Keg Head

[Andrew Coleman]

Tryed ross method of force carbonation and has left my beer with a huge head and goes fairly flat when disapated, whats the best way i can recarbonate my kegs, ive got 2 weeks for my beer to be ready for my 21st! I know it doesnt take too long to carbonate long ways also, but has anyone got a simple method that cant really stuff up because I just want my beer to sit and clear out for those two weeks, dont want to have to carbonate them over again.

 

[thanme]

That sounds like a dispensing problem rather than a carbonation problem to me, I think?

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

Your best bet is to start over and firstly get your beer flat again so you are starting a fresh.

I have never had to but from reading on this site I believe you let the keg warm up, ie leaving in a warm area and simply release the valve and let the gases expelled from the warmed beer escape.

 

[unrealeous]

That sounds like a dispensing problem rather than a carbonation problem to me, I think?

+1 - If you haved over-carbonated your keg - it comes out all frothy and you end up with flat beer and a big head... Don't make the mistake of putting more CO2 into it...

When you poor, do you see bubbles form in your beer lines?

 

[mckenry]

Tryed ross method of force carbonation and has left my beer with a huge head and goes fairly flat when disapated, whats the best way i can recarbonate my kegs, ive got 2 weeks for my beer to be ready for my 21st! I know it doesnt take too long to carbonate long ways also, but has anyone got a simple method that cant really stuff up because I just want my beer to sit and clear out for those two weeks, dont want to have to carbonate them over again.

Its an obvious question, but was the beer chilled - as per the ross method?

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

I've had the same problem. Too much gas.

You need to degass the keg. Try rocking and then open the relief valve a few times. Not sure i'd bother letting it warm up. Then if you've got two weeks there's no need to force carb. Just leave it at serving pressure and it'll carb up fine. This is what i do now and it works every time.

 

[zoidbergmerc]

I had this problem once I just took the keg out of the fridge, released the pressure, gave it a shake, released the pressure, shake and release 3 more times and then hooked it up again and it was perfect. Prolly just a fluke but it worked well.

 

[Andrew Coleman]

Im pouring at 80 kpa, so thats not the problem, I did the Ross Method when beer was round 4C.
I've currently got the kegs out of the fridge warming up and rocking them from time to time and releasing gas via release valve.
So say 100 or 80kpa carbonated for a couple days should be all good then?

 

[zoidbergmerc]

I carb mine at 300kpa over night and pour at 60kpa

 

[Fourstar]

Im pouring at 80 kpa, so thats not the problem, I did the Ross Method when beer was round 4C.
I've currently got the kegs out of the fridge warming up and rocking them from time to time and releasing gas via release valve.
So say 100 or 80kpa carbonated for a couple days should be all good then?

Sounds like you have overgassed them. If you vent the headspeace and then set it to pour at 80kpa as you do, its at your normal pouring pressure but your beer has excess co2 in solution so foams excessively upon pour (nucleation). If mine are ever over carbed, i simply vent after every beer i pull and dont apply gas until its at the level of carbonation i desire.

The only exception to the rule i apply is if there is no headspace pressure i'll fill the headspace and then vent again after pouring the beer/session.

Also, if you are running long dispense lines or they are not refrigerated, the temperature differential will also cause excessive foaming as the Co2 comes out of solution. This can also be a reason why 1st beers poured for the day or the start of a pour are sometimes foamy, because the tap is warm.

 

[cdbrown]

I wouldn't bother warming it up as you are just going to have to chill it again. Give it a shake, pull the relief valve until it stops. Go do something else. Rinse and repeat. Set the pressure to whatever you want to pour at, connect up and let it carb over a the next few days. Test and enjoy.

 

[QSR]

+1 for the way mayor of mildura has mentioned.

I used to force carb.....was doing that proceedure for years and normally having the same over gassing problem.

After reading about the "set and forget" proceedure ( serving pressure for 1 week or so ). The beer now pours perfectly every time....I never need to adjust the regulator at all now.............wish I knew of this years ago !

Also what zoidbergmerc said works well too ( if you over-gas a keg )

 

[michaelcocks]

+1 for the way mayor of mildura has mentioned.

I used to force carb.....was doing that proceedure for years and normally having the same over gassing problem.

After reading about the "set and forget" proceedure ( serving pressure for 1 week or so ). The beer now pours perfectly every time....I never need to adjust the regulator at all now.............wish I knew of this years ago !

Also what zoidbergmerc said works well too ( if you over-gas a keg )

What pressure do you use?

 

[MarkBastard]

If you do the Ross method of force carbing but don't use as high a pressure and don't rock for as long, you'll get the carbing most of the way there with much less risk of over carbing.

Then after waiting the 30 minutes and venting, hook it up at serving pressure.

It'll be carbed enough to drink but will be under carbed. After a couple of days it should be properly carbed.

Unless you're the kind of person that kegs a beer and drinks it quickly, I reckon it's better to take the safer approach above. You can still taste the beer on day one, which IMO is why everyone force carbs anyway. Impatience to taste the beer and see what it's like.

