New to the forum but have been brewing for some years now and just now starting to keg. So my question is basically when serving do I keep co2 hooked up. My setup is. Right now keg is in fridge at 40 and co2 at 10 psi. It's been on for two days. Now 10 psi is to much pressure to serve at. So do I disconnect co2 and let it come from tap that way or do I leave co2 on and lower to 2 psi and serve like that. Thanks.
Kegging psi
- Thread starter bren2426
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I have my system set at roughly 10psi all the time. I just restrict my beer line (by increasing its length) to have it pour out at the right speed. I also find the carbonation stays really consistent and I get a good pour. I leave my beer gas on when serving and only turn it off when I am not using it incase I create a leak.
OP, you need longer beer lines. I'd say at least 10' of 3/16" line. If you are using the 1/4" line, you'll need more.
You should leave the CO2 attached to the keg when beer is being served. Once I put a keg into service, it stays on CO2 until it's empty.
You should leave the CO2 attached to the keg when beer is being served. Once I put a keg into service, it stays on CO2 until it's empty.
I tried it this morning at 10 psi the beer blasts out of the tap I turned it to 2 but isn't it still charged at 10. Also the beer is a milky color it is a blue moon clone and when it went I to the keg it looked exactly like a blue moon color. And now that I pour it I to glass it's a milky color but it still taste the same and has a decent head. So is there to much carb in it to change the color or something different.
Keep it at 10 psi, or even 12 psi. You need longer lines. You should have at least 8' of 3/16" line to start with, but going with 10' is better.
If it's only been a couple of days, it won't be carbed yet. It needs to be at 10-12 psi at fridge temperatures for at least a week or two to carb up.
The reason it poured milky is that some of the yeast is at the bottom of the keg, and the keg pours from the bottom. If you don't move the keg any more, it will stop pouring yeasty.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I have 12' X 3/16" lines and I serve at 12lbs. I get really good results with that set-up.
Like Yooper said, the cloudiness is the yeast settling out in the keg. After a week or two it will settle out nicely. Your first pint or two will be cloudy, but then it will pour nice and clear.
Like Yooper said, the cloudiness is the yeast settling out in the keg. After a week or two it will settle out nicely. Your first pint or two will be cloudy, but then it will pour nice and clear.
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Ok guys I hooked up a 20 ft 1/4 hose and it did slow down a lot. Milkiness is now gone. And it's way more carb now. I get a great head and lacing. So I think we are in business. This was my first keg and so far everything is turning out great. Thanks for everyone's help. And the blue moon clone I made is pretty damn close. So if anyone wants the recipe let me know. Thanks.
I have another question. When I tap the beer from the keg I get a **** load of foam. It's at 10 psi I even tried 2 and off all together. I tried tank inside and out and all the same. Now I did use 1 lb of flaked oat instead of 8 oz for head retention. Not sure if that matters. Here is a pic of what it looks like when I tap it. Now if I let it sit for a few in goes down but then I only have half a glass. So what am I doing wrong. I would like I get this kegging down before I keg my stout. Thanks.
You need a 10-12' 3/16" line, not 1/4" line. With a 1/4" line, you need a lot more of it. 1/4" line is designed for long runs, like at a bar.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
You'll still need gas to serve even if you prime with sugar in the keg.
I have to keep my keezer set at 36 degrees to get a good pour. It's colder than I'd like to serve, but if I keep it at 40F I get foam. Not a big deal, though. In my hot climate a pint warms up quickly once it's poured.
Maybe try dropping your temp a little to see if it helps you like it does for me...
I have to keep my keezer set at 36 degrees to get a good pour. It's colder than I'd like to serve, but if I keep it at 40F I get foam. Not a big deal, though. In my hot climate a pint warms up quickly once it's poured.
Maybe try dropping your temp a little to see if it helps you like it does for me...
If it's not working, you're defying the laws of physics!
Either the beer line isn't really beverage tubing, or the beer is overcarbed, or there is an obstruction in the faucet/line/keg post. There are no other possibilities.
Time, plus pressure, along with temperature = carbonation level. It's not possible for anything else.
What was the latest configuration you used? Yooper is right, go 3/16. Believe it or not there is a huuuuge difference between 1/4 and 3/16 when it comes to beer.
Ok my setup is a mini fridge converted to a kegerator. I am using 3/16 line for beer and coming out top with an old school perlick faucet tap. I have 20lb co2 on the outside but it was on inside with no difference. The fridge temp is 40 maybe a Lil higher but not sure if I can get it lower with the temp control I'm at max. So if it is temp then ill have to change to a standard size fridge. Maybe I will try the big beer fridge and get it colder and if it works then ill sell the Lil kegerator. Also never checked the beer temp maybe it's colder in fridge than what the beer is.
How long is that 3/16" ID serving line?
If you wan't a demonstration try blowing through 1/4" tube and then 3/16". It's amazing how hard it is to blow through 3/16" tubing.
Just for reference, I use 14' of Bev-Seal 3/16 tubing (12psi at 40 degrees) and I have to pour the last 1/4 glass from really high just to build a head.
