16" supply line on each of my taps and the pours are perfect. The Belgians I have on tap are more near the 18-20 psi mark for higher carbonation typical of the style.

A set it and forget it beer just tastes much better IMO. The bubbles are smaller, last longer and have a better mouth feel than a forced carbonated keg but to each their own.

 

[Yooper]

Based on your description, it sounds like the serving lines are too short (and/or too wide a diameter). If I had to guess, I'd say your lines are less than 6' long, probably more like 4' or less, and perhaps using a picnic tap. It's hard to say without more info from you, but that's my guess based on what you are describing.

Make sure you have about 1 foot of 3/16" line for every psi on the regulator, probably 10-12' in a 40 degree fridge, and make sure to open the tap fully and completely, and not "squeeze" it partway. Think of a garden hose, as an example. If you pinch it, it shoots harder and faster. But having it wide open means a normal rate.

 

[djsereno91]

Out of curiosity, how do you clean your glasses? Pretty sure I read that if you use regular dish soap or use jet dry in your dishwasher that can affect head and possibly cause beer to lose carbonation in the glass.

I am aware of this, but I do not think this is the issue as I've used the same pint glasses for other beers and have not had the same problems. I do not wash my homebrew equipment with dish soap for this reason. PBW all the way.

Need more info. Whats the temp of your kegerator, what psi are you setting to and do you force carb (shake the full keg) or just attach gas and let it sit for a while? For the latter it can take ~8-10 days before the beer is carbed.

My kegerator was initially at around 42F, but I've since bumped it up to about 46F because I find the flavored don't express themselves as much at lower temps. I had originally had it around 8 psi I believe based on a carb chart, but now it's at around 14 psi in an effort to solve this problem. Like I said, it's only made it foamy on the way out. I did the set and forget method. It's been probably a month and half in the keg now.

If the first pour is foamy, and then all subsequent pours are fine then there's a big temperature differential between the temperature of the keg and the temperature of the tap.
Cold beer going into a warmer tap will foam until the tap chills down.
What you can try doing is getting some fans inside the kegerator to blow cold air into your taps to minimize the temperature differential and get less initial foam.

For me it takes about 2 full weeks to get enough co2 into my beer where I like them- I set to 10ish PSI at 35-39 degrees.

Maybe this is the issue but I'm not so sure. I built my kegerator with copper pipes that are chilled within the fridge. See the photos below. Also, not sure how this would explain the flat taste.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462854319.754626.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462854347.560193.jpg

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1462854384.464851.jpg

Based on your description, it sounds like the serving lines are too short (and/or too wide a diameter). If I had to guess, I'd say your lines are less than 6' long, probably more like 4' or less, and perhaps using a picnic tap. It's hard to say without more info from you, but that's my guess based on what you are describing.



Make sure you have about 1 foot of 3/16" line for every psi on the regulator, probably 10-12' in a 40 degree fridge, and make sure to open the tap fully and completely, and not "squeeze" it partway. Think of a garden hose, as an example. If you pinch it, it shoots harder and faster. But having it wide open means a normal rate.

Yes, my lines are around 6' long. Maybe this is the issue, but I'm not sure how it explains the flat taste. Just the foamy pour.


Thanks all for the responses. I'm not concerned about the foamy pour as much as I'm concerned about the flat taste. I think I have the CO2 set a little high, causing the foamy pours. I'm more concerned that after the foam goes down, I can hardly see any bubbles in the beer and the taste seems really flat. Maybe I am wrong with my logic though, in which case, I'm sure you guys will tell me [emoji4]

 

[Bilbo1usa]

Yooper likely has your answer.
I had exactly the same issue as well, including the flat taste with 5 foot lines at 40 deg and 14 psi. Once I switched to 15 foot lines and force carbing, the issue was resolved, including the flat taste.
I think the long lines slow down the delivery and calm down the beer before leaving the tap.

The carbonation burst from the foamy pour drives out the flavor of the beer leaving you with flat tasting beer.

Have you checked out any of the keg temp line calculators out there?

 

[Citizen86]

To test if it's a balance issue, purge the keg and set the regulator to 1 or 2 psi, however much pressure to get a slow pour. If it's carbonated and tastes good, you probably need longer tubing or thinner.

 

[doug293cz]

...

Have you checked out any of the keg temp line calculators out there?

Watch out for beer line length calculators. Most of them give bad answers (too short.) The only line length calculator you should use is this one: http://www.mikesoltys.com/2012/09/17/determining-proper-hose-length-for-your-kegerator/. Mike gets the science right.

Brew on

 

[djsereno91]

I'll swapping out the lines for longer ones. Using mikes calculator, I'm getting about 11'. Gonna get 12' just in case. Is there a problem with getting 15'? I just don't want to get too short of a line.

 

[cannman]

I'm not 100% sure if this is the proper way to do things, but I have several different tubes with different psi. I carb using one PSI and then switch it over to the serving psi (2 or 3 psi). Works for me, beer tastes great.

 

[doug293cz]

I'll swapping out the lines for longer ones. Using mikes calculator, I'm getting about 11'. Gonna get 12' just in case. Is there a problem with getting 15'? I just don't want to get too short of a line.

The worst that happens when lines are longer than necessary is that the pour is a little slower.

Brew on

 

[doug293cz]

I'm not 100% sure if this is the proper way to do things, but I have several different tubes with different psi. I carb using one PSI and then switch it over to the serving psi (2 or 3 psi). Works for me, beer tastes great.

That method is not recommended. Storing at lower psi than required to achieve the desired carb level at storage/serving temp will cause the beer to lose carbonation over time.

Brew on

 

[brewprint]

Wow you like to keep the beer in the keezer warm. Like really warm. I guess I keep mine at 38 which would be ice cold compared to how warm you want it.

Regardless...I have 10ft beer lines on mine and a 15footer going to my small keg that sits on the shelf. I keep mine at 12psi and pours and carbonation are perfect. If I would do it again I would have 11 or 12ft. I plan to shorten the 15 because the pour is really slow.

 

[cannman]

That method is not recommended. Storing at lower psi than required to achieve the desired carb level at storage/serving temp will cause the beer to lose carbonation over time.



Brew on

Yes! But I'm able to dial up the psi layer and avoid the foam[emoji5]️. I'll one day figure it out, but for now, I'm pretty happy with the way things turn out