Weird Foam

[AsaStump]

I kegged a pale ale about 6 months or so ago and the next day I got an offer I couldn’t refuse for my kegerator. Keg sat in my garage (not insulated) the whole time. Finally I got everything I needed today to build another one. Opened the keg before I hooked up co2 to make sure it looked alright and it was pressurized and completely foaming. Like foam started pouring out the top. I hooked up my picnic tap and it pours nothing but foam. Beer taste alright once the foam settles. I never put priming sugar or co2 to it.

Anyone have a clue what would be going on? And what should i do?

Thanks

 

[bucketnative]

Sounds like fermentation wasn't done when you kegged, or an infection: bacteria, wild yeast, or the "dreaded" diastaticus.

Any chance you ever had a saison (or other beer using a known diastaticus variety of yeast)?

OR... what temperature was the beer when you originally kegged it? If it is now significantly warmer than when it was kegged, it may be supersaturated with CO2, which is now coming out of solution when you let off the pressure.

 

[jjw5015]

I had something similar happen when my first kegerator crapped out and I let the keg sit in the hot garage for a couple months. Most likely an infection.

 

[AsaStump]

It’s just weird to me. The beer taste alright. I have had a wild yeast case with a hefe a couple of years ago and it actually wasn’t horrible. I kegged back when it was warmer. Will the foam settle or dump and re brew?

 

[balrog]

CO2 only stays in liquid given temp and pressure. Then higher the temp, the more the pressure required or CO2 comes out of liquid. If beer was carbed, then warmed, then pressure removed, you gonna get volcano. Chill it back down for a week for it to settle.

 

[AsaStump]

CO2 only stays in liquid given temp and pressure. Then higher the temp, the more the pressure required or CO2 comes out of liquid. If beer was carbed, then warmed, then pressure removed, you gonna get volcano. Chill it back down for a week for it to settle.

Wasn’t carbed at all. Haven’t put any co2 to it yet. Pours foam like a champ out of the tap

 

[bracconiere]

how long are your draught lines? they need to be balanced, otherwise foam pours.....(not sure if it's relevent to your situation, just thought i'd check)

 

[balrog]

if it wasn't carbed then it wasn't finished fermenting when kegged, either the beer yeast or something wicked your way came, and fermented more.

 

[AsaStump]

if it wasn't carbed then it wasn't finished fermenting when kegged, either the beer yeast or something wicked your way came, and fermented more.

That’s what I was thinking. I probably did it to myself because I opened the top of the corny and took a smell to see if it was still good about two months ago. It wasn’t foamy then.

 

[bracconiere]

and if this was homemalt, fusarium is nasty stuff.....and causes gushers....

i'm not sure if fusarium can grow on/in beer though.....

 

[balrog]

It would be unusual that simply opening the keg caused infusion enough of baddies unless wind was blowing, cats were chasing squirrels across the opening, small furry woodland creatures dropped in, that sort of thing. And USUALLY you would taste something ... off. Sometimes but not always sour. Watery/thin. Or underside of a yak. But if the beer tastes good then you really have nothing to worry about as I keep reading that no pathogen harmful to humans can survive in beer due to pH, hops, alcohol.

 

[AsaStump]

Thanks for all the thoughts. I was just really curious. Sad thing is that it has been so long since I had this recipe I couldn’t tell a huge difference. Off to the next one...thinking a coffee blonde ale. My wife worked for Ballast Point in Va for a while before they closed and I loved calm before the storm!!!