First Batch, First Keg

[jc5066]

Just put my first batch of brew in a corny keg. Being impatient, I tried to force carbonate the beer and of course needed to sample. The beer has been in the keg for less then 24 hours. The beer is coming out really foamy and a bit flat.

My question is do I just need to wait another couple days for the CO2 to absorb into my beer and that is why it is so foamy?

 

[gcdowd]

Probably lots going on. What pressure do you have it set to? Was it chilled before you put it on the gas? How long are your lines? We need more info

 

[BigFloyd]

Patience is needed here. First, is the beer chilled? To what temp? At what pressure did you try to force carb?

 

[BansheeRider]

That keg is probably like a shaken up coke can. I think you should leave it alone for a couple days and maybe purge it a few times each day. Then you can set the regulator to 30 psi for 24 hours, purge, set to serving pressure and drink.

 

[OneImpBrewery]

Here are the 2 Pages that helped me set up my kegs.

First how much carbonation do you want

http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

It has your different styles and how many volumes you get. I have a digital thermometer that I added on my kegerator which really helps.

Secondly how much tubing do you need to keep your regulator at carb pressure and still serve off of it without getting a foamy mess.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

I think most of us went through this process. Hope we can make it easier for you.

Cheers

 

[h22lude]

My rule of thumb for most of my beers is 12 psi and forget it for 2 weeks. I only have 1 reg with a 3 way splitter. I would like to have 2 regs for different beer styles but I find 12 psi to be good for most if not all beers that I have made.

If I really want to see what my beer will taste like carbed I will fill a 2 liter soda bottle half way when kegging and use a carb cap. I then shake the crap out of the soda bottle with CO2 in it. The only down side is the beer is still young so the flavor will change but at least you will get a good idea on how it will taste.

Secondly how much tubing do you need to keep your regulator at carb pressure and still serve off of it without getting a foamy mess.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/

The equation on BeerSmith might work but I feel like the line will be too short. My set up is basically what he is using as the first equation. 12 psi with 3/16" tubing. My tap is probably 6 inches higher than my keg so I left that out of the equation (though I don't think using his equation it would change much). If I used his recommended 4 feet of tubing I would get a lot of foam.

What I usually recommend to people is get 10 feet of tubing and try it out. If it comes out too slow at 12psi then shorten it by a foot until you get the right pour. If you cut too much and it starts to get foamy then you know you went too far but line is cheap anyway.

 

[jc5066]

I set at 30 psi for about 3 hours then down to 10-12 psi. Chilled to 48.

It was at room temp when I first added the 30 psi. Pressured and chilled at the same time.

I believe the line is 5'. It's the line I purchased from my beer store already set to go with connections.

 

[barmyarmy]

Two weeks! You my friend are a zen Jedi. I do 8 min at 30 psi rolling on it's side. Vent frequently for 24 hours avoid carbolic acid build up. Done and done.

 

[judsonp]

I could take a bit longer than this to carbonate at 12 psi. The foaminess could just be too high of a serving pressure, though. Bleed off some pressure down to about 6 psi and try serving there. (That is, turn off the gas, open the relief valve until the pressure regulator reads below 6, close relief vale and open up gas until the regulator is at 6.) Try serving there (after discarding a likely half pint of foamy mess). If that works, you probably want a longer line so that you can just hold the keg at 10-12 psi instead of jockeying between carbonation and serving pressures.

 

[gcdowd]

Those are short lines too. My lines are 10 feet. Sounds like you just need to be patient and let it carb up

 

[h22lude]

Two weeks! You my friend are a zen Jedi. I do 8 min at 30 psi rolling on it's side. Vent frequently for 24 hours avoid carbolic acid build up. Done and done.

I don't like the quick method. I find it usually over carbs it a little. Some people like it though. Plus the two weeks I let it carb up at 12 psi lets it condition. I don't typically like the taste of young beer

 

[BigFloyd]

I don't like the quick method. I find it usually over carbs it a little. Some people like it though. Plus the two weeks I let it carb up at 12 psi lets it condition. I don't typically like the taste of young beer

+1. I also no longer shake. I had an English brown that never would clear after I did that.