Foam Foam Foam

[Creep City Brews]

So I took everyones helpful advice about forced carbonation. Thank you. Now I'm to the next problem...I think.

I cooled the cornies in my frige. I forced carbonated the beer at 30 psi for around 2 minutes while shaking and jiggling. I let it sit for a day in the refrigerator. I tried the beer last night and it was mostly foam and some beer. The beer that came out was very flat. I remember the first cups from kegs in college were similar. But am I doing something wrong? Please help. thanks.

 

[wild]

First problem is that you're pouring beer at 30 psi. You'll always pour foam at that pressure.
Second problem is that you'll need more than a day to foce carbonate unless you add a bit more of a workout. Try this:

1. Chill the beer 33°F with 30# CO2.
2. Shake the keg for 15 minutes.
3. Top keg up to 30# CO2.
4. Wait 2 hours.
5. Repeat 2 - 4 .
6. Repeat 2 - 4.
7. Repeat 2 - 4.
8. When ready to serve, reduce psi to optimal serving strength.
9. Enjoy.

Good luck,
Wild

 

[Mikey]

The shake and roll stuff is great if you need beer RIGHT NOW, but if you can wait a while, just hook your CO2 up at serving pressure and come back in a week. Your beer will be fully carbonated and will pour just fine.

Remember that all of the beer lines must be refrigerated too.

 

[tnlandsailor]

First problem is that you're pouring beer at 30 psi. You'll always pour foam at that pressure.
Second problem is that you'll need more than a day to foce carbonate unless you add a bit more of a workout. Try this:

1. Chill the beer 33°F with 30# CO2.
2. Shake the keg for 15 minutes.
3. Top keg up to 30# CO2.
4. Wait 2 hours.
5. Repeat 2 - 4 .
6. Repeat 2 - 4.
7. Repeat 2 - 4.
8. When ready to serve, reduce psi to optimal serving strength.
9. Enjoy.

Good luck,
Wild

Uh......are you saying that the gas is on as you are shaking? If so, this is a guaranteed way to carbonate your beer to well over 4.5 volumes of CO2. Definitely on the "way-too-high" side. Foam city.

Creep City, it sounds like you did the right thing as far as pressure, time, and agitation, but make sure you bleed the pressure off and pour at the right pressure. If you are using picnic taps, the serving pressure is going to be really really low, like 1 or 2 PSI. If you are using beer faucets with a balanced system, it will be more like 10 - 12 PSI. Whatever the case, bleed all the pressure off the keg and then dial up the pressure until you get a nice, civil, steady flow out of the tap. It might take an extra day or so for the carbonation to really "set". Be patient.

 

[woodstone]

I think this is why I've avoided force carbonation. Use 1/3 cup priming sugar and pressure to 8PSI. Wait a week or two and then tap out at 8PSI. Not had a problem and don't have the headache of having to adjust pressures to get a perfect pour...My $0.02.

 

[bikebryan]

Uh......are you saying that the gas is on as you are shaking? If so, this is a guaranteed way to carbonate your beer to well over 4.5 volumes of CO2. Definitely on the "way-too-high" side. Foam city.

Creep City, it sounds like you did the right thing as far as pressure, time, and agitation, but make sure you bleed the pressure off and pour at the right pressure. If you are using picnic taps, the serving pressure is going to be really really low, like 1 or 2 PSI. If you are using beer faucets with a balanced system, it will be more like 10 - 12 PSI. Whatever the case, bleed all the pressure off the keg and then dial up the pressure until you get a nice, civil, steady flow out of the tap. It might take an extra day or so for the carbonation to really "set". Be patient.

Huh? I've used picnic taps now for over a year, run my kegs at around 12 psi and have no problems - but I don't believe in the overpressure-and-shake method, AND my lines are properly balanced to the serving pressure I use.

Cobra taps work fine at pressures over 1 or 2 psi, but you have to make sure your lines are balanced for that pressure, just as you would if you are using regular taps screwed into the door/lid of your refrigerator/freezer.

 

[tnlandsailor]

Huh? I've used picnic taps now for over a year, run my kegs at around 12 psi and have no problems - but I don't believe in the overpressure-and-shake method, AND my lines are properly balanced to the serving pressure I use.

Cobra taps work fine at pressures over 1 or 2 psi, but you have to make sure your lines are balanced for that pressure, just as you would if you are using regular taps screwed into the door/lid of your refrigerator/freezer.

I've never tried to attach enough tubing to a cobra tap to make it work in the 10-12 PSI range. I'm assuming you use 3/16 line, but how long did you have to make it in order to work?

The shake method will buy you a couple of days in the carbonation process, and it is certainly not "precise", but after a few kegs, each brewer will get the hang of what works and what doesn't. I really like the shake method because I've got my process down so that I can chill overnight, shake in the morning, and drink carbonated beer by the time I get home from work. Just personal preference.

Personally, I think priming a keg is sacrilege, but to each his own.

Prosit!

 

[bikebryan]

I've never tried to attach enough tubing to a cobra tap to make it work in the 10-12 PSI range. I'm assuming you use 3/16 line, but how long did you have to make it in order to work?

The shake method will buy you a couple of days in the carbonation process, and it is certainly not "precise", but after a few kegs, each brewer will get the hang of what works and what doesn't. I really like the shake method because I've got my process down so that I can chill overnight, shake in the morning, and drink carbonated beer by the time I get home from work. Just personal preference.

Personally, I think priming a keg is sacrilege, but to each his own.

Prosit!

Using 3/16 line, about 5.5 to 6 feet (come on now, this is simple math!).

I'm a violent non-shake believer, as I've never come across a keg that it worked successfully on. I always have enough brew on hand that I can wait around a week before tapping the keg to drink.

We do agree that priming a keg is sacrilege. Hey, you need CO2 to drive it, so why not avoid the excessive sediment and just use the gas to carbonate it as well?

 

[woodstone]

tnlandsailor-

Personally, I think priming a keg is sacrilege, but to each his own.

...and why is that? I'm hurt.