Set it and forget it not working

[jgaepi]

I bottled for a long time. I finally made the jump to kegging. I brew 2.5g batches with the Torpedo kegs. My first two kegs were great with convenience. Not so great with foam head.

With both: I sealed and filled with 30psi. I purged twice each. The last time I didn't purge. Then lowered to 10psi. Let sit for approx. 10 days each at room temperature. Threw into the kegerator at 42 degrees. Chilled for 2 days. Carbonated but no head.

Is it something with my process or is it with my actual beer? I've considered using some CaraFoam in the future but not sure if that is my actual issue.

Thanks.

 

[BobBailey]

CO2 goes into solution much easier at lower temperatures. At 10 psi and room temperature you're grossly under carbonating. If you want to carbonate at room temperature use a carbonation chart to find the proper pressure for the temperature and carbonation level you want.

 

[day_trippr]

Referring to our favorite carbonation table one can see carbonating beer at, say, 65°F and 10 psi would eventually reach equilibrium around 1.4 volumes of CO2 - roughly 1 volume short for a typical ale. The beer would have had to have been around 37°F to reach 2.4 volumes under the same pressure.

Now that the keg is in the kegerator at 42 degrees the proper pressure to reach and maintain 2.4 volumes would be 12 psi...

Cheers!

 

[Bobby_M]

CO2 goes into solution much easier at lower temperatures. At 10 psi and room temperature you're grossly under carbonating. If you want to carbonate at room temperature use a carbonation chart to find the proper pressure for the temperature and carbonation level you want.

One slight nudge. Easier isn't really the most accurate way to say this. I'd just say that proper carbonation pressures are proportional to beer temps or that co2 is more soluble at lower temps.

 

[BobBailey]

Just trying to make it "easier" to understand

 

[day_trippr]

I'd just say "if you use the correct pressure the beer temperature doesn't matter"...

Cheers!

 

[jgaepi]

Referring to our favorite carbonation table one can see carbonating beer at, say, 65°F and 10 psi would eventually reach equilibrium around 1.4 volumes of CO2 - roughly 1 volume short for a typical ale. The beer would have had to have been around 37°F to reach 2.4 volumes under the same pressure.

Now that the keg is in the kegerator at 42 degrees the proper pressure to reach and maintain 2.4 volumes would be 12 psi...

Cheers!

Thanks guys. I knew that colder absorbed more CO2 but I'd assumed that warmer was better for creating foam head.

 

[day_trippr]

"Warm" is indeed associated with creating more foam, but generally that's not a "better" thing

Cheers!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

The best way to get head is to make the lines too short seriously, there are many threads here from people looking for solutions to over pressurized kegs that lead to foaming and, paradoxically, flat beer. I have a 3 keg keezer and 2 serving taps. When a keg kicks I put a fresh one in the "on deck" slot and hit it with serving pressure for a month. When a tap is available, its carbed perfectly. Of course it takes me a couple months to drink a keg, so I'm probably unusual. I have 2 regulators so I *could* burst carb, but have never had the need to do so.