Foamy Keg

Kegging
1

I am a first time brewer. I have brewed a batch of beer and kegged it. I then force carbonated it at 30psi for 48 hours. I then dialed it down to 8psi and it sat for about a week and a half. I went to dispense some to try it and it seems to be all foam. The keg and all connections (hoses included) came in a keg kit. Am I doing something wrong? I have very limited knowledge on all aspects of brewing and any related hardware. Your help is greatly appreciated.

2

How long is your liquid line to your tap?

3

Although I am on this side of the fence in regards to recommending newer brewers use the high pressure and then dial down method as far too many over-carb their first kegs and that is a condition that is tiresome and cumbersome to fix other than setting and forgetting at regular draft pressure of 10-14 PSI depending on personal setup and having no worries and perfect pours each and every keg no futzing around guessing what level your at/ or always being over/ undercarbed. Sure it takes one week more ( IE: I find 2 weeks on each and every keg is perfect at regular drafting pressures.) This is the main reason you will see a majority of seasoned homebrewers using the set it and forget it method as it is flawless each and every time. I understand yours and others rush to carb beers but in the future maybe you will consider this once you build up your reserves etc…

But in your case only 48 hours at 30PSI should not have been extreme in any way and I agree with GD’s question about line length as I find typically most people need 6-10 feet and usually LHBS still to this day recommend/ or sell in kits 5ft or less for regular beer draft pressures when that is far too short in all but the rarest cases.

4

I agree with ITsPossible about using the “set it and forget it method.” In addition to achieving perfectly carbonated beer, this provides additional time for the beer to condition and clarify.

Regarding beer line, I suggest experimenting with various lengths. I tried longer hose (starting with 10ft. and cutting down) and found that 5 ft really is the right amount for my set-up. Actually when I run numbers in the keg balancing formula (see the link below), it suggests even shorter hose.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/ke ... raft-beer/

I assume you are using 3/16" ID hose.

5

I had this happen a few times when I accidentally over-carbed my keg. You have to disconnect the gas and keep venting it for a day or two. Swirl the keg gently to help speed up the de-carb process. Careful or you will get beer coming out the relief valve when you release it to vent.

6

Thanks to all that responded. I measured my dispensing line and it is just shy of 4 feet (approx. 3’ 9"). When I go to dispense, I get some liquid then foam. I then have to wait a little and dispense again (annoying). I like the “set it and forget it” recommendation.

7

Here is what you do.
Like I stated above I think your keg is still carbonated to around 2.5 volumes or less because you set it at 8 PSI which was smart in hindsight.

  1. Use a carbonation chart to find your correct set it and forget pressure. (IE: If your kegs temp is around 38f then you would want the pressure always set at 12 PSI to achieve 2.5 volumes.)

  2. Bring the keg up to the required pressure for your setup and only IF your keg is at serving temp then start with 10ft of line and cut back a half foot until you reach the right pour. (BTW I am lazy right now does anybody have a link for the line length calculator using the CORRECT resistance for 3/16" line??) Anecdotally I find that at 38f serving temp and 2.5-2.7 volumes I need around 8 foot +/- 1/2’.

  3. If you have too much line and the keg is correctly carbed all that will happen is the pour will be slow. So no foam, just slow. Then you know you need to cut a half foot etc… Now if you have 10ft on and it is still fast and foamy then you know you have an overcarbed keg for sure/ without a doubt.

Now if any of this doesn’t compute just state your current approximate beer temp, rise from middle of keg to level of taps(usually 1-4ft when using a kegorator or keezer), distance from keg disconnect(top) to tap shank( 1-10ft etc…) Desired volumes of CO2 (e.g. 2.5, 2.9) Then myself or others can help pinpoint what line length to target exactly, then you will know what state the carb is at depending on how the pour acts with this length. Now of course this distance needed is if you have both a vertical and horizontal distance, some setups might only have a straight vertical rise right to the shank/ tap. In that case all you need is that distance from middle of keg up to shank usually in a tower.

8

Or… Just set it and forget it. Easy.