Higher pressure foaming

[sdbrew1024]

For "normal" beers my usual process is to set the regulator at ~10-12PSI and forget it, the beer will carbonate over time, then I serve it. The beer pours great at this pressure. I frequently make beers that require higher carbonation levels, however. For an upcoming belgian golden strong I will need quite a bit more than 10-12 PSI. My problem is any time I try to server beer at pressures above 10-12 PSI I get mostly foam. What can I do about this?

 

[bowiefan]

Longer line length. Good rule of thumb is 1 foot per PSI.

 

[sdbrew1024]

Longer beer line? Any suggestions on where to buy?

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

where'd you get your current line? get it there?

 

[P-J]

I'd suggest that you read this thread - The cure for your short hose troubles.
The very first post will give you the fix.

 

[bowiefan]

You can get it from your LHBS most likely or order it from kegconnection.com or beveragefactory.com . Just DO NOT use the cheap vinyl tubing you find at Home Despot/bLowes, that stuff will give you nothing but headaches.

One ither thing to try, there is a thread on here that is titled something like "cure for your short hose blues" that explores using the long plastic mixers you use for 2 part urethane caulking, installed in your keg dip tube, to add the necessary resistance without having to lengthen your beer lines. Obvious plus side to this is you just drop the piece into your keg for a special batch, and the rest of your system remains balanced. Havn't tried it myself, but others have reported great success.

Good luck.

Edit: oops, P-J beat me to it.

 

[sdbrew1024]

Is there any downside to just putting longer lines in? What would the effect be if I simply put 12' beer lines in?

 

[Walker]

You can get it from your LHBS most likely or order it from kegconnection.com or beveragefactory.com . Just DO NOT use the cheap vinyl tubing you find at Home Despot/bLowes, that stuff will give you nothing but headaches.

I've had absolutely no problems using the vinyl line from Lowe's. Been using that stuff exclusively ever since I started kegging.

 

[WilliamstonBrew]

Is there any downside to just putting longer lines in? What would the effect be if I simply put 12' beer lines in?

Your lower carbonated brews will pour slower... but so what? Unless you're having one rocking house party you probably never get a line queued up at the tap =).

After struggling to perfectly balance my keg system and after reading a lot on here I just said screw it and put on 10' of 3/16 ID tubing yesterday. Problem solved. I am serving 39 degree beer at 12 psi no problems.

 

[Catt22]

I solved this problem by inserting 1/4" OD poly tubing (ice maker water supply line) into the long beer out keg DIP tube. This increased the resistance the same way as the epoxy mixing things. I keep my kegs at 12-13 psi and use 3ft long beer lines to the taps on my keggerator. The pours are great and there's no need to bleed off gas to reduce pressure when pouring. No foaming and no 12 ft beer lines needed. You can buy the poly tubing at Home Depot or most any hardware store for about $3 for a 25ft coil. Cheap and easy solution and it works for me.

 

[WilliamstonBrew]

I solved this problem by inserting 1/4" OD poly tubing (ice maker water supply line) into the long beer out keg DIP tube. This increased the resistance the same way as the epoxy mixing things. I keep my kegs at 12-13 psi and use 3ft long beer lines to the taps on my keggerator. The pours are great and there's no need to bleed off gas to reduce pressure when pouring. No foaming and no 12 ft beer lines needed. You can buy the poly tubing at Home Depot or most any hardware store for about $3 for a 25ft coil. Cheap and easy solution and it works for me.

Brilliant! I might try this with my other keg which still has a too-short piece of 3/4" ID tubing attached.

How do you remove the line to service the parts though? Or do you treat it like a permanent installation?

 

[Catt22]

Brilliant! I might try this with my other keg which still has a too-short piece of 3/4" ID tubing attached.

How do you remove the line to service the parts though? Or do you treat it like a permanent installation?

The poly tubing is sort of semi-rigid. It's quite flexible but also stiff enough to push through the dip tube easily. It is also somewhat slippery so it is easy to install and easy to remove. With most dip tubes it slides right in. Because you will cut it flush to the dip tube on both ends, you will probably need to use a small screwdriver or other similar tool to push it out some so you can get a grip on it at the opposite end when removing. I like to remove the tube every time I clean a keg. My standard procedure is to completely disassemble the keg for cleaning every time it is used. This may not really be necessary, but it gives me peace of mind and none of my beers have gone south in the keg to date.

I assume you meant 1/4" tubing and you have it attached to the bottom of the long dip tube. That won't help much. It's the relatively small ID of the poly tubing that causes the increase in resistance. I'm really surprised that this isn't standard procedure with everyone by now. I'm repeating myself, but I want to say it again anyway. This mod will not solve foaming problems with over-carbonated beer. It will, however, let you keep the kegs pressurized at the normal 12-13 psi level and pour without excessive foaming problems. Warm beer lines and taps can cause foaming problems too. Post back if you give it a try and let us know how it works for you.