i put together a keezer a while back and i've had an ipa in there for about 3 months. the co2 has been set at ~12psi the entire time. i started with 10' of 3/16" beer line from keg connection. it was obvious that the line was too long, so i started trimming the line, 6" at a time. it finally got to a point where it will develop a decent head, but there doesn't appear to be any co2 suspended in the beer. from reading other posts on here, i gathered that the line was still too long. so far, i've trimmed it down to 4' of beer line and there has been no change. it will develop somewhat of a short-lived head, but there are no co2 bubbles in the liquid beneath the head. can someone tell me what the hell i'm doing wrong or point me in the right direction? PLEASE!! i've got 3 more batches to brew and keg before i start law school in august and i would really like to be able to drink carbonated beer in between study sessions.
help me with my kegerator hose!
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Changeduser123
Well-Known Member
I do not think your lines were too long in the first place.
If you have a nice head and no carbonation left in the beer, it means that the CO2 is coming out of solution when pouring.
To verify this, you should check that your beer is carbonated. To do this, turn the pressure down, around 5psi, purge your keg, and pour a pint. If it is well carbonated, it means you should get longer line to balance the serving pressure. If it's not carbonated, your beer is not carbonated in the first place. the only explanation would be that the pressure is too low, even though your regulator indicates 12psi.
Edit: you have a lot of things that can prevent you from having a nice head. You should not use the head as a reason to shorten your lines, unless you pour a beer that you know for sure pours with a nice head.
If you have a nice head and no carbonation left in the beer, it means that the CO2 is coming out of solution when pouring.
To verify this, you should check that your beer is carbonated. To do this, turn the pressure down, around 5psi, purge your keg, and pour a pint. If it is well carbonated, it means you should get longer line to balance the serving pressure. If it's not carbonated, your beer is not carbonated in the first place. the only explanation would be that the pressure is too low, even though your regulator indicates 12psi.
Edit: you have a lot of things that can prevent you from having a nice head. You should not use the head as a reason to shorten your lines, unless you pour a beer that you know for sure pours with a nice head.
thanks for the reply. when i started with 10' of hose at 12psi, it was totally flat. no head, no suspended co2. when i got to about 6', it started to develop a thin head, but never any suspended co2. i already tried turning the pressure down to ~4-5psi and pouring a glass. it was basically the same thing, just a lot slower. it would appear to have a few co2 bubbles in the beer, but they were very few and only lasted about 5 seconds.
just for kicks, assuming i had cut too much line off, i just inserted 2 of the epoxy mixers everyone talks about. i measured my current line length and it's ~3.5'. i poured a glass at 12psi and it was as i expected. slow pour and a few suspended co2 bubbles that dissipate in a few seconds. i tried adjusting it from 5-15psi, all the same result. flat beer pouring at different rates.
i'm beginning to think i'm just cursed in everything i do. i had the same luck with my hot rod hobby, and i finally sold my car in order to keep from burning it to the ground, LOL.
just for kicks, assuming i had cut too much line off, i just inserted 2 of the epoxy mixers everyone talks about. i measured my current line length and it's ~3.5'. i poured a glass at 12psi and it was as i expected. slow pour and a few suspended co2 bubbles that dissipate in a few seconds. i tried adjusting it from 5-15psi, all the same result. flat beer pouring at different rates.
i'm beginning to think i'm just cursed in everything i do. i had the same luck with my hot rod hobby, and i finally sold my car in order to keep from burning it to the ground, LOL.
10' seems to be the magic number around here. 5' is starting to get to short.
There are many things that can reduce your head retention. Things you do when brewing the beer can effect it. Using glasses you cleaned in your dishwasher will effect it. Even hand washed glasses with soap residue can effect head retention.
What you might want to try is to clean your glass with little soap by hand. Then dunk the glass in baking soda/water mixture and then rinse with water. This is suppose to cure any problem of head retention associated with glasses.
If you think your beer just isn't carbed, you might want to check for leaks. If you are putting 12psi of co2 into beer for 3 months, there should be no reason for it not to be carbed. Head retention is one thing but being carbed should just happen if you have the right PSI and no leaks.
There are many things that can reduce your head retention. Things you do when brewing the beer can effect it. Using glasses you cleaned in your dishwasher will effect it. Even hand washed glasses with soap residue can effect head retention.
What you might want to try is to clean your glass with little soap by hand. Then dunk the glass in baking soda/water mixture and then rinse with water. This is suppose to cure any problem of head retention associated with glasses.
