I've seen and read a lot about balancing systems and pressure on kegs. One thing I'm curious about is many people talk about getting the right PSI level to prevent foaming of the beer, while others indicate that you need a certain PSI for the type of beer you are drinking. I just recently upgrade to a 2 tower system, but in my old system I was able to keep foaming to a minimum around less than inch for the first beer at around 10 PSIs (I drink mainly IPAs). With adding a second tap, my wife will want to start drinking things she likes which mainly is something like a wheat beers. So my main question is, should I keep going with what works for balancing lines or put the PSIs set to what is best for the beer? Am I at risk of letting the beer go flat if I don't keep it at a certain PSI level because of beer type? Sorry, I'm still sort of a newbie and this site has been great for getting started.
First, figure out what Volumes of CO2 (not PSI) you want for your beer. If it's commercial beer, ask the brewery. Next, decide what you want your fridge/serving temperature to be. This choice will dictate the PSI you need to get the Volumes of CO2 you want. With those two things, plus the configuration of your system (beer line Inner Diameter, height of faucet above keg), you can compute the length of line that is likely to give you the best balance. There's are many charts on line, or here's a downloadable spreadsheet that may help... https://drive.google.com/folderview...jMC00YmM5LTgzN2UtYmNhYzk0ZTg0YWNm&usp=sharing
Thanks for the response on this one and this helps me make sense. This seems like I might constantly be changing the length of my beer lines. Given that it's a Math formula, I'm assuming I could use a little algebra to solve for X with keeping the line length constant?
If you keep the line length constant, you'll have to compromise on carbonation level (volumes of CO2) or serving temperature. Nothing wrong with that, if you're happy with the compromise. One caveat... if going from a higher CO2 Volumes to a Lower CO2 Volumes, you'll be burping the keg for a while, because the pressure will keep climbing above what you have it set for, as the CO2 comes out of the beer and into the headspace until equilibrium is reached.
I wouldn't tolerate such a compromise. A beer needs to be served at the correct temp/carbonation level to be fully appreciated. As I see it, the only compromise should be pouring time. A low carbonated beer will pour just fine with lines that are too long, albeit slowly. A highly carbonated beer, on the other hand, will not pour fine with lines that are too short. I would suggest installing lines that are compatible with the highest carbonated beers you're likely to be serving, then living with the slower pour on your less carbonated beers.
Balance to the v/v and temp as Vikeman suggests. Then to put into practice what Mike is suggesting, get long lines. Sart with a pair of 10' lengths and cut back in 6" increments if you want a little more speed. I started with 10's and kept them. Perfectly happy with my pours and flow rate.
fwiw, remember that every bar in the country, serving craft, bmc, expensive, cheap, whatever - whether on a direct draw, long draw with glycol and everything in between... does not ever adjust the length of the lines or choker. these bars, in just about every single setting, do not adjust the temperature. many of the establishments are also the very same places that BAs rave about. you can be sure that your favorite beer place is no different. so while it is all well and good to adjust the length of your line, rebalance your system with each new style, it is also mostly not a requirement. we can do it. but most everyone is very content to be in the middle ground, craft drinkers included. don't be convinced that you need to do it. you can have a very good experience if you dial in to an acceptable range. feel free to adjust the regulator frequently however. Cheers.
billandsuz pretty much summed up most of our experience. 37F, 11psi, 3/16"x6' beer lines is damn near to a 'one size fits all' solution for me. My comment, above, came dangerously close to over-thinking. No need here. Have another beer!
I am in a somewhat similar position. After getting over a bad regulator, leaking co2 intermittently at the coupler connection and pinpointing desired temperature, I feel somewhat confident in my next step. This is for Sam Adams Winter Lager, with a 2.55 volumes of CO2. My beer temp is staying very steady at 38.0 degrees (Fill room temp glass up on 1st draw, dump out, fill again and measure with calibrated temp gauge). However in order to get the perfect draw- minimizing foam- fill 10 oz glass in 4 seconds, I have to set the regulator at 8-9 psi. Ouch. Chart says I should be around 11.5 psi. I may be in the ball park close enough, the gauge could be off, etc. In a 10 oz glass, I get what I think is a proper foam level- 1/4" or so. And you can see co2 bubbling in the beer. So its not flat. I did just change the psi from 10.5 psi to 8 psi for the good draw, going by time to fill and foam. How long should you see co2 bubbling in a beer? I was going to use that as one way to see if the beer is going flat overtime with the pressure at 8 psi. In the meantime, I'm going to order longer beer line and start at 10' as recommended by Doug. I would feel better having the co2 pressure closer to the 11.5 psi mark. If the beer stays good, assuming I can go by co2 bubbling in the beer after drawn, and taste, would you even say I still should change beer line length? This is where I get caught up in the same spot as the thread starter.
If the chart says 11.5 psi at 38F, then the beer will soon become undercarbed if you set it at 8. It's simple Physics. Counting bubbles or measuring the head is not a good way to measure CO2 (BTW, a 'proper' pour will give you a consistent 1" head. But you can coax that from an undercarbed beer, so don't draw any conclusions from that). Starting with 10' of beer line is a good plan. But, no matter what you do, start by correcting the CO2 pressure for the serving temperature. That's a constant and should never be adjusted to fix a bad pour.
