What did you learn today

[CraftyZA Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CraftyZA]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jakeslouw Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jakeslouw]

2.8 bar @ ambient will just give you foam.

[jakeslouw Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jakeslouw]

also you beer line between corny and tap should be at least 1m

[Harhm Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Harhm]

Corny keg. 9L
Unsure of tap. It has that little side regulator.
Tried 30psi at 6 degrees for 24 hours. Then dropped to 4 psi to fill a glass. No luck. Then increased to 40 psi at room temp. Been shaking the keg every now and then. It no longer absorbs during shaking. Usually when you shake the keg, you hear the regulator release and pump in more gas. So i think I’m going to disconnect the lines and chill it to 4 degrees and try again.

Ps, i was too impatient to wait for fermentation so i bought 9 of those 1L castles to test the keg system. If that makes a difference.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My 2 c , the beer was carbed as is, and was over carbed sooner than you thought it would be.
1. 24 hrs @ 30psi at 6° = more than 3.5 volumes. Thats why even at 4 psi you just got foam, low presure dispensing does not compensate for overcarbonation.
2. 40 psi at room temp around 24° = 3 volumes.

I would disconnect, depressurize the keg a few times as it cools down to 4°. Connect again and set the dispensing presure to 12 psi.

img-20170323-wa0000.jpg

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

also you beer line between corny and tap should be at least 1m

You can make it work with less. My beerline is about 30 cm.

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Tried 30psi at 6 degrees for 24 hours. Then dropped to 4 psi to fill a glass. No luck. Then increased to 40 psi at room temp. Been shaking the keg every now and then. It no longer absorbs during shaking. Usually when you shake the keg, you hear the regulator release and pump in more gas. So i think I’m going to disconnect the lines and chill it to 4 degrees and try again.

Keg dispensing can be hell. I have lost many liters of beer.

There are a few very important things that you have to remember when kegging:
1. The temp of the beer and the pressure of the CO2 are related when it comes to absorption. Cool beer absorbs and retains more CO2. So, if you want to carbonate warm beer you have to have high pressure, whereas cold beers can be carbonated at lower pressure
2. It is near impossible to do the shaking carbonation trick and then to pour a pint. The CO2 is too agitated. You have to leave it for 30 minutes to an hour
3. Read the charts and carbonate per instructions. http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php
4. Foam can be caused by so many things! Make sure your disconnects, line and tap is properly clean. Your beerline should not have any bubbles in it as it will cause agitation and thus more bubbles. Scratches inside a tap can also cause havoc.

Things to try:
My technique for kegging:
Before filling sanitized keg, place lid on keg but do not close. Attach CO2 and slowly release the CO2 into the keg. Do this for 5 to 10 seconds. Disconnect CO2
Fill keg as per usual
After keg is filled and closed, attach CO2 again and carbonate at 3 bar/40 psi. You may shake the keg if you want to
Storing the beer with CO2 connected for the first week is the easiest technique for me.
Consult the chart and set the regulator to the correct setting and let your beer carbonate over the next week.

Cheats - aka faster carbonation:
Cool your beer as cold as possible (not less than 0), preferably with the CO2 connected. Set the pressure to 2 bar/30 psi. Shake every 30 minutes. You will have proper carbonation in approx 2 hours (your mileage may vary). Let the beer rest for 30 minutes before pouring. NB: Release some or all of the pressure before pouring - set CO2 back-pressure for your setup as required.
If you cannot leave the CO2 connected, just reconnect the CO2 every 30 minutes, increase the pressure to 3 bar /40 psi and shake.

Dispensing:
When first connecting the keg, release all the internal pressure and then connect the CO2 and beerline. The CO2 line will now add the required pressure for dispensing.

Fixing Foam:
SLOW DOWN!!! Set your pouring pressure to 0 (and open the flow control [turn thingy next to tap] if present). Slowly open the regulator until you start getting a nice flow of beer. This beer *should* flow clear. If you have a flow control, close it halfway and increase the CO2 pressure until the beer flows nicely. You should be all set.

If slow does not work, take note of the regulator settings (and flow control), then do this.
FFS!!! GO FASTER!!!
Sometimes the tubes just needs to be cleaned. This however means that quite a lot of beer may be used. Get a jug or 2. Make sure they are clean so that you can still drink the beer.
Increase regulator to 4 or 5 bar. If applicable, open the flow control to full. Get jug ready and pull the tap handle! DO NOT STOP UNTIL THE BEER RUNS CLEAR or the jug is full.
I usually "waste" between one and 2 liters of beer.
Once the beer runs clear, stop pouring and lower the pressure to the previously noted values. RELEASE THE PRESSURE IN THE KEG until you hear the regulator kicking in again.


Finally: Have you tried turning it off and on?
Disassemble everything, clean everything, re-assemble and try again.

Good Luck.

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Want to make your own beergun for around R100?!

Beer line fits snugly into a picnic/cobra tap! Cut your beerline to ~20 cm and you will have a cheap, working beergun.

Remember to fill SLOWLY!!! Also try to get the beer as close to 0 as possible.

[CraftyZA Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CraftyZA]

Thanks for that detailed description. I have the whole setup in the fridge now at 30 psi. Co2 bottle, keg and tap. The whole lot.
Been there now for 2 days. Converted my old fermentation fridge back to normal. Might do a keganator.

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Adding a sprayer head with a hose to the taps for the basin in the brewery (garage) makes cleaning a lot easier

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[Guest Close AtronSeige]

Hop particles can get stuck in your tap and will cause foaming.

Side lesson: do not let so much hop bits get into your keg that it clogs your beer out post.

[CraftyZA Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CraftyZA]

Hop particles can get stuck in your tap and will cause foaming.

Side lesson: do not let so much hop bits get into your keg that it clogs your beer out post.

Going to fill the 19L with an english bitter in a week. Whole different ballgame. Lower co2.
Will cold crash properly for a few days to ensure all left over hops are at the bottom. Don’t mind if they end up in bottles. Got 23L, so 18/19 for the keg, and a few pints to age until winter. Not usual bitter. A special one at 5.5%, so aging should be fine.

[CraftyZA Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CraftyZA]

Ok so an update: kept it at 25psi. Forgot about it. 11 day later. Same fizzyness as from the bottle.
Keg semi sorted. Gonna replace beer line. Foam starts in beer line. Only a bit.

[Harhm Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Harhm]

Dont forget about the sugar solution for carbonation thats boiling on the stove [emoji3]

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[pretorjn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pretorjn]

Shyte!!!!!!

[that guy al Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close that guy al]

^^ ooh, ouch!!