 

[QSR]

What pressure do you use?

60kpa

 

[michaelcocks]

60kpa

OK ... So to be clear..


So there is no messing about with certain days at certain pressure then turn off gas vent all the lines and keg then apply serving pressure ???


You just pressurize the keg at 60KPA (at fridge temp - say 6c) and after a week start serving (pull the handle and go) - Correct ?

 

[QSR]

OK ... So to be clear..


So there is no messing about with certain days at certain pressure then turn off gas vent all the lines and keg then apply serving pressure ???


You just pressurize the keg at 60KPA (at fridge temp - say 6c) and after a week start serving (pull the handle and go) - Correct ?

Correct.......pretty much all the basic proceedures remain the same eg: fill keg with your beer, purge air from keg ( at 60kpa ), let chill for the usual 24 hours, then turn on gas at regulator ( which is already "set" at 60 kpa ), then leave it for a week or so.....perfect.
You probably could leave the gas turned on while the keg is chilling because the beer will start absorbing the gas as it starts to chill anyway.
From about day 6 onwards, you could connect to your tap to check if it is gassed enough to your liking yet. Once it is to your liking, just shut off the regulator and enjoy. You will of course need to from time to time turn the gas back on ( during sessions ) to ensure correct pouring pressure.

Obviously make sure you have no leaks from your gas lines before leaving gas turned on for this long period of time - I have not had a leak though!

When I said I used to use the "Ross Method"............I did not actually get the instructions from Ross......but had been given similar instructions from other brew shops ( must be the "norm" ) - I just wanted to clarify that just in-case it looked to others like I may have been producing negativity towards Ross.


Are you having over-carb problems?

 

[michaelcocks]

Correct.......pretty much all the basic proceedures remain the same eg: fill keg with your beer, purge air from keg ( at 60kpa ), let chill for the usual 24 hours, then turn on gas at regulator ( which is already "set" at 60 kpa ), then leave it for a week or so.....perfect.
You probably could leave the gas turned on while the keg is chilling because the beer will start absorbing the gas as it starts to chill anyway.
From about day 6 onwards, you could connect to your tap to check if it is gassed enough to your liking yet. Once it is to your liking, just shut off the regulator and enjoy. You will of course need to from time to time turn the gas back on ( during sessions ) to ensure correct pouring pressure.

Obviously make sure you have no leaks from your gas lines before leaving gas turned on for this long period of time - I have not had a leak though!

When I said I used to use the "Ross Method"............I did not actually get the instructions from Ross......but had been given similar instructions from other brew shops ( must be the "norm" ) - I just wanted to clarify that just in-case it looked to others like I may have been producing negativity towards Ross.


Are you having over-carb problems?

it sounds like I've had over carb problems in the past (flat beer , big head)
but right now I seem to struggle getting the right level of carbonation
your method seems so simple to what I've used from lhbs
so you literaly set at 60 then leave it alone and in a week it's done?
Seems almost too simple , does it work for all beer styles? or just the standard 2.5 vols?

 

[QSR]

it sounds like I've had over carb problems in the past (flat beer , big head)
but right now I seem to struggle getting the right level of carbonation
your method seems so simple to what I've used from lhbs
so you literaly set at 60 then leave it alone and in a week it's done?
Seems almost too simple , does it work for all beer styles? or just the standard 2.5 vols?

I read about it on someone elses post on this forum some time ago and did not feel it would work......so I continued to have flat beer, big head, just like in your case until one day I thought I have nothing to lose by trying it, and well, the rest is history now. I have not altered this proceedure for any beers I have done.......can not see why it would not work on all of them though. It reallly is that simple. If you lived up here I would have already invited you to drop over and try it.
Day 7 and it is still slightly under-carbed, but ( depending on your regulator ) it is more close to the mark by about day 8 - 9.
As long as you have another keg or 2 already on tap...it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as it is gassed to your perfection.

 

[michaelcocks]

I read about it on someone elses post on this forum some time ago and did not feel it would work......so I continued to have flat beer, big head, just like in your case until one day I thought I have nothing to lose by trying it, and well, the rest is history now. I have not altered this proceedure for any beers I have done.......can not see why it would not work on all of them though. It reallly is that simple. If you lived up here I would have already invited you to drop over and try it.
Day 7 and it is still slightly under-carbed, but ( depending on your regulator ) it is more close to the mark by about day 8 - 9.
As long as you have another keg or 2 already on tap...it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as it is gassed to your perfection.

thanks qsr
guess we are not quite so supportive down here ... Although to be fair I don't really know many homebrewers here because life is so bloody hectic I almost never able to make any home brew club get togethers... One day I can get off the mouse wheel and really start living ... Been saying that for the last 5 years though..

I am going to try this for next batch ( spin on the all grain for thirty bucks recipe from nickjd) kegging this weekend

Have three kegs and lots of overstock on bottles so I won't starve whilst i wait