pressure for keg ?

[patap]

hi can anyone tell me what the right kpa is for running a keg i know you put it up full to get the gas in to the beer but after that what do u run it at ?

 

[Beertracker]

hi can anyone tell me what the right kpa is for running a keg i know you put it up full to get the gas in to the beer but after that what do u run it at ?

Your question really depends on your serving temp. & carbonation level + head pressure, but somewhere in the 8-12psi range should be just fine.

 

[Monkey Knife Fight]

I dunno, so far in my brewing experience i've found dispensing to be kind of black magic. My system is soda kegs in a fridge with line for about 6 or so feet to my taps. The two regular taps pour pretty foamy usually...which we haven't been to motivated to look into but i've found a lower pressure helps. I like 5-7 pounds or so. The nitro stout faucet isn't as touchy and seems to like closer to 10 lbs.

But in general i'd say 5-10 lbs is probably a good rule of thumb.

 

[Janx]

Black magic is a good term for it. If you've ever worked in a restaurant or pub and seen what goes into making a tap system work, it can be quite a project.

The simple answer:

Just enough to push the beer out of the keg at a nice pace, but not much more If you're just tapping it off a short line, that'll work usually if it's properly carbonated.

A couple more thoughts:

1) Temperature is everything. If the beer warms up between the fridge/keg and the tap, it will releas CO2, which causes foaming. A real professional setup keeps the beer cold from keg to tap. Homebrewers just do their best with this in mind

2) Sometimes foaming can be caused by too little pressure. It's always intuitive to turn down the pressure when you see foam, but if the beer is pouring very slowly and foaming in the line, you probably need to turn up the pressure so that the beer stay carbonated in the lines.

3) Get beer line for hose.

And after all that, it's still black magic. Hose length, head pressure, keg pressure, temperature etc, etc play into it. But, it's a fun project no matter how well it's working. "Hmm...well, let's see if it's working better now....Nope...let's just try pouring another beer after I adjust this..." You get the idea

Janx

 

[mrkeeg]

How much difference does the type of tap make?

The LBS recomended 5/8" (!!) tubing for a short line from a keg... but the fellow said that's what they used for the small "thumb" taps.

My taps are for soda pop... the beer comes into the back of the tap and separates around a cylindrical pyramid... then comes back together as it enters the channel with the pull-tap stopper. I assume if someone has seen this, they will know what I mean, and otherwise you will have no clue.. .*lol* I may try to post a picture this eve. Anyway.. it seems that this setup may create undue turbulence and thus perhaps my foam problem?

Thanks for any thoughts,
Keegan

 

[bikebryan]

How much difference does the type of tap make?

The LBS recomended 5/8" (!!) tubing for a short line from a keg... but the fellow said that's what they used for the small "thumb" taps.

My taps are for soda pop... the beer comes into the back of the tap and separates around a cylindrical pyramid... then comes back together as it enters the channel with the pull-tap stopper. I assume if someone has seen this, they will know what I mean, and otherwise you will have no clue.. .*lol* I may try to post a picture this eve. Anyway.. it seems that this setup may create undue turbulence and thus perhaps my foam problem?

Thanks for any thoughts,
Keegan

Alas, kegging and PSI settings can be hard to figure, but they don't need to be. Here's the rules I've always followed, and haven't had a single problem yet:

1. Chill beer, in keg, down to temperature in fridge (letting it sit overnight).

2. Check charts for PSI necessary, at that temperature, to reach the volumes of CO2 in the solution I want (2.5 volumes, at 38 degrees F, equates to about 11.5 PSI).

3. Set regulator to that pressure, hook it up to the keg, and open the line up.

4. Let it SIT for five to seven days. I don't subscribe to the old "jack the pressure up, shake the heck out of it, then release pressure" method. It's too prone to problems and not getting the exact setting I get with patience. Besides, the extra week of cold conditioning is going to be good for the beer anyway.

5. Drink.

The other tricks to reduce foaming are to keep your entire beverage line chilled, and to balance the resistance of the line with the pressure in the keg. As I usually run about 11.5 PSI, and 5/8" beverage line has about 2 pounds of resistance per linear foot, that equate to between 5 and 6 feet of line.