Hello I have Troegs Dreamweaver in my kegerator right now and I cannot get a good pour. Troegs advised me to set the pressure at 30 and the temp between 45-50. I then asked for the carbonation volume and they told me 2.7. According to the standard chart I will not get 2.7 at that temp and pressure. So I decided on a tempurature and set the pressure so the volume would be 2.7. 40 degrees at 14 lbs. Well, I've tried that and I get an excessive amount of foam. A full 1/2 liter glass of it. Even on the second pour after the tower line is cold. So, I changed my 4 foot beer line to 12 foot and get nearly the same results. I've messed with pressure by making it less and I get the same results. Any advise would be appreciated. Wasting so much beer. Stefan
Ive had the kegerator for long time. I had this exact problem when I bought some Franziskaner. Something about wheat beer... With standard lagers or pilsners, the first pour is foamy, but it goes away once the lines are cold.
I always have a few Belgians on tap at 16psi and they pour nicely with a 12 foot line: Not all beer lines have the same resistance, but at 40°/14psi/12' you shouldn't be getting excessive foam. I'll make a few suggestions: 1. Is your beer really 40°? Have you measured the liquid temp (after a second pour) with a calibrated thermo? 2. Is your beer really at 14 psi? If you have stabilized it at 30 psi it will take a long time to re-stablize at 14 unless you do some serious venting. To test this, disconnect the gas and vent your headspace until it has just a "whisper" of pressure (1 - 2'ish psi) . . . pretty sure it will pour smoothly then. 3. You are talking 3/16" line aren't you? There isn't anything unique about wheat beers regarding balancing. Ideally they will have good head retention, but balancing shouldn't be measurably different. Next time you talk to Troegs, ask them how many home bars they have ever seen that poured at 50°/30psi . . . smh.
The way I measure temperature is to keep a cup of water in the fridge with a thermometer in it. It's just a standard digital thermometer. The regulator says 14 so I guess so. I never put it up to 30 because it just didn't seem right. Yes, 3/16" inner diameter for the beer line. I've tried venting but I can try again. Only problem now is that I've wasted so much beer the keg is nearly blown. Not sure how much more testing I can do. Stefan
What does the beer line look like after it has sat idle for a little while, pockets of CO2 in the high spots or solid beer?
First thing. Ignore Troegs. Whoever is giving out advice over there has got their head up their ass. Second thing. Do as Largo says. Third thing. Accept 40 or maybe 42 degrees. 45 to 50 is conceptually the right temp for your wheat beer. And theoretically you can balance the system at 45 to 50. But this is real world experience and you want to have a well presented beer. So settle on 40, rock solid, keg to glass. Once you get that perfect the rest is not very difficult. Cheers.
