Trimming beer lines in keezer

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by thebriansmaude, Sep 26, 2017.

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  1. PortLargo

    PortLargo Pooh-Bah (1,831) Oct 19, 2012 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    My guess is your offending keg is colder than the others, causing it to be over-carbonated and foaming when poured. The only variables are pressure, temp, and line length . . . and you know two of these are the same. Try rotating the kegs and give it a day+ to settle down.
     
    #41 PortLargo, Oct 17, 2017
    thebriansmaude likes this.
  2. billandsuz

    billandsuz Pooh-Bah (2,097) Sep 1, 2004 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Switch the couplers around. If you are getting foam with all the kegs on the same line it is system related. If the foam follows the keg it is a problem with the beer.

    If you are pushing a new brew from a small brewery, I can tell you now, it's the brewery. The quality control is often lacking.

    Cheers.

    Edit-
    Yeah what Largo says. Beat me to it.
     
    #42 billandsuz, Oct 17, 2017
  3. Curmudgeon

    Curmudgeon Savant (1,110) May 29, 2014 Massachusetts
    BA4LYFE Society

    You also mentioned some "bends" in the line. Are these soft curves or actual kinks? I would think a hard bend/kink would create a lot of bubbles and could be the reason for the foam.
     
    #43 Curmudgeon, Oct 17, 2017
  4. thebriansmaude

    thebriansmaude Crusader (472) Dec 16, 2016 Canada (AB)
    Trader

    It is homebrew that I am pushing, and I am brand new at kegging, so the quality control is definitely lacking. I hooked this keg up and gave it 30 psi for about 26 hours, gave it the odd shake, then purged the headspace, dialed it back to serving pressure (I think 11). I suppose it is entirely possible that I have over shot carbonation, but does this explain why there are lots of bubbles forming in the beer line near the tap, at the out-post, and intermittently through the line? My other lines look like solid beer, no bubbles. If this is the case, should i just purge the gas and let it sit for a couple days?

    Also regarding temp - I am using a keezer - this keg is closer to the compressor, would that side of the freezer tend to be colder? I will definitely deploy some temperature probes to see if there is much difference.

    None of the bends are hard, just coils really, but bubbles tend to form at the tap, near the post, and intermittently through the line, I think mostly in high spots. (my lines aren't neatly coiled yet, they are just flopping around the keezer)

    @billandsuz - I will swap the kegs around and see if the problem is with the keg or the rest of the works.

    Thanks everyone!
     
    #44 thebriansmaude, Oct 17, 2017
  5. billandsuz

    billandsuz Pooh-Bah (2,097) Sep 1, 2004 New York
    Pooh-Bah

    Force carbing with high pressure is pretty much a crap shoot. There is no formula for getting it spot on, and yes you probably over carbed the keg. De gas, shake, wait, de gas, shake, wait. Then put it back on the gas at serving pressure and wait a day until you get it close the proper serving pressure. Remember that changes to gas pressure and dissolved levels of CO2 take time. A day at least. The beer won't absorb the gas immediately.

    The bubbles you see in the line is the gas being released from the beer. Gas will leave solution until it equilibrates with gas pressure in the headspace. So if you have 3 vols in the beer but only 10 psi applied pressure, the beer will de gas and foam will form in the line.

    Regarding the temp differences in the keezer yes, there is certainly a difference. But it usually doesn't matter much. It is usually a difference from the bottom to the top. The beer comes from the bottom of the keg. Sometimes the 6 inches or so of line above the keezer running into the collar is a few degrees warmer. You want to check the temp of the liquid, not the air temperature. If all the kegs are within a half degree or so no worries.

    Cheers.
     
    #45 billandsuz, Oct 17, 2017
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