Foam problems... Don't know what else to try

First thought; Look to see if there are bubbles in your beer line rising from the coupler...

Second; Put a small glass of water on the floor of the keg box and report the temp tomorrow am

Third; Untap the keg, but do it slowly and pay attention to its orientation as it disconnects. Then rotate the coupler 180* and tap it again. Pour a few ounces and look for bubbles escaping the coupler via the beer line.

Let us know what you see...

 

Perfect.

Before you pour any beer tomorrow...look for CO2 in the beer line again as well.

Well done!

 

Sounds like the system is slightly low in terms of pressure. Bells Two Hearted and Official can be a wee bit finicky at times. According to the CO2 carbonation chart, your pressure should be right around 11.5psi.

The key to balancing this keg is to raise the pressure slowly until the gaps of gas disappear and the beer line is fully packed with beer.

I’d start by increasing CO2 pressure 1/4 turn clockwise and pulling 2-3oz beer (just enough to fill the line). Wait an hour and inspect the line for gaps. After the initial 1/4 turn, continue the process hourly until the gaps finally disappear. At this point, you have manually balanced the system. I generally bump the regulator and additional 1/8 turn clockwise at this point...ymmv.

The odds are excellent that you will be pouring clear beer at this point and as the system will perform even better tomorrow.

Note: The gauge on your regulator may or may not be accurate depending on its age and how it’s been handled. Manually balancing the system is a tried and true method to good pours.

 

The best part of dialing in like this is part of the experiment is you have to drink. In the name of science of course.

 

Good news. These is no way the keg has been adversely affected by a leak, but it’s good that you caught it.

As far as the foam issue...this requires a little patience. It should take a bump of pressure or three to get it right. It’s also critical that the beer stay at 36* and not get any warmer as that would then require additional pressure.

i implore you to stay the course, have some patience and this’ll bear fruit by tomorrow morning.

 

As you get to fine tuning, temp consistency from keg to faucet is important. Many people with long lines tend to coil them on top of the keg, the warmest spot in the box. I keep them at the bottom, which most closely approximates the beer temp coming from the bottom of the keg. Also keep them off the cold plate, which will make them too cold.

 

Hmmm. Very interesting. While this process works 99% of the time...congrats, you won the lottery. To add to the pain, your estimate of the foam has gone up 5%.

If the beer line is packed with beer and there are no gaps due to gas, my next move would be to disconnect the coupler, bleed the pressure out of the line and remove the faucet.

Clean and rebuild the faucet to see if there might be something causing turbulence in the faucet assembly. If you have the standard faucet, ensure that both drain holes in the faucet body are free of yeast and beerstone. The best way to verify is to hold the pour spout to a bright source of light and look through the top where the bonnet connects.

Once the faucet is rebuilt, allow a staggered pour or two to cool the faucet down to pouring temperature or soak it in cold water for two minutes.

 

Regulator or gauge?

 

Might get to switching up the regulator later but for now let's keep the variables to a minimum and keep on with @IceAce.

Cheers

 

I'd also check the shank for any burrs or damage. I had a brand new shank that had a burr on the ID of the barbed fitting and I missed it when installing it. While playing the swapping game, uncouple the porter, and put that coupler and line on the IPA and run it in the porter shank / faucet.

 

Winner! Easy fix.