[jimrod]

Are there certain ingredients in beers or certain brewing circumstances that cause some beers to pour excessive foam? Is there something in the recipe that could be changed to avoid excessive foam in the finished product? Or is there another problem?

I've seen this question posted many times and I know all the answers by heart BUT...now it's happening to me. It is like the friction of the beer traveling though the beer line causes the CO2 to come out of solution.

I have an APA that will not pour without yielding half foam. Now here is my setup.. I have 2 taps with 8 ft. of beer line on one side and 10 ft. on the other. Both pour this beer foamy and flat. I've also tried with a cheap plastic cobra fitting. I've changed pressure, changed temperature, de-gassed, changed out all the fittings, etc.

I force carb at high psi 30 for one day and then burp and set the pressure to 14 to finish. This has worked very well for as long as I've been serving beer. BUT not with this cursed beer. Any comments?

[Stevie]

Did you dry hop? I ask because maybe you got a hop bit stuck in the poppet and it is knocking the co2 out of solution.

Are the lines clean? A little bit of left over sludge in the line can cause issues too.

[mchrispen]

I might also suggest that the pressure is a bit high, at least for me. I set around 8 PSI for around 38F and have had good results. The occasional beer gets a bit foamy, but usually for the reasons that Steve is pointing out.


I would try a pour with the pressure reduced to about 7 or 8, burp the keg and see if the pour improves.

[Hickory]

I'm having the exact same problem with the exact same style of beer. It's my first kegging experience. I did dry hop, so I might have to do what Steve suggests and see if I have a clog somewhere.

[Stevie]

I'm having the exact same problem with the exact same style of beer. It's my first kegging experience. I did dry hop, so I might have to do what Steve suggests and see if I have a clog somewhere.

If you are going to pull apart the post, be careful or the wife may get mad. I normally bleed all the gas and leave the prv open. Even with that a bit spouts out, so have a towel ready.

I push my beers are 12 and they are normally fine with 10 foot lines. I do normally double fist with the first glass getting slightly warmer foam from the line and the second getting a perfect pour.

[duboman]

+1 to both above as I too use 10' lines at 38oF at 10psi with great pours. When you have changed pressure, degassed, etc have you allowed for enough time for the keg to equalize before the next pour, if not you may still be slightly overcarbonated. Otherwise I too would suggest you have something disrupting the flow to the tap.

[Hickory]

I did only wait about an hour or so before I retried the beer, I'll test it again tonight. I also am only running a 2' line if that makes a difference.

[duboman]

I did only wait about an hour or so before I retried the beer, I'll test it again tonight. I also am only running a 2' line if that makes a difference.

2' of 3/16th line really at any temperature is just way to short to get any sort of decent pour, you'll need to get longer lines. I like and use BevFlex as a recommendation. I would start with 10-12', you can always shorten the length if needed:)

[jimrod]

I have tried different length of hose and pressures with no results. I will try to clean out the poppet

[Hickory]

I did only wait about an hour or so before I retried the beer, I'll test it again tonight. I also am only running a 2' line if that makes a difference.

2' of 3/16th line really at any temperature is just way to short to get any sort of decent pour, you'll need to get longer lines. I like and use BevFlex as a recommendation. I would start with 10-12', you can always shorten the length if needed:)

I see. Looks like I've been duped by my LHBS. I bought a kit with all the lines C02 tank regulator and remanufactured keg. I had no idea what a proper length would be but I'll be making another trip up there.

Edit: sorry to the OP for hijacking your thread.

[JT]

Does it pour back to back foamy beers?  (Seconds apart)

[jimrod]

The first is more foamy

[duboman]

The first is more foamy

You might have a temperature issue, is there a tower? If the lines in the tower are warmer than the beer in the keg you will get a very foamy first pour until the colder beer begins to flow on subsequent pours. A simple small fan to better circulate the air usually will solve this.

[JT]

The first is more foamy

You might have a temperature issue, is there a tower? If the lines in the tower are warmer than the beer in the keg you will get a very foamy first pour until the colder beer begins to flow on subsequent pours. A simple small fan to better circulate the air usually will solve this.

Yep, that's what I was getting at too.  Really common in a tower, but even a freezer with a collar has a significant temp difference from bottom to top.  The first pour is cooling everything down. 

[HoosierBrew]

The first is more foamy

You might have a temperature issue, is there a tower? If the lines in the tower are warmer than the beer in the keg you will get a very foamy first pour until the colder beer begins to flow on subsequent pours. A simple small fan to better circulate the air usually will solve this.

Yep, that's what I was getting at too.  Really common in a tower, but even a freezer with a collar has a significant temp difference from bottom to top.  The first pour is cooling everything down. 

Yeah I have a tower kegerator and it's a challenge. I bought a tower cooler for the warm months and it helps. Obviously don't need it now though. I bet the beer is in the mid 30s now (kegerator in garage). A$$ freezing cold this week.