So I filled my keg on Saturday about noon with an oatmeal stout. I set the gauge to 30 PSI and today at noon I tried it and it was super foamy with a creamy head similar to a Guinness Stout, but it never settled. My lines are 5 feet long and I released pressure and reset gauge to 10 PSI before pouring a beer. These are the exact same lines I was using with picnic taps last week, I simply removed picnic tap and connected to nipple on back of faucet.
I wonder if it is simply over carbonated? Maybe if it sits for a couple of days at 10 PSI ti will be ok?
As a side note the beer was really good. It’s supposed to be a Sam Smith clone but it didn’t taste like that actually tasted more like a Guinness that a SS.
5’ of line at 30 psi = over carbed. Don’t know what temp your beer is at, but look online for a beer carbonation chart and set accordingly. Also look into degassing your beer to get it back to a reasonable level. The next issue is line length. I’m still searching for a balanced pour myself so I got no advice on that one. Most here use 10’ or a bit more at around 10 or 11 psi and report success. I’ve read many others that use 5’ of line at the same psi with no swizzle sticks and have success.
Even with 5’ lines you should still be able to dial your pressure in correctly. You don’t have to use 10’ lines like most say. Just dial back the psi to about 5. Release some pressure a few times over a day or so, then just start testing in. Pour a little beer. Dial the pressure up or down as needed. Let it sit a few hours and try again. Once you get it where it should be, you’re set.
People always point to beer line length with pouring issues, but there are many factors. Temperature, psi, line length, line diameter, line height (how far the line runs up), etc. It’s not always as simple as adding a 10’ line and presto. I use 7’ lines, temp right around 36F, and find that I need to set the psi somewhere around 7-10 depending on the beer style to get the proper carbonation and a nice pour.
Thanks guys. My temp is set at 38º I know stout should probably be set a bit lower than an American ale as an example, but I’m pretty sure I over-carbed it and it’s not the line length since I was using the exact same lines on the picnic taps with no issues.
I’m wondering if I should have done 30 PSI for 1 day, then 20 PSI for 1 day then down to 10 on third day? It’s still foamy. Not a huge problem, but you actually only get about 2/3 of a glass. It’s actually keeps me from drinking too much
That’s exactly what I do. 30psi for 24hrs, 20psi for 24hrs, 10psi for 24hrs, then start tasting. I usually need to leave it at 10psi for another day or two and then dial it back into the 5-7psi range for serving. Sometimes it’s good to go right when I back it down to 10psi.
