Need Help Serving Bell’s Oberon

[rjbergen]

I have a new keezer that I built. This isn’t my second keg and I picked up a slim 1/4 BBL of Bell’s Oberon (commercial keg, but ~1.010 SG, and 2.70 volumes CO2 recommended) on Tuesday evening and put it straight in the keezer to keep chilled. I tapped it tonight and am having foaming issues and the beer tastes flat once the foam settles.

My keezer is at 38F as monitored with an Ink Bird temp controller. I’m using 3/16” beer line that’s 8’ long. My tap is 2’ above the center of the keg.

I started at 12 PSI and had almost all foam. I adjusted the pressure upward in increments to 18 PSI and still had foam. I backed down the pressure to 6 PSI and it seems to pour decent at that.

6 PSI is too low to maintain carbonation at 38F. What can I do to help balance out my system to pour clean beers?

 

[day_trippr]

Per our favorite carbonation table, 38°F requires ~13.5 psi to maintain 2.7 volumes.
And per the only beer line length calculator worth using, 13.5 psi, 3/16" ID beer line, and a 2 foot rise from keg center, requires at least ~11 feet of line to provide a good pour rate, which is actually a bit under a good rule of thumb of 1 foot per PSI.

To make it a one-time deal I'd replace the line starting with 14 feet, let the system rest so everything is thoroughly chilled, do a test pour, and if desired trim the line back by a foot and repeat the test...

Cheers!

 

[rjbergen]

Per our favorite carbonation table, 38°F requires ~13.5 psi to maintain 2.7 volumes.
And per the only beer line length calculator worth using, 13.5 psi, 3/16" ID beer line, and a 2 foot rise from keg center, requires at least ~11 feet of line to provide a good pour rate, which is actually a bit under a good rule of thumb of 1 foot per PSI.

To make it a one-time deal I'd replace the line starting with 14 feet, let the system rest so everything is thoroughly chilled, do a test pour, and if desired trim the line back by a foot and repeat the test...

Cheers!

That’s the table I’m following. I’m also looking at their line length calculator:
https://www.kegerators.com/beer-line-calculator/

For 1.010 SG, 13.5 psi, 3/16” line, 2’ height, and 8.25 sec/pint I get 8’ lines.

I see people saying a 6 second pint is ideal. Based on the calculator, I need 4.5’ lines to get that pour.

Then I see the other formula of:
P = L x R + H/2

Based on that, with 8’ of 3/16” lines at 2.2 lb/ft resistance, and 2’ from keg center to faucet, I get 18.6 PSI.

Using that formula, to use 13.5 PSI, I would only need 5.7’ lines.

Beyond the calculator and formula, I see people here on HBT saying 1’ of 3/16” line per PSI is required.

I’m just confused at this point.

 

[Homergah]

Just let it all equalize. If it's pouring good at 6, leave it there for a day, then crank to 8 for a day or two and see how it pours. Crank it again a day or two later. The charts are great, based on science. Science doesn't always taste good. I'm occasionally surprised how for off the reservation I need to go to get a great pour. YMMV

 

[IslandLizard]

That’s the table I’m following. I’m also looking at their line length calculator:
https://www.kegerators.com/beer-line-calculator/
[...] I’m just confused at this point.

Listen to what @day_trippr said in post #2. He's spot on.

For example, I use 19' lines of Bev-Seal Ultra 235 in my upright keezer at 48-50F.

 

[day_trippr]

"Pour rate matters", and pouring a full pint in a scoche over 8 seconds seems like slamming beer to me. Makes everything critical lest one end up with a half glass of foam or worse.

I'm content to slow it down to where it takes ten seconds for 12 ounces (so, ~13 seconds for 16 ounces) and end up with a lovely pour every time, whether the keezer is at the top or bottom of its temperature range, in the chill of winter or the dog days of summer...

Cheers!