Pouring Pure Head?

[David Sinclair]

I've had this problem a few times and was hoping some brains could help me out. I keg per normal but sometime about two weeks down the track when i pour a beer it will pour pure froth/head and i have to wait about five minutes for it to settle and then i still end up with more froth than beer. This happens even when the keg is 3/4 full. It doesn't taste like it has an infection but maybe it does.
Any help?
Cheers Dave.

 

[Adamt]

Do you leave your gas on? If so, what pressure do you feed to the keg?

What is your gassing procedure?

 

[buttersd70]

Dave, can I clarify....you gas the keg, it pours OK. It continues to pour fine for about 2 weeks. Then, even though it is still 3/4 full, it will all of a sudden pour heady. So it's not a newly carbonated keg. Is this right?

How are the kegs stored (kegerator, converted fridge, freezer, or running through a temprite or similar)? Gun or tap? is the temperature stable, or does it fluctuate at all? How long is there between the last good pour and the first bad pour? The following day, or has it been sitting unused for a while? Is it only the first one that pours bad, then it calms down again? And as adam said, is it left on the gas?

I think that covers about all the variables :huh:

Edit: if it's taps, are they on a font, or is it door mounted (or on a collar if in a freezer)

 

[David Sinclair]

Do you leave your gas on? If so, what pressure do you feed to the keg?

What is your gassing procedure?

I proberly way out on this now i double checked pressures but it's normally left on at 145kpa then when it's gased up i turn off the gas and that might be where i have the problem it seems to happen a few days after i turn off the gas. When i've just left the gas on the whole time i don't remember having a problem, i just turn it off incase of leaks.

I use the quck gas up method you know 300 kpa shake kegs for a minute or so, turn off gas and shake again until pressure drops to about 150.

 

[reviled]

Arent you supposed to keep the gas on pouring pressure or something? Im still learning and my keg gear is on the way, so im not sure...

 

[gibbocore]

mate are you purging the high pressure gas from the headspace before you pour?

 

[bonj]

Sounds like you've got your gas pressure up too high or your carbonation procedure is inconsistent. How do you carbonate, and what pressure do you pour at?

 

[Haydo]

Is there any chance that the bottom of your kegs might be freezing up? Are the kegs in a chest freezer with the coldest air down the bottom? If you have some of the kegs icing up you will get foaming for sure....the fact that it pours ok for 2 weeks and then starts to foam makes me suspect this might be the case.

 

[David Sinclair]

I'm not purging the high pressure before i pour ....

The kegs are in the fridge but have been known to freeze - good point but i have raised the temp to about 7-8C so should be a prblem now but i will double check.

My gassing procedure is inconsistant - due to my impatience, what procedure do most here use and what pouring pressure because i think im way out on both those fronts.

 

[bouncingcastle]

You need to purge the headspace on the keg and then turn down to serving pressure....

Good chance you're pouring beer carbonated to 300kpa (foam city) It's just taking a few weeks to absorb the CO2 is my bet!

 

[bonj]

That could be a distinct possibility, bouncingcastle.

You really need to know about balancing a system to get a decent pour at the right temperature. co2 will absorb more at lower temperatures, so you want to have the right pouring pressure to hold your beer at the desired carbonation level. For example, I keep my system at around 5.2 degrees at about 12PSI. You then need the appropriate length of line between your keg and your tap to provide enough resistance to slow the beer down coming out, so you get a decent pour. That depends on the inner diameter of your beer line and your pressure. The simplest way to carbonate, is to leave your keg at pouring pressure for about a week. That assumes you have no leaks.

Check out these 2 wiki articles: Balancing a draught system and A beginner's guide to kegging

 

[David Sinclair]

Thanks for the info guys, i think i've got it sorted - nothing worse than pour a full glass of foam! (Except maybe an infection or lip puckering bitterness ...)

Cheers Dave.

 

[Frank]

Thanks for the info guys, i think i've got it sorted - nothing worse than pour a full glass of foam! (Except maybe an infection or lip puckering bitterness ...)
Cheers Dave.

So what did you do or find?
Might help the next reader of the thread if the same issue comes up again.
Cheers

 

[crundle]

Sounds like he has purged the keg and brought down the pressure.

I wonder if there is anyone who is kegging who this hasn't happened to? :lol:

 

[paul]

The reason why your pouring head is because of overcarbonation due to the beer being at 145kpa.

Beer needs to be stored at 80-100kpa to maintain correct carbonation.

If you carbonate your beer up at 145 kpa and then try and pour at a lower pressure the co2 will come out of dilution in the beer and you'll pour foam.

Have a read here from the experts.

www.micromatic.com

 

[KHB]

No but isnt he saying that it pours fine for two weeks then gets all head!

 

[David Sinclair]

Yeah i did infact purge the head space, drop the pressure to 100 kpa and left the gas on. It's better but still pours a little to much head.

I think i need to revise my pouring pressures, but yes it would take nearly two weeks before it starts pouring bad .....

I'll work with the lower pressures with my next kegs and see if that helps.

Also i don't know if it will make much difference but i'm running two kegs off the same gas line.

Cheers Dave.

 

[KHB]

not sure i basically put my pour pressure at 100kpa and leave it for a week pours fine till the end of the keg and i run 4 gegs of 1 line

 

[buttersd70]

beer4us,
If we knew all the details about your system (as per my previous post) instead of getting info in dribs and drabs, it would allow everyone here to give you specific information about what caused the problem in the first place, how to resolve it effectively, and more importantly, how to prevent it in future.

 

[Jerry]

Beer4Us,

145 kpa is a bloody high carbonation level.

As Paul said, you want to carbonate and pour at somewhere around 80 to 100 kpa.

Good luck with it.

Scott