Beer Forum

I brewed a "Cream of Three Crops" cream ale about a month ago. It's been in a keg under CO2 with about 15 PSI... I would think this would make a nice carbonation. The beer has any carbonation at all. It seems like it's mostly foam.

Here are some of the facts:
-it's in my kegerator
-using a picnic tap
-15 PSI
-temp set to 36

I think the issue might be the temp. I live in Florida and it averages 90-95 during the day... maybe the 80's at night. The kegerator is on my back porch. Even though the temp is set to 36, the beer isn't that cold. Could that be the reason for all foam and little carb?

If it is all foam, it sounds like the CO2 may be coming out of solution. At 15 psi you will need a long length of tubing to keep the CO2 from coming creating foam. How long is the line to the picnic tap? A quick search through the forum will give you the lengths needed of different diameter tubings for different pressures.

Good luck!

this was a pre-made hose I bought from one of the online stores... i think it's about 3' long and 3/16

Offhand, I would guess 8+ ft are needed for 15psi. I use 5-6ft for 8-10psi. If it has been carbing for about a week at 15, try turning the regulator to ~3-4. If the second pint pours well (always pour with the tap fully open), you likely just need a longer bit of tubing. FWIW: 15 psi is very high for 36f.

Know the feeling....you feel like a dork when you drag a scottie to a party and have a keg of foam.... I never run less than 10 ft. 3/16 ID to a picnic tap. You just wrap the excess hose around the keg.


Gary

adamK wrote:Offhand, I would guess 8+ ft are needed for 15psi. I use 5-6ft for 8-10psi. If it has been carbing for about a week at 15, try turning the regulator to ~3-4. If the second pint pours well (always pour with the tap fully open), you likely just need a longer bit of tubing. FWIW: 15 psi is very high for 36f.

+1 to all of that. I think the shortest picnic tap I have is 8ish feet. Those premade 3 footers are next to useless. And generally more expensive than a home built 6+ footer. Then again I'm lazy & never adjust my regulator - I carb/serve at the same pressure... just don't ask me what exactly that pressure is since I bought my regulator from KegWorks. Piece of shit. Just like everything else I've bought from those worthless fools.

so i got home an bled off the pressure and then set to 8 PSI... then guess what? Carb in the beer! Thanks for the help. I'm sure the temp will help also... I've got to find a way to move my kegerator to the garage where it's not quite so hot.

jasonclick wrote:so i got home an bled off the pressure and then set to 8 PSI... then guess what? Carb in the beer! Thanks for the help. I'm sure the temp will help also... I've got to find a way to move my kegerator to the garage where it's not quite so hot.

Weird right? I remember thinking I had broken physics the first time I increased the carbonation by decreasing co2 pressure