Help Me Please!!!!!

[Tyron]

I am seriously at the end of my patients and am ready to give up!!!! I am very new to kegging and need some help - all im getting is massive amounts of foam, in fact i wasted 23L of beer on the last attempt!!!

I have a 30L (7.9gal) commercial keg with the correct 'D' style tap. i racked from my fermenter after 10 days, it is a draught style of beer from New Zealand. I put the keg in my fridge at around 32 degrees F (we use celcius in NZ but i will try and convert to US units where i can to help). I put about 28psi pressure onto the beer for about 3days. at day 1 all i got was foam, (from what i read all symtoms of under and over carbing lead to foam - real helpful hahaha.) Same at day 2 and 3 so i figure ill leave it for another day?????

Useful info
- i brew in 20L batches (5gal), so the keg is not full - does that matter?
- i have 4mm id beer line (just under 3/16" i think)
- I use an Argon gas regulator with an adaptor to fit a CO2 bottle the reg only allows for flow adjustment and has preset pressure out of 30psi. I use an additional regulator for an air compressor which only netts a max pressure of 28psi. gas line is 8mm (just over 5/16")
- i dont have a normal type serving tap - i was using a butterfly valve but have also tried a plastice vertical plunger tap - i think its original purpose is for chemical fluid dispensing ( before you get all judgey on me, in NZ we pay an absolute fortune for anything to do with kegging as an example a standard beer tap for your fridge door we pay USD$136 - ouch),

I can understand if no one wants to help as i can appreciate i have a real shamble of a setup! But help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Tyron

 

[MaxOut]

28psi is way to high to serve from. You need to reduce the pressure to 10-12psi. The serving line from the keg to the valve needs to be refrigerated. When you open the valve to dispense you will need to open it all the way to avoid squirting the beer. I would get the pressure down first.

 

[wonderbread23]

You have overcarbed beer. 28PSI at 32* F equates to 4.5+ volumes of CO2. Most beer are in the range of 2.5 volumes. Disconnect the keg from the gas, and bleed it a couple times a day for a bit until it corrects.

 

[wailingguitar]

For reasons like this I always carb at the pressure I use to serve (12psi). That way carbonation can't get crazy. I use carbonation stones in my cornys, they do help to speed the process. Set and forget gives me drinkable beer in less than 48 hours.

 

[wyzazz]

As mentioned above, your beer is overcarb'd you need to bleed the pressure and set to 10-12psi to dispense. You also need to pay attention to the length of your serving line and the type of line you're using. You should be using at least 10 feet of 3/16" ID beverage tubing. Beverage tubing has a very smooth wall that keeps the CO2 from coming out of solution, if you're using regular tubing that will cause issues.

 

[Tyron]

Sorry i should have mentioned that i havent tried serving at that pressure, i tried a range from 4-12 psi and nothing worked.

 

[Shooter]

Did you bleed off excess pressure before serving?

 

[Tyron]

Okay so i have the de-carbing under way.... On YouTube, in the book "Breing Craft" every one seems to force gas their kegs (all of which seem to be corney's) at like 30-40psi for 36hours....ish. How come they aren't over carbed and foamtastic adventures like mine???

Is it because my kegs aren't full?

Is it because its a commercial keg?

Maybe i should have saved myself some heartache and spend $600+ on a 2 corney kegs and hardware? - dont think my wife would like that though

 

[Shooter]

Actually, the empty keg head space can be a factor I think. I put my beer on 30PSI for 24 hours at 40F. I then vent off excess pressure and reduce to 10PSI serving pressure. I have five foot lines and most things pour okay at that rate. I still sometimes need to pour in two stages. If I add one of the mixer tubes to the diptube it helps, but sometimes I don't bother.

 

[Tyron]

Did you bleed off excess pressure before serving?

Yip i bleed it down to 0psi then started at about 4psi and worked up to no avail.

 

[Tyron]

Actually, the empty keg head space can be a factor I think. I put my beer on 30PSI for 24 hours at 40F. I then vent off excess pressure and reduce to 10PSI serving pressure. I have five foot lines and most things pour okay at that rate. I still sometimes need to pour in two stages. If I add one of the mixer tubes to the diptube it helps, but sometimes I don't bother.

Even after the 1st 24 hours it seems to happen. im using 10.5ft of 3/16" tube too. i wonder what the headspce factor adds to the hairy situation???

 

[MaxOut]

I suspect your problem is the valve you are using as a tap. When serving you will need to open it all the way to avoid squirting the beer. May want to try a full port ball valve instead of a butterfly.

 

[skylor60]

maybe some pictures would help so everyone can see your setup

 

[wyzazz]

I suspect your problem is the valve you are using as a tap. When serving you will need to open it all the way to avoid squirting the beer. May want to try a full port ball valve instead of a butterfly.

Good Call!

 

[Tyron]

Thanks for all your input, ill let you know once i have the correct tap and try it!!