Perfect first pour - Is it possible?

[Big12Cy]

I recently converted a full size refrigerator into a "thru the door" kegerator. I am pretty happy with it, but wanted to check if there was room for improvement.

In an effort to keep the beer as cold as possible for the longest length of tubing/shank possible, I hollowed out the door around the shanks so that as much of the shank as possible is exposed to the cool air inside the refrigerator.

The very first pour can be 1/2 to 1/4 foam, but then is perfect for any subsequent pours. I assume this is as good as it gets, considering the beer sitting in the faucet is not cooled.

The only other thing I have considered is building a heat sink onto the shank by alternating nuts and washers for the length of the shank. I also considered putting a thin slice of the foam rubber pipe insulation on the rear portion of the faucet.
I am skeptical that either of these would make any noticeable difference, but it is something I have considered.

I would like to hear back if I already have it as good as it gets, or if I should try for improvement.

 

[wildwest450]

Maybe a fan, so cold air blows on the shank? I use a computer fan in my kegerator to cool a short run (2ft) to the thru wall shanks. Perfect pour every time.

Still, that's not bad and your way ahead of most keggers.

 

[Myrdhyn]

My trick for a perfect first pour was let my buddy go first, laugh as he got frustrated at his half glass of foam, and then walk up behind him and pour a perfect glass with a large grin on my face. I let this go on for a few months before explaining it to him. Yes I'm mean, but a little entertainment is a fair trade for a ton of free beer

On a slightly more serious note, I noticed turning down my PSI to aroun 10 instead of around 12 seemed to help make ALL my pours far more consistent and "perfect".

 

[shortyjacobs]

Every pour is a perfect pour for me. I have thru door shanks with perlicks.

I think one trick is to slow your flow. What pressures are you running, and what length line? 10' of 3/16" bev tubing gives me a nice 10-12 second pint pour, and means very little foaming. In fact, if I pour down the side of the glass for the full pour, I will have less than 1/2" of head. Normally, I pour down the side for the first half, then straighten the glass to make the beer fall a bit farther and build up a slightly larger head.

Also, I chill my glasses in the fridge freezer. I've noticed that a pour into a room temp glass gives much more head than one into a cold glass.

 

[wildwest450]

Just remember if you change your psi, you change the carbonation of your beer.
The psi shouldn't be used for flow adjustments, line length should.

 

[Myrdhyn]

If you were talking to me, yeah that was part of the diagnosis: My beers ended up slightly over carbed (or at least over carbed for my taste) after a month or two, so in my case turning down the regulator made more sense than installing longer lines.

 

[steinsato]

I've always been under the impression that serving psi for beer is 5psi. Lately ive bumped it to 9 cause I like a bit more head on my beers.

 

[Bobby_M]

No, there's no such thing as serving pressure as far as I'm concerned. You set the pressure to the chart to achieve the carb level you want and leave it there until the keg is empty. If you can't serve at that pressure without a glass full of foam, you need longer or smaller ID lines.

 

[shortyjacobs]

I've always been under the impression that serving psi for beer is 5psi. Lately ive bumped it to 9 cause I like a bit more head on my beers.

That's bad info. Serving PSI for beer is the same as equilibrium carbonation pressure for beer. This is normally in the 10-12 PSI range, (can be outside, depends on fridge temp and desired level of carbonation). For example, if a carbonation chart says you need 12 PSI at 40*F to get 2.4 volumes, (I am making this up, I'm too lazy to look up a chart), then you should both carbonate AND serve at 12 PSI. If you carbonate to 12 PSI and then serve at 5, your beer will go flat.

The only way to mess with foam is to mess with line length, (or those wackadoo epoxy stirrers). Your keg pressure is a given number based on fridge temp and desired level of carbonation...nothing more.

 

[wildwest450]

I've always been under the impression that serving psi for beer is 5psi. Lately ive bumped it to 9 cause I like a bit more head on my beers.

That's why we have 200 threads on foaming beer.

It's all about matching beer temp and psi for the desired carbonation, or volumes of co2.

 

[Big12Cy]

Thanks for the suggestions. Since I am only experiencing foam at the beginning of the first pour and then subsequent pours that evening are okay, I assume my line length of 4' must be okay.(3/16" ID)
I am not sure that there is much more for me to mess with.

 

[greenbirds]

Just remember if you change your psi, you change the carbonation of your beer.
The psi shouldn't be used for flow adjustments, line length should.

+1, or flow restriction, technically is accomplished through the same principle, but it's more convenient if you don't have to vary the line length.

OP should read https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/cure-your-short-hose-troubles-100151/

 

[motobrewer]

i heard this tip:

use as long of a shank as you can. it acts as a heat (well, cooling) sink.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I've got Perlicks with 4 1/8" shanks. I'm running 12 PSI with 9' of beer line per tap. Perfect pour every time...

 

[Yambor44]

I have Perlicks with long shanks as well. 5.5 foot lines at 11 psi. Never have a foam problem on the first beer.

 

[Big12Cy]

+1, or flow restriction, technically is accomplished through the same principle, but it's more convenient if you don't have to vary the line length.

OP should read https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/cure-your-short-hose-troubles-100151/

In a situation where it is only the first pour and then the rest after that are fine, I thought would have to be temperature and pressure.

I was aware of flow restriction impacting foam, but I assume if flow restriction is the culprit it would happen with the first shot of every pour since the flow restriction remains constant. I also assume if there is an issue with line cleanliness, it would also be constant instead of just the very first pour.

However, I am a noob so am working off assumptions based on what I have read, rather than experience.

 

[greenbirds]

To the best of my knowledge, the issue with the foaming is two-fold. The first is the velocity with which the beer exits the tap. This is related to flow restriction, as longer lines/more restricted lines slow the pour. When beer comes streaming out of the tap quickly, there is lots of turbulence: excessive foaming.

The second issue, which compounds the first, is the metal tap warms the beer as it exits. Warm beer cannot hold CO2 as well as cold beer, and CO2 comes out of solution, resulting in more foaming. Put these together, along with your room temp drinking glass, which further warms the beer, and you have excessive foaming.

I'm not completely sure of this, but looking into my lines inside the kegerator, residual beer that has been sitting in the lines for 24+ hours sometimes has developed some bubbles --> more turbulence as it exits.

On subsequent pours, the tap has cooled down a good bit, which helps make better pours.