Over-Carbed keg

[dpinette2]

I think i over carved a full 5gallon keg.

Reason being it comes out completely foamed. Then there seems to be pressure inside the picnic tap. I left on co2 at 14-15psi for 5 days, usually i start to drink at day 2 or 3...I’m assuming the few extra days did it. How do i go about fixing, or is all lost. I turned off co2.

any info is appreciated.

 

[IslandLizard]

What temp is that keg at? Lower temps reduce foaming.

Unhook from CO2, and keep venting the headspace twice a day or more often to blow off the gas coming out of solution. It should become less foamy over the next week.
Or put a longer or narrower beverage hose on it, to give it more resistance and reduce foaming, while blowing off the excess for a few days.

 

[dpinette2]

it’s in a mini fridge, 38-40 f i believe

My picnic tap snapped(top part busted off) as I was trying a youtube fix, switch co2 to out, for a few seconds, then release pressure? I just bought a

Is this gonna cause me problems?

The youtube fix seem to definitely loosen some co2 from the beer(a good thing I think) so hopefully a day or two will settle it out?

What psi do you use to force carb? I’m under the impression to go with 14ish for a day or two then come down to 7-8ish?

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I'm with IslandLizard. I have overcarbed on a few previous occasions....mostly the result of doing the rapid force carbing versus the slow and steady method. I have had luck with shutting off the CO2, then bleeding the keg over several days (yes...several)...until it barely burped at all. Then I dropped it down to serving psi (for me typically 8-10psi) and it serves up well.

When I force carb, I have had recent luck with setting it to 20psi...rolling on my lap for 15 minutes, and then burping the keg and hooking up to about 8psi. No overfoaming and after letting it sit a day, it was fantastic. Definitely keg and carb when it is cold...best results for sure. Cheers!

 

[FloppyKnockers]

You can de-carb just like you would burst carb. Take the keg out of the fridge and wait for it to get to room temp (over night) then shake and vent every 10-15 minutes or so. It should get flat in under a few hours.

Then you can re-carb.

 

[IslandLizard]

it’s in a mini fridge, 38-40 f i believe

My picnic tap snapped(top part busted off) as I was trying a youtube fix, switch co2 to out, for a few seconds, then release pressure? I just bought a

View attachment 604343

Is this gonna cause me problems?

The youtube fix seem to definitely loosen some co2 from the beer(a good thing I think) so hopefully a day or two will settle it out?

What psi do you use to force carb? I’m under the impression to go with 14ish for a day or two then come down to 7-8ish?

OK, keeping cold is good as it keeps the CO2 dissolved in the beer when dispensing. With picnic taps and a typical short 4-6' piece of 3/16" ID tubing attached, you need to reduced serving pressure to 6-8 psi to reduce foaming when dispensing.

There is no tubing at all in that QD-Faucet assembly to give any extra resistance and they tend to foam a lot too. Those also work best under low 6-8 psi.

Be careful not to bump that tap, they can cause a big mess and drain your keg and CO2 tank if accidentally bumped and left in open position.

At those low pressures make sure your keg is not leaking, especially around the lid.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I would refrigerate the keg for day, then crack the pressure relief valve open, and keep it open over night. This way it doesn't go flat as this would keep it close to one volume of CO2 or equilibrate to that temperature. This is one step above flat. Kind of like cask serve level of carbonation.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I would refrigerate the keg for day, then crack the pressure relief valve open, and keep it open over night. This way it doesn't go flat as this would keep it close to one volume of CO2 or equilibrate to that temperature. This is one step above flat. Kind of like cask serve level of carbonation.

Should a checked that date.... LoL

 

[bracconiere]

Should a checked that date.... LoL

6 months isn't bad....at least it hasn't graduated high school yet....lol

 

[Rackrunner]

Since it's been reawakened, thought I would chime in

You can also "force decarb" a bit quicker by:
- Disconnecting the gas and liquid line from the keg
- Venting keg pressure
- Briefly connecting the CO2 to the liquid post (just a couple of seconds), then disconnect
- CAREFULLY 'burp' the keg - you'll probably have to bleed it a bit first until you start getting foam, then wait a bit and repeat
- Test carb level and repeat as necessary

This will bubble the CO2 up through the beer releasing it quickly from solution.

There are a few videos of this out there as well:

 

[day_trippr]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/overcarbed-keg-heres-an-instant-solution.127655/