Great head, flat(ish) beer

[acarey]

Hi All,

This has been driving me mental over my 2 years + of home brewing. I'm never happy with the level of carbonation in my beer. I've done all the reading and I think I'm all set up right but the results are poor.

• I use kegs which are force carbonated to 100kpa, which is my serving pressure. So set and forget (although if i'm impatient, I sometimes give it the shake method. this doesn't affect he results)
• The temperature in my kegerator is between 2 and 4C.
• I have balanced the system using maths and google to have beer lines around about 7 metres long (coiled inside the converted chest freezer).

My beer pours great, with a great head. The issue is that the beer still seems pretty flat. I'm mean there is *some* carbonation but nothing like you would get in a schooner at a pub, or out of a bottle.

What is wrong here? What else do I need to add to give you enough info to help?

Cheers

edit: gas units

 

[doon]

Im guessing you mean 100kpa

 

[manticle]

I might be missing something but couldn't you raise from 100kpa till you get results you want? Say 120?

 

[acarey]

Im guessing you mean 100kpa

cheers. Fixed

 

[acarey]

I might be missing something but couldn't you raise from 100kpa till you get results you want? Say 120?

I could do that but I was under the assumption that 100 was high for my temperature anyway. I mean all the reading Ive done suggests that 100kpa should be heaps.

I'll give it a go but until I rebalance the system wouldn't it come out too fast and knock gas out of solution that way?

What pressure do you use?

 

[RobW]

Any chance your regulator isn't reading correctly?

Cheers

Rob

 

[manticle]

I go between 80 and 100, style dependent. I don't like super fizzy beer. 2 m line, kegs are usually not super cold (7-10, style dependent).

I'm fairly new to kegging but my understanding would be to get the carbonation volume you want right, then balance the system/line length from there, making your carb and serving pressure the same.

 

[acarey]

Any chance your regulator isn't reading correctly?

Cheers

Rob

anything is possible but I don't think so.

 

[Black n Tan]

7 metres of beer line seems excessive and will knock CO2 out of solution. What inner diameter is that line? Personally I would would buy some 4-5mm ID beer line and and use a shorter length.

EDIT: beer line diameter

 

[acarey]

I go between 80 and 100, style dependent. I don't like super fizzy beer.

I'm fairly new to kegging but my understanding would be to get the carbonation volume you want right, then balance the system/line length from there, making your carb and serving pressure the same.

Cool. I didnt go higher than 100 because I was under the impression that 100 was lots. and i thought something else had to be wrong.

If I get flow restrictor taps does that mean I can not have 10 km of beer line?

 

[manticle]

10 km?

I presume you mean 10m. Not something I'm experienced with enough to answer though, sorry.

 

[acarey]

7 metres of beer line seems excessive and will knock CO2 out of solution. What inner diameter is that line? Personally I would would buy some 4-5mm ID beer line and and use a shorter length.

EDIT: beer line diameter

Got from bunnings ages ago, from memory, its 5 or 6mm.

I settled on this length because its the shortest I can have for my 100kpa and still have beer that pours at a sensible speed.


edit: or maybe 8mm. Fark I can't remember. Will check when I get home.

 

[acarey]

10 km?

I presume you mean 10m. Not something I'm experienced with enough to answer though, sorry.

I meant 10km as an exaggerated way of saying 'lots'

 

[Blind Dog]

If I get flow restrictor taps does that mean I can not have 10 km of beer line?

Yes. You still need some line length but nothing like 10km (or 7m per your original post). I use about 2m per line, which is probably too muuch, with mine

 

[acarey]

Yes. You still need some line length but nothing like 10km (or 7m per your original post). I use about 2m per line, which is probably too muuch, with mine

what pressure do you generally use?

 

[Black n Tan]

Got from bunnings ages ago, from memory, its 5 or 6mm.

I settled on this length because its the shortest I can have for my 100kpa and still have beer that pours at a sensible speed.


edit: or maybe 8mm. Fark I can't remember. Will check when I get home.

Go buy some proper beer line from LHBS. I prefer 5mm ID as I can stretch it over a barb with some hot water, pliers and some swearing. If you have JG push fittings then 4mm works well. Use a beer line calculator to determine your length. Cut the line a little longer than calculated and shorten if necessary.

 

[mikk]

7m sounds like way too much to me. Also, get some proper (non bunnings/non keg king) beer line. I've found Valpar 7mm x 4mm to be excellent.I cant see you needing over 2m in length per tap, realistically.

 

[Blind Dog]

what pressure do you generally use?

It varies from 8psi (bitters) to 14psi (APAs, lagers wheats etc); serving temp varies from 5C to 12C.

 

[1974Alby]

mines about 80- 100kpa with 2m of line (5mmID)@ around 4 Celcius. pours pretty good.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Concur with the above comments on beer line being the issue here. Bunnings don't sell beer line, so what you have is likely not similar to what is assumed you have in all the keg balancing and setup info sites available. 8mm OD 5mm ID seems to be the most common for home brewers.