Yet another foaming problem

[scottcd]

I just came into three 1/6 sanke kegs and kegged my first batch last week. I have my fridge set at 38 and beer comes out at around 39 or 40. I WAS set at 10 psi with 8ft of 3/16 line and was getting ridiculous foamy pours. I could see the co2 coming out of solution right after I poured a beer, so I switched to 12ft of 3/16th line and turn the pressure up a to 11psi but I can still see co2 coming out of solution super quick. Im pouring at a nice slow speed but i'm still getting the spit gush because of the co2 coming out of solution.

Any ideas? Im sure theres something I'm missing.

Edit: Forgot to mention I am using picnic taps at the moment so the length of line is stored inside the chest freezer.

 

[Rockn_M]

How are you carbing? Hooking the co2 up and shaking for a few minutes, setting at 10psi and forgetting for a few weeks, setting the psi to 20-30 for a few days then back down to serving pressure or other?

 

[scottcd]

I set it at 25 psi for about 48 hours and then back down to 10psi for another 48 hours. It was at 38 degrees while carbing. Could it be over carbed?

 

[Rockn_M]

It's possible, was it 5 gallons worth?

 

[scottcd]

Yes 5 gallons

 

[mongoose33]

I think you're overcarbed.

I had this problem when I first started kegging and pouring from my kegerator, and I simply overshot on the force carbing. I have 3/16 line, have Perlick flow-control faucets, and could not make the beer behave.

Currently, I will have the beer at close to 32 degrees and force carb that at 30 psi for 24 hours. At that point I return to serving pressure--and it's just about right at that point.

A setting of 25psi for 48 hours is, IMO, too much unless the beer is very warm.

 

[scottcd]

Ahh ok. Ill bleed of the head pressure and warm it up a little. Thanks for your help!

 

[TheCondor]

Possibly a bad o ring on the out line? Head pressure mixing in with the beer as its being dispensed.

 

[scottcd]

Possibly a bad o ring on the out line? Head pressure mixing in with the beer as its being dispensed.

Hmm ok ill check that before i do anything else.

 

[ncsuwerewolf]

Every system and set up is different. You need to learn ehat you have. It just takes time. I force carb at 35 for 24 hours. Let it sit for a day and pour at 8 psi with 5 ft of 3/16. Thats what works in my keezer. I would leave my line length alone and start by adjusting you carb length and serving pressure. That and my first pint is always foamy as the beer in the line is warmer as well as the faucet. But when it hits the glass its beer, and its mine.

 

[mongoose33]

Ahh ok. Ill bleed of the head pressure and warm it up a little. Thanks for your help!

No, no--warming up the beer will just make the CO2 more prone to come out of solution. My comment above was about what was needed to carb beer, not about how to serve it.

Keep purging CO2 until you get to a reasonable level. If it was me, I'd open the pressure relief valve for, say, 30 minutes (just pull the ring and turn it so it remains open, or if it's a lever type, pull it up).

After 30 minutes, reseal, then see what you've got.

 

[Yooper]

I set it at 25 psi for about 48 hours and then back down to 10psi for another 48 hours. It was at 38 degrees while carbing. Could it be over carbed?

Yep, overcarbed. 48 hours is long, at 38 degrees. If it carbed up during that time, you're looking at 4+ volumes. It didn't fully carb during that time, but you can see that if it even went 3/4 of the way, you'd have an overcarbed beer.

Keep purging, and it should resolve.

After this, if you're going to quick carb, keep it at 25 psi for 24 hours and no longer and that should keep it from overcarbing.

 

[scottcd]

Thanks a lot for the replies. Ill open the relief valve for a while and see what happens.