[TXFlyGuy]

Trying to help my brew partner...he has bubbles in his draft beer line, and get nothing but foam when he pours a pint.

My thinking is the beer has too much CO2 in it, causing this problem.

Am I right?

[mabrungard]

I just saw a case where the upper end of the long dip tube (where the tubing is flared to fit over that tiny O-ring) was cracked. If its foaming up excessively and its not an issue with CO2 pressure, then disassemble and look carefully at that dip tube end.

[Village Taphouse]

It could be a lot of things.  Overcarbed beer is one issue.  Unbalanced lines could be another.  It can be tricky to perfectly balance the lines and many brewers will accept a slightly underbalanced system where bubbles will concentrate in the lines when beer is not poured for awhile.  One way to know if this is the issue is to see if the beer pours better as the session continues.  Unbalanced lines usually start foamy and improve.  The next day the cycle starts over again.  If that's NOT the case, the beer could be overcarbed or it could be what Martin mentioned... a crack or other obstruction creating foam.  Oh, your beer lines could be too short as well.  There is some amount of friction involved and that creates foam.  How long are the lines?  How HIGH does the beer travel from keg to faucet?  At what PSI is the tank?

[TXFlyGuy]

The keg, and the draft system...lines, tower, faucet, etc., are all brand new. First time using this.
And, this is his very first keg of beