1st Beer From Tap Always Very Heady

[jeddog]

ive searched for a link to this question, but cant find

can someone help

the first beer i pour from my fridge always has a lot of head....i have to pour the head off the beer thus wasting this precious liquid. by the time i finish my beer i have to pour off the head again. this is OK when ive got mates around as we seem to always be pouring a beer

regards Jeddog

beer tap is on front of my fridge

 

[peas_and_corn]

so it's only the first pint or so?

hmm, it's possible that you overcarbonate your keg slightly, and the heady beer is the result of this, and after a few pints the pressures balance a bit more. Perhaps...

 

[razz]

Sounds like the beer in the line is just a touch warmer than what's in the keg. The tap maybe acting as a heat sink. :blink:

 

[Bobby]

what do your line look like? is there beer all the way up the line or is there one ore more pockets of gas in it??

 

[jeddog]

bobby
there's small pockets of gas

 

[matti]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...egging+problems

 

[warrenlw63]

Sounds like the beer in the line is just a touch warmer than what's in the keg.

Cooooorrrrrreecccct!!! The winner is Razz. Just something you've probably got to live with unless you go the glycol chilled font route. .

Warren -

 

[Lindsay Dive]

Sounds like the beer in the line is just a touch warmer than what's in the keg.

Cooooorrrrrreecccct!!! The winner is Razz. Just something you've probably got to live with unless you go the glycol chilled font route. .

Warren -

Yep, just hate those door mounted thingos....get a pluto gun and leave it in the fridge...problem solved.

Lindsay.

 

[jeddog]

what do your line look like? is there beer all the way up the line or is there one ore more pockets of gas in it??

what about the small pockets of gas in my beer line?

is that OK?

 

[Bobby]

thats what makes the first pour foam. wrong carbonation and/or warmer beer line cause this.
try backing off teh pressure you poor at. you might be bale to minimise it, but it kinda one of those things you gotta get used to. well i have anyway.

 

[T.D.]

I have a pluto gun that stays in the fridge and the first beer I pour is always more heady. Its definitely a case of gas in the beer line for me, I know that for sure. After I have pulled a beer I can watch the bubbles join up for cause a pocket of gas, happens every time. I don't know if its meant to happen but its easy enough to live with.

 

[PistolPatch]

Jeddog,

The pocket in the beer line is very frustrating and I spent a lot of time trying to solve it. The first thing to do is balance your line. Do a search on line balancing etc and you'll find a link on how to do it.

The second thing to do is make up a soapy spray and see if you can find any obvious leaks. (This won't prevent the pocket but will enable you to move more confidently to the next step.)

Even after doing this, you'll still probably have the pocket problem - God knows why but I did! My advice is to leave your gas on. There are some obvious dangers/pitfalls to doing this and all relate to leakage. The danger, if indoors, is death by CO2 inhalation which occurs very rapidly. The pitfalls include losing all your beer or gas.

The advantage is that your beer pours well all the time. The constant pressure keeps a 'cap' on your beer preventing CO2 coming out of solution.

Your beer will not become over-carbonated either assuming you have balanced your lines correctly.

Make sure your fittings are good though if you do this. I've been doing it since August with 3 kegs online, many forced carbonations and my gas bottle still registers the same amount.

Good luck!
PP

 

[Ross]

The second thing to do is make up a soapy spray and see if you can find any obvious leaks. (This won't prevent the pocket but will enable you to move more confidently to the next step.)

Pat, a leak in your beer line will result in a flooded floor - the line is under pressure, a leak will dispense beer, not let air in

cheers Ross

 

[Ross]

I've yet to come across a keg set up that does not produce some CO2 in the lines. Make sure your tap is at the highest point & that the CO2 is able to rise to the tap unimpeeded. This way, you can let a little squirt of gas/beer out to flush your tap & then hopefully pour a perfect beer.

cheers Ross

 

[PistolPatch]

Yeah, Rossco, I know you're against leaving the gas on You do know that when you and Stephen stayed at Indy I never turned the CO2 off? I did make sure all the windows were open though!

With the soapy water I should have said I was referring to gas line leaks as these will definitely cause pockets.

I'll give Ross a plug here too while I'm at it as I was blown away the other day by the John Guest fittings he sells...

I use all JG quick-release fittings and I took some down to vjval1974's brew day two weeks ago so as we could run a few kegs. Upon leaving, I disconnected them from the gas bottle and all the kegs. The next evening I went to disconnect the one way valve and a rush of gas had come out! In other words, these fittings had all held their pressure. Quite an amazing test I thought.

Excuse the long posts but just got back from another brew day at vjval's

 

[Tony]

I get the same problem, the gas bubble hits the glass and it all turns to froth!!!

I just keep an old jug on top of the keg fridge and squirt a bit in before i pour a glass. I recon it costs me about a 6 pack out of a 50 liter keg full.

I put it down to the warm beer tap as it is not really a problem in winter but now that its warming up the problem is getting worse.

I am definately going to go for the glycol lines to the flooded font next

cheers