Never ending foam

First time kegging followed instructions precisely. Force carbonated at 30 psi for about 3 days. Turned out I think i overcarbbed it, so shut off the co2 valve and purged it a few times for about 2 days. Turned the co2 back on at 10 psi to pour and when opening the spout all i get is never ending head. After sitting for a few seconds the foam settles. Is there something else i need to be doing to prevent this and be able to pour a glass of beer without so much foam. My lines are 5 feet kept in the frig and the beer is a chocolate milk stout. Thanks for any help

10 sounds a little high… I usually serve at 8 with my 5 foot lines. The description I heard was that the beer should just barely get pushed up to your tap, then fall out of it, not squirted out of your tap.

Temperature differences also cause foam. I’ll pour a few ounces to purge the warm beer out of the line and cool the tap, drink the sample, then get a better pour once the lines are chilled.

What temp is it at?

I dont have a temperature reader for my kegerator so im not quite sure the temp. I have it set on medium. Should it be the coldest option?

Disconnect the gas until you get a get a good pour. She’s way over carbed. Slow and steady works best

1 Like

agree with @brew_cat you’re way over carbed. Disconnect it and purge as often as possible until you get a reaonable pour with the gas off. Then reconnect it. ‘’

Any time you use one of the “quick” force carb methods whether it’s the one you did or shaking methods you risk the chance of overcarbing. Especially at colder temperatures.

Use one of the CO2 calculators to get a starting pressure based on your chosen vol level by beer style, line length and temperature. You need to know how cold it is in your serving fridge in order to carb properly. Liquid dissolves CO2 better at lower temperatures. Set it and forget it. The most reliable carbonation method.

If you’re in a rush and we all are at some time or another, it’s again trial and error. I put it in the fridge at 34F and set the gas to 25-30 psi for 24 hours, then purge the keg and reduce pressure to my 10 psi serving pressure. It’s drinkable but of course gets better over the next week or 2.

Getting your carbonation process set can be trial and error. It’s a matter of balancing your system for temperature, line length and pressure. Once you find the balance it’s easy. For my system 10psi is about right for most of the beers I serve. For others it’s different.

1 Like

Just stick you outside thermometer in there

Take these gents advice and try to salvage your current keg. Then use the set it and forget it method. Patience. Down the road if you want to mess with quickie carbonating shortcuts, go ahead. But I recommend you get your system figured out first. Read everything you can about balancing your system.
My first keg was a foamy then flat roller coaster. No problems since. It is absolutely worth it to get this right. It is awesome having properly carbonated fresh draft homebrew available. Uh… think I’ll go have one!

3 Likes

Thanks everyone for the advice!

1 Like