If you think your beer just isn't carbed, you might want to check for leaks. If you are putting 12psi of co2 into beer for 3 months, there should be no reason for it not to be carbed. Head retention is one thing but being carbed should just happen if you have the right PSI and no leaks.
Haputanlas
Well-Known Member
What temperature is your keezer maintaining? That will make a big difference to how many volumes of C02 you actually have in your beer.
when i initially set the keezer up, i checked for leaks by spraying everything down with starsan while it was under pressure. i didn't find any leaks. but even if soap residue is killing the head retention, wouldn't it still have visible co2 suspension?
also, the keezer is controlled with a love controller and it's set at 40F with a 1 degree differential. i also have two pc fans in it which circulate the air, evenly cooling the kegs, lines and shanks.
should i start over with the 2 epoxy mixers and 10' of line? i just don't get it, because it only slightly improves when i cut the pressure back to 5psi. AARRRRGGGGGHHHH!
also, the keezer is controlled with a love controller and it's set at 40F with a 1 degree differential. i also have two pc fans in it which circulate the air, evenly cooling the kegs, lines and shanks.
should i start over with the 2 epoxy mixers and 10' of line? i just don't get it, because it only slightly improves when i cut the pressure back to 5psi. AARRRRGGGGGHHHH!
I think you are blowing CO2 out of solution inside the keg system, likely the poppet isn't seated right or isn't the right poppet.
That or you really arent' at 12psi so its not really carbing up properly. Or your liquid line is wonky (too rough and tearing CO2 outta solution)
That or you really arent' at 12psi so its not really carbing up properly. Or your liquid line is wonky (too rough and tearing CO2 outta solution)
Haputanlas
Well-Known Member
I had a problem where my gauge was stuck on 12 PSI and didn't seem to want to move. I had to put the PSI up to about 30+ and it unlocked it back to normal.
Definitely could be a possibility.
well, i know that when i've unhooked the liquid line it will occasionally get stuck open at an odd angle. OTOH, i've never noticed any bubbles in the line though. could this be what you're talking about, or would there be visible signs of turbulence in the line?
also, i do have the tank and regulator in the keezer. but i not sure that carbonation is the problem. i have a 3gallon keg with margaritas for the swmbo. it has a 15' line and is set at ~25psi. it's carbonated about like a soda and you can see the co2 in suspension in the glass, but the beer keg doesn't do that.
any suggestions on how i should start to eliminate the keg/line as the culprit?
Okay, i left the two epoxy mixers in the dip tube and have cranked the co2 up to 17psi. it's pouring okay now. my question is since i need ~12psi at 40F, will this over-carbonate my beer or is that dependent on the restriction of the dispensing line?
shortyjacobs
Well-Known Member
This is very wrong. 12 PSI is 12 PSI, regardless of temperature. Pressure is pressure.
You're thinking of PV=nRT, which does give a relationship between temp and pressure, and sure enough, when you put a tank in the fridge it will drop from 800 PSI to around 400-500 PSI. BUT the regulator is still outputting 12 PSI or whatever, (although the reg can drift as it cools). If your gauge reads 12 PSI, it's 12 PSI, regardless of the temp.
As to the beer, dude, it really sounds like you're just not carbonated. While longer lines CAN hurt head when you pour, that means the beer will come out slightly MORE carbonated. If it's coming out flat, no matter what, it's not carbed enough. Either your gauge is busted, or your tastebuds are expecting crazy carbonation. Either way, the 17 PSI you have it set at now risks what most would call overcarbonation for an IPA, but maybe it will be right for you....
Few questions, could you post a pic? what kind of tab are you using? and what kind of beer are you carbing? i noticed pretty early on that "thicker" beers take more to carb than something like a light ale.
i think i jumped the gun after inserting the epoxy mixers. maybe i was too frustrated to pay attention to what i was doing, but it seems to be just right now between 10-15psi. i compared the carbonation to a few commercial brews and it seems to be about right. i've been drinking mostly belgians lately so i guess i might have been getting used to a higher level of carbonation.
bf514921, i'm not sure what a tab is. it's an IPA, but i want to get this all figured out because i've got a belgian ipa, brown ale, IIPA, and a quad that are about to get kegged too.
bf514921, i'm not sure what a tab is. it's an IPA, but i want to get this all figured out because i've got a belgian ipa, brown ale, IIPA, and a quad that are about to get kegged too.
Try hooking the line to the Margaritas to your beer keg, check to make sure that the keg isn't leaking by spraying star san or some soap and water to look for bubbles on the keg
mee neither, i gotta learn to type better
wait i remeber, what kind of TAP not tab
wait i remeber, what kind of TAP not tab
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