Over Carbonated Keg

[ObsidianChef]

Good Day,

Can someone please give me some advise please,
I have a 30l spear type keg, carbonated it at 15psi for 7 days, turned it down to 10psi for dispensing, but all i get is foam, I have European taps, (With the flow regulator on the side).

Where have I gone Wrong?

Thank you.

 

[zachattack]

What temperature is the keg? How are you serving it (kegerator, keezer, party tap etc.) What material and inner diameter is your beer tubing and how long is it?

 

[ObsidianChef]

What temperature is the keg? How are you serving it (kegerator, keezer, party tap etc.) What material and inner diameter is your beer tubing and how long is it?

Hi there,

My keg is at 2°C, (36.5 °F), its in a Keezer, but how my system works is the keezer is on one side of the wall and the the taps on the other, I don't k now what material its is (its the STD tubing for John Guest Fittings) its 3/8 Inch. and my tuping is about 1.5-2m (5-6.5 Feet).

 

[whattheschmidt]

More time at 10psi might solve it.

8-10 ft beer line would also likely solve it. I get too much foam at 14psi with my 9-10ft line but if I put it at 12 or less it would work fine. Current beer I have on tap is a creme ale.

 

[zachattack]

With the flow control faucet, the line length shouldn't matter too much.

The keg probably didn't reach a full equilibrium at 15 psi in one week, but if it did there would be 3 volumes of CO2 in the beer. By turning the pressure down to 10 psi, the beer now only wants to have 2.5 volumes of CO2, so the excess CO2 will come out of solution if it gets a chance; this is probably why it's foaming. So the keg is overcarbonated relative to the current pressure.

You can try shutting off the gas and bleeding the pressure a couple times a day for the next few days, then leaving it at 10 psi. In the future, if you want to turn up the pressure to speed things up, don't leave it there for a week! 24-36 hours at 30 psi followed by a few days at 10 psi should get you pretty close.

 

[ObsidianChef]

With the flow control faucet, the line length shouldn't matter too much.

The keg probably didn't reach a full equilibrium at 15 psi in one week, but if it did there would be 3 volumes of CO2 in the beer. By turning the pressure down to 10 psi, the beer now only wants to have 2.5 volumes of CO2, so the excess CO2 will come out of solution if it gets a chance; this is probably why it's foaming. So the keg is overcarbonated relative to the current pressure.

You can try shutting off the gas and bleeding the pressure a couple times a day for the next few days, then leaving it at 10 psi. In the future, if you want to turn up the pressure to speed things up, don't leave it there for a week! 24-36 hours at 30 psi followed by a few days at 10 psi should get you pretty close.

Thank you very much, the kegs are back in the keezer at 10psi, so all I must do now is keep them there after bleeding them for a few days (how do I bleed a spear type keg)? My impatience got the better of me.

How long should they stay in the keezer at a constant 10psi, when its a fresh batch, so I don't do this again.

 

[zachattack]

Thank you very much, the kegs are back in the keezer at 10psi, so all I must do now is keep them there after bleeding them for a few days (how do I bleed a spear type keg)? My impatience got the better of me.

Does your coupler have a pressure release valve? That's one way to bleed it. Otherwise you can keep drinking the beer and eventually it will equalize

How long should they stay in the keezer at a constant 10psi, when its a fresh batch, so I don't do this again.

At your temperature, 10 psi will give you the perfect level of carbonation for most styles. Leave it there until the keg is empty. After 10-14 days the keg will be mostly carbonated, after 3 weeks it should be completely carbonated and nice and clear. If you have continuous foaming problems when the keg has only been at 10 psi, then you have another problem that people on this forum can help you solve

 

[ObsidianChef]

Thanks again, my couplers don't, but the regulator keeps jumping to more or less 30 psi, I just keep releasing the pressure and setting it to 10 psi, is this normal?