Keg carbonation questions

[neo__04]

Hey all,

Got some foaming issue with my kegging setup.

I have used the balacing spreadsheet to setup my beer line length and kpa on the regulator.

If i'm allowing a keg to force carb at serving pressure, will it foam when i pour a beer until the keg has reached proper carbonation? EG. It may take 1-2 weeks to carb up, if i pour a beer 4 days in, should it foam like crazy? or be flat as a tack?

I ask as i have never had much luck with kegging in the past (never really done much either)
so im force carbing at serving pressure to be safe. I have a keg there which seems to pour ok,
and a keg of nelson sauvin summer ale that pours nothing but froth. But that keg may have only been hooked up for a week.

Any suggestions?

I'm also looking at upgrading my taps to perlick flow control ones to help any foaming problems.
I originally bought a cheap 2 tap font from ebay with crappy taps.

 

[mosto]

There was similar thread recently where it seems that a lot of people use around 2m of 5mm line, but all systems are obviously different and need to be tailored to. Do you have different lengths of line on the two taps? If so that may be the reason. If you swap the kegs over, does the keg that pours OK then pour froth? If so, the problem is with the line / tap.

I carb at serving pressure (12 psi for me) and it takes 6-7 days. If I pour after 4 days, it's not flat as a tack, but certainly not carbed properly.

I would think it's a line / tap issue. Check if lines are same length, and also if they are an even temp, ie check if one runs past a 'hot spot' of some description. If you lines are setup properly, the taps shouldn't make too much difference. I have a cheapish tap which I've never seen the need to change so far.

 

[neo__04]

Well this test was done with just one tap connected. So same beer line for both kegs as i was just changing between kegs.
I'll have to do another test tonight, as last night i only tried the one keg, which was pouring massive foam.
The other keg i tried a few days ago and seemed fine. Both from the same tap, same beer line length.
From memory the line length was 3.3m with 87 kpa needed at the regulator.

 

[MrChoat]

I've found getting a good pour is one of those things that takes a bit of patience to learn exactly how your system responds.

I'll get nothing but foam if I've got a keg that's over carbed. Undercarbed not so much. Also the first glass I pour is usually half foam.

Can't do much about that since the taps draw in heat from the outside of the fridge and that warms the first bit of beer in the lines. Second pour is always good once the taps are cold. Opening the door constantly to mess with it just makes things worse, as the temp inside the fridge will quickly jump from 2° to 15° and warm the lines even worse.

The way I worked it out was to sit around and drink a keg over a weekend while messing with the pressures and carbonation levels by using the high pressure down the liquid post force carb method and rocking until the beer is at the right spot.

It's a bit different if your just letting them carb at serving pressure.

How is the beer once it settles out of the foam? Is it really bubbly or flat?

 

[MrChoat]

I forgot to ask about basic stuff first.

Make sure when you open and close the tap you open it fully and close it quickly.

Trying to go slow with the tap will make nothing but foam.

 

[neo__04]

Well i had a play tonight, regulator on around 80kpa, its a 400kpa regulator so cant see too accurately.

3.3m of beer line and nothing but foam.

Grabbed the rest of the beer line i had available which was around 5.3m, plugged it in and got a nice pour.

So its definately a balancing issue.

I might lash out and get some flow control taps, should hopefully solve all the problems.