Tapping my first keg, foaming a lot

[weeple2000]

Setting up my keezer, I had 2 cornies filled at a local brewpub. I ran my lines. Apparently beer will come out of the keg without even hooking up co2, which hadn't occurred to me.

I ran lines for 2 taps. The keezer is at 48 F. The first line was 7 feet long, I thought that was the culprit so I ran the second one 11.5 feet long. It is 3/16" ID vinyl line. The regulator is set at 14 PSI, which I suspect is a bit high because I intended to set it at 12 PSI.

Both taps are pouring foam after a bit of beer into a pint. Is this because the kegs are new? Interestingly after adding the second, longer line, the first tap is pouring less foam.

We are having people come over for a potluck in about a half hour or so. I hoped to have the beer ready but already said it wouldn't be. It would be a nice surprise if there was a simple fix to this. Otherwise I guess we can just pour growlers and wait for the foam to die down.

 

[JuanMoore]

Do you know what the carbonation level of the beer is? If you have the serving pressure set lower than the equilibrium pressure of the beer, CO2 will break out of solution and form pockets of gas in the line, which will cause foaming. You need to know the carb level of the beer to be able to set the serving pressure to match it.

Also, the warmer the beer is the more the CO2 wants to break out of solution, and the slower the pour needs to be to reduce foaming, and the higher the pressure needs to be to balance the carbonation. Assuming a relatively standard carbonation level, at 48° you're going to need really really long lines to slow the pour down enough. I'd suggest trying to get the beer colder if possible.

 

[weeple2000]

I don't know the carbonation level of the beer. They are both ales, one is a lighter beer and the other is a stout. I suspect the lighter one may be carbonated at higher levels but I am not positive. If I change my temperature controller to a colder setting, will I need to adjust the PSI on my regulator?

Is this chart relevant to our discussion at all:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

 

[JuanMoore]

If I change my temperature controller to a colder setting, will I need to adjust the PSI on my regulator?

Is this chart relevant to our discussion at all:
http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

Yes and yes. You need to use that chart to set the regulator to the pressure that corresponds to the serving temperature and carbonation level. The brewery should be able to tell you what the carbonation level of the beer they sold you is. If not, I'd assume it's around 2.6-2.7 vol and go from there. As you can see, at 48°, that means a serving pressure of 18-19 psi, which will require some really long lines to slow the pour down.

 

[weeple2000]

Sounds good, I've turned the keezer down to 41 degrees F, I'll see how it pours tomorrow.

 

[weeple2000]

Is it necessary to relieve the pressure from the keg before pouring the first beer and hooking up the co2? I didn't do that, from reading a bit I wonder if omitting this step is contributing to my issues.

If I need to relieve the pressure, is it still ok to do it now? Just unhook the co2 and pull the release valve?

 

[Yooper]

Is it necessary to relieve the pressure from the keg before pouring the first beer and hooking up the co2? I didn't do that, from reading a bit I wonder if omitting this step is contributing to my issues.

If I need to relieve the pressure, is it still ok to do it now? Just unhook the co2 and pull the release valve?

Yes, go ahead and try that. Then reset it at a lower psi, and see if you can pour a beer without so much foam.