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I was wondering the same thing. When I bought my hardware it came with 5 foot lines which were too short. After I replaced them with 12' it worked great.
SpeedYellow
Well-Known Member
Just listen to everybody and use 10 ft of 3/16" beverage tubing. This is what most folks do. If it still foams with even the 2nd beer pulled, then your pressure is probably higher than your regulator says, or possibly something inside the faucet or connections is disturbing the smooth flow of beer.
Just throwing another option out there, I use 5 foot 3/16 beer lines in my setup, but also have the perlick 545 flow control faucets. They stay wide open for most beers, and no foaming problems. Works great when you want to carb a beer a little higher, all I do is dial back the faucet a tad. Keezer stays pretty cold though, around 37-38.
This is what I want to do but I can't seem to get around to making a collar for my keezer. The picnic taps work OK and there is always something else to do instead of makikng the collar, like brewing more beer.
SpeedYellow
Well-Known Member
bren2426 said:
That's the second time you mentioned it being a little warm, as if you think that's causing the foaming. It is not. Unless of course you cranked your pressure up to 14 psi or something.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Possible causes of foaming:
1) The beer is coming out too fast. The warmer or more highly carbonated the beer is, the more the CO2 wants to come out of solution, and the slower and more gentle the pour needs to be. The best way to slow the pour down is using smaller diameter or longer beer line. With 10psi serving pressure, 10' of 3/16" ID line, and 40° beer, this shouldn't be an issue.
2) The beer is carbed to a level higher than the serving pressure. You implied that you carbed using the set and forget method at 10psi, but didn't mention it implicitly. How did you carb the beer?
3) Gas is entering the beer line. This is almost always a result of an old and cracked or deformed liquid side diptube o-ring. I've also heard of very rare cases where there was a pinhole in the liquid side diptube.
4) The tower, faucet, shank, and/or lines are significantly warmer than the beer in the keg. Usually this only causes foam on the first pour of a drinking session. The cold beer flowing through will chill things enough to get a good pour until it sits long enough to warm up again. In rare instances, the temperature stratification inside the keezer/kegerator is great enough that it causes several foamy pours before cooling off enough to pour well.
5) Improper pouring technique. When pouring a beer, the faucet should be opened all the way in one swift motion. Opening the faucet partially will create a restriction that will knock CO2 out of solution and cause foaming. The glass should also start out tipped, allowing the beer to slide gently down the side of the glass until the liquid level gets high enough to be able to gently pour into the center of the glass.
6) Dirty glassware. Glassware that's not cleaned and dried properly will have water spots on it that can become nucleation points for the CO2 to come out of solution. Rinsing the glass with cold water just before pouring a beer will often eliminate this issue.
7) Restriction in the line. This can be hop particles stuck in the keg poppet or between the diptube and the bottom of the keg, ice crystals forming in the line where it's sitting too close to the cooling coils, gunk built up in the faucet, a tailpiece gasket improperly installed, or a simple kink in the line somewhere.
1) The beer is coming out too fast. The warmer or more highly carbonated the beer is, the more the CO2 wants to come out of solution, and the slower and more gentle the pour needs to be. The best way to slow the pour down is using smaller diameter or longer beer line. With 10psi serving pressure, 10' of 3/16" ID line, and 40° beer, this shouldn't be an issue.
2) The beer is carbed to a level higher than the serving pressure. You implied that you carbed using the set and forget method at 10psi, but didn't mention it implicitly. How did you carb the beer?
3) Gas is entering the beer line. This is almost always a result of an old and cracked or deformed liquid side diptube o-ring. I've also heard of very rare cases where there was a pinhole in the liquid side diptube.
4) The tower, faucet, shank, and/or lines are significantly warmer than the beer in the keg. Usually this only causes foam on the first pour of a drinking session. The cold beer flowing through will chill things enough to get a good pour until it sits long enough to warm up again. In rare instances, the temperature stratification inside the keezer/kegerator is great enough that it causes several foamy pours before cooling off enough to pour well.
5) Improper pouring technique. When pouring a beer, the faucet should be opened all the way in one swift motion. Opening the faucet partially will create a restriction that will knock CO2 out of solution and cause foaming. The glass should also start out tipped, allowing the beer to slide gently down the side of the glass until the liquid level gets high enough to be able to gently pour into the center of the glass.
6) Dirty glassware. Glassware that's not cleaned and dried properly will have water spots on it that can become nucleation points for the CO2 to come out of solution. Rinsing the glass with cold water just before pouring a beer will often eliminate this issue.
7) Restriction in the line. This can be hop particles stuck in the keg poppet or between the diptube and the bottom of the keg, ice crystals forming in the line where it's sitting too close to the cooling coils, gunk built up in the faucet, a tailpiece gasket improperly installed, or a simple kink in the line somewhere.
Ok. I carbed the beer by putting it in the kegerator on co2 at 10 psi. I let it sit for 5 days and tested it. It was carbed to my liking. Started with 1/4 line but now at 3/16 10 ft. I think mini fridge was to warm so I put in big beer fridge today. With 3/16 line and picnic tap. Fridge is at 33 deg. So later this evening I will try it out. It might have been temp. Ill keep u posted. Thanks.
