Hello all. I'm new to the forum and the world of home draft. I picked up a u-line beer fridge a few weeks ago and have been having some issues with foamy beer. Currently, I have a sixtel of stone levitation ale on tap. The beer isn't foamy to the extreme that it's half foam or more--it's probably in the neighborhood of 2" on average. I seem to get this frothy head that stays together quite well. My wife brought a head cutter home from work for me to use and it just doesn't seem as though I should need this for an ale. I can't seem to get a good pour unless I knock the psi down to around 9. When I do that, tiny bubbles start to form in the line just above the keg. When I increase pressure to correct that, the beer is once again foamy. I replaced the regulator today because the one I was using was about 35 years old and still the same thing. I did some reading about balancing my system and with 3/16 ID hose, I should have 5-6' as I understand it. That's about what I have. Air temp in my fridge is about 34. After looking at a carbonation chart, it appears that the colder the beer is, the less co2 pressure is needed. Am I correct here? Would that be why the usual 12-14 psi is too much for my application? Also, before tapping the keg, I flushed the line, and disassembled and cleaned the faucet. I also replaced o-rings. At any rate, I hate to post a new thread because this has likely been asked hundreds of ways hundreds of times, but I'm just beating my head against the wall here. Not quite sure what else I can replace/fix. Any advice is appreciated.
OK...let's see what we can do to help. To recap your current situation; Exact line length: I should have 5-6' as I understand it. That's about what I have. Exact temperature: Air temp in my fridge is about 34. Step one...make the effort to get the exact line length. "About 5' can actually mean 4.5...and that won't work nearly as well as 5' or 6'. Step two...put a pint of water next to the keg and check the temperature in the morning. "About 34" is relative and the only way to help is to know the exact temp. Since you are only pouring 2" of foam, your line diameter pretty much has to be correct. Your system is close to working perfectly and it's merely a matter of fine-tuning. A few questions; Is the amount of foam consistent pour after pour or does the amount of foam diminish after a beer of two? When opening the faucet, are you gripping the tap handle at the top or the bottom? What gave you the impression that a head cutter would not be used for an ale? Let us know what you find!
First thing is get An ACCURATE calibrated thermometer. Yes spend $35 on a thermometer !!! Comes in very handy all the time. Usual way of taking proper beer temps is pour one glass dump and immediately pour another into same glass . Taking your beers temp in the liquid not the foam. Please report back and we can try to balance from there. But with out proper beer temp we are guessing and wasting good beer .
To add I believe stones beers are at 2.6 v/v so "if" your beer is really 34f that would put you at 10.5lbs psi about.( under normal circumstances)
Do you have a tower on your kegarator? If so, the tower needs to be as cold as the keg. http://www.draft-beer-made-easy.com/towercooling.html
Thanks for the reply! I will make the effort to get exact numbers on line length and temp. Previously, I didn't know how much difference they made. Now to answer your questions; the foam diminishes after a beer. The second is always better than the one that preceded it. When opening the faucet, I grip the top of the handle. Lastly, I suppose I just assumed that head cutters were primarily for stouts, porters, brown ales, etc. I appreciate your help. I see you're in CA. I'm got my eye on some Stone offerings which are unavailable here in PA if you are interested in trades. Not to get too far of topic or anything...Anyway I'm hopeful we can figure this out based upon question 1. Appreciate it!
After reading your link, that sounds like the answer. My old u line is actually air cooled and hopefully it's not too difficult to direct the airflow upward. Thanks for the reply!
All that said, you still need to balance your system. Confirm and correct the length and ID of liquid lines. Consult the charts. Replacing the 35 year old regulator was probably a good call. It may be just fine, but I'm not sure I would trust it. Reducing the pressure to get a good pour may seem like a fine idea, and it may get you through a party painlessly, but, since it takes a few days for the beer to equilibriate to the new pressure, you won't see the final result immediately ...and the beer will likely end up under-carbed by then. Unless you're serving a highly carbonated beer, 12-14psi is awfully high at 34F. It will likely be overcarbed if you keep it at that pressure. Consult one of the charts.
Balance is the key as Mike said, and understanding what balance is is the key to not having this problem over and over again. For the tower cooler you need to not just "direct the air upwards", you need to deliver the cold air from the bottom of the kegerator to the back of the shank at the top of the tower, which will require a project box from Radio Shack, a PC fan, an old phone charger and a few feet of 1" flex tube. Cheap and easy to make, but you can also buy them pre made off of ebay (this is all in the link at the end of that article, along with step by step directions).
You can try dropping the psi a pound every other day or so. The reason the line gets the bubbles when you drop it to 9 psi is that the co2 is rising from the keg to equilibrate. Lower pressure will solve the problem.
I couldn't disagree more. Lower pressure will make this worse and give you flat beer on top of that. The bubbles are CO2 breakout from the pressure being too low. Balance to the v/v and temperature is how to correct bubbles in the line.
While I won't disagree that lowering the pressure will result in flat beer if taken too far, that won't happen if the pressure is set correctly. The bubbles that will inevitably form in the line are a result of the fact that this beer is overcarbed. Reducing it one psi every other day or so will minimize the bubbles in the line, but it won't really buy you anything and, unless you overshoot the target (too low), the beer won't go flat. I would suggest setting the regulator to the correct pressure, then burping the keg a couple times a day until things settle down.
To all who have tried to help me fix/balance my system. Here's where I am now. Currently I have southern tier 2xipa on tap. My hose is 5' of 3/16. My beer temp is currently 39 degrees. I'm running about 11 psi. I assume the temp will come down in time. The keg has only been in the fridge a few hours. System is pouring good at this point. However, I'm running at max cool setting. Made efforts to route cool air upward. Opinions? Anything else I need to do? Not sure if I'm "balanced". Just know its working better. Leads me to believe it was definitely an issue of the tower not being properly cooled. Thanks all
Not sure what the v/v co2 rate is for southern tier . Would have to call or email them to get actual rate. But at 39f I would guess you should be up around 12-13lbs
