I was wondering if anyone has additional advice or approach on how to handle it when the keg you just received & hooked up (1/2 keg Heineken in new BM-23) is reading beer temp of 50 degrees? I believe sales rep delivered it in a non-refrigerated vehicle and I picked it up soon after (picked up from bar's keg box storage). Why it was 50 degrees is not what I'm trying to address; but rather what steps to take when it happens. I'm assuming distributor stores kegs at around 38-40 degrees; so keg was non-refrigerated long enough to warm up to 50 degrees (Temp of beer in 2nd draw; with a room temp glass). Is this time period long enough to over-carb the beer? I didn't think so. I just let the keg cool down from Friday 6pm to Sunday 1pm, fully hooked up with co2 at 10 psi. I was wondering if it would have been best to cool the keg down first without the co2 hooked up, and burp it during the cool down period. All beer draws on Sunday were great though; atleast 30-40 of them. Foam on Tuesday/Wednesday. Middle of keg frosting up; beer temp was at 34.5 (Approx from memory); adjusted dial and beer emp is now 37.5- good tgo on temp and co2 still at 10 psi. 1st pour was still foamy, 2nd pour was good. Tower is being cooled, however the tubing is forced up the inside and probably not exactly hooked where it should be, but nevertheless still sending the cool air up there. Could the keg be giving out tis relatively minor foam issue because it is still a little over-carb'd? Is it worth it to unhook co2 ad burp keg for a day or 2? Or just leave it alone? I'm not sure if this is being too anal about keg issues, but I think it helps to understand why foaming does occur in some cases so you can properly handle it and not get frustrated. So far (about a year now) I've dealt with a crappy regulator that went bad, taking proper beer temps (Improper ways did not help to understand if kegerator was working properly), as well as receiving a keg that was at 50 degrees.
These two quotes concern me about your kegerator. 1st pour foamy ,2nd pour ok is usually a case of warm line in the tower. You say the tubing is forced up the inside? Shouldn't have to force anything.Plenty of room for beer line and blower hose side by side.Pull tower top cap off feed blower hose up and then reach in from top to pull all the way up and use that little hook around the shank elbow or hook it in the little hole of the hose clamp crimp to prevent it from falling down. There is also the rare occasion that a keg is defective with a bent draw tube.
It doesn't look like the top of the tower (Cap) actually comes off, which is why I kinda just shoved the cooling tube up inside the tower as far up as it would go. I remember when I assembled the unit, that it took a while to get the cooling hose hook to catch on something after shoving it up inside the tower. On a separate note; can a defective S system keg coupler be causing some foaming issues? These last 2 foaming issues were on kegs (1 Stella & current Heineken) that used that coupler. Never had a problem with the D coupler. Probably just a coincidence. And the Stella one was really a bad regulator for sure.
Hmm, just checked install instructions and it does say to take off the top cover for this. I just called Beverage-Air and they also said it should come off fairly easy and that it was just pressed in. I'll have to go home and check it out.
If its the standard tower that came with the bev air.It definitely comes off. Some times needs alot of upwards force.They are just pressure fit on.As far as the coupler not much to go wrong unless check ball is hanging up check valve sticking or washer obstructing flow.Also make sure no kinks in line.
Your beer was not over-carbed because it warmed to 50°. Think about when a bottle (or can or keg) of beer is carbed at the brewery. It's journey to your home will involve multiple temp swings. But when you chill it to the proper serving temp the carbonation will be as intended by the brewer. No need to "bleed off" any pressure because of the ride home in the back of your car. Carb levels are defined in volumes. For a given temp/pressure you will have a defined carb level. If the temp increases the pressure will rise but the number of CO2 molecules stays constant (they just become more excited). Leave a carbonated bottle of anything in the sun and when opened it will spew. That's because the higher temp causes a higher pressure . . . but the same amount of CO2 is released. Reduce the temp of a hot bottle and the pressure stabilizes to its former level. Now if your beer is non-pasteurized, allowing the temp to go above 50 can cause some other problems. I have complimented your thorough analysis in past posts. I wish more people would take the analytical approach to solving keg problems. But to answer your concerns, you may consider backing off your enthusiasm dial about one click to the left.
I am not sure why this myth keeps getting regurgitated. Most craft bottles that sit on shelves for weeks or months at room temperature are not pasteurized. But all of a sudden it's some giant issue with kegs? Why? I know many home brewers that keg their beer and store it in the kegs in their basement for however long they feel like storing it. I've had a keg of Cantillon from the mid-90's that was stored in a guys basement and just tapped a few years ago. It was over 15 years stored around 60-65F. If your beer got up to 50F, the step to take is to leave it sit in your kegerator for a day to come down to serving temperature, tap it, and enjoy. End of process.
