How do I decrease foaming

[MickeyD]

The first beer I pour from my kegerator is around 80% foam or more. After the first pour, the amount of foam tends to decrease significantly. Is there a way to prevent the first beer from foaming so much? My regulator is set on 10psi. I let the beer carbonate for about a week at 14-15 psi.

 

[wildwest450]

Your first problem is that you carbed at one setting and are serving at a lower setting. This allows the co2 to break out of suspension and will cause foaming.

 

[MickeyD]

So does this happen to everyone who force carbs at high pressures?

 

[JuanMoore]

Is it just the first pour the first time you tap the keg, or the first pour each day? If the first pour each day is foamy, your lines and/or faucet aren't staying cold enough. What style of kegerator is it? If it has a tower, you'll need to add a muffin fan or some other method to keep the tower as cold as the rest of the kegerator.

 

[bucfanmike]

i agree with Juan, its more than likely an issue with beer warming in the line. Need more info on your setup.

 

[wildwest450]

i agree with Juan, its more than likely an issue with beer warming in the line. Need more info on your setup.

I disagree. A change in serving pressure can also cause the first pour to foam. Have you ever seen a beer line with "bubbles" in it?

Although warming can be a problem, the op gave the answer away in his question.

 

[munklunk]

Dude, why would you care about the first pour anyways? The initial pour will have whatever leftover sanitizer was in the keg, and whatever leftover finings and yeast. You should always dump the first glass after you tap the keg. If it makes you feel better, just imaging that you're showing some love for all your dead homies.

 

[abracadabra]

Read here about balancing you lines

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/tiny-bubbles-lines-19837/

 

[abracadabra]

in the mean time you can simply lower the serving pressure until it stops foaming

 

[MickeyD]

It is the first pour each time, otherwise I wouldn't care. The beer line is inside the fridge, so I don't think it should be getting significantly warmer than the keg. If you changed the pressure, shouldn't the CO2 dissolved in the beer simply equilibrate with the headspace? So the foaming would occur in the keg (if given enough time), not each time I pour a beer.

 

[lumpher]

yep. that's what happens with the very first pour

 

[bucfanmike]

This is what was happening to me. After sitting for awhile I could see bubbles in my beer line. It was because the top of my keezer was warmer than the very bottom where the beer was coming from. I did 2 things, first I coiled my hose on top of the keg and made sure there were no drops in the line. Then I built a fan box with a computer fan and an old phone charger. This went at the bottom and blew the coldest air through a duct directly on my hoses. This fixed my first pour problem.
For the guy that asked earlier about if I had ever seen air in a beer line, well it's not air it's co2 that breaks out of solution because the beer has warmed and can't hold as much as when it was in the keg. That's also why subsequent pours come out better.

 

[wildwest450]

It is the first pour each time, otherwise I wouldn't care. The beer line is inside the fridge, so I don't think it should be getting significantly warmer than the keg. If you changed the pressure, shouldn't the CO2 dissolved in the beer simply equilibrate with the headspace? So the foaming would occur in the keg (if given enough time), not each time I pour a beer.

From this post, you seem to have a firm grasp of the kegging process. I apologize for my lack of knowledge, good luck with your foam.

 

[MickeyD]

Thanks bucfanmike. It seems like that is what is happening. Any moisture problems inside the fridge with the computer fan?

 

[bucfanmike]

mines been running 24/7 for several weeks now and i have had no issues.

Mike in Duluth

 

[Bobby_M]

I invite you to put two thermometers in the fridge, one at the base of the keg, one sitting on top. Note the variance of a couple degrees because heat rises.

 

[BrewMoreBeers]

i use a small desktop fan (4 inch) that i bought at Target for about $9. It sits on the compressor hump and I run it 24/7. I have done this since i built my kezzer and have never had foaming issues. It keeps the air inside sufficiently stirred to equalize the temp. It also helps keep the temp more stable since my temp probe for my controller only hangs down about 9 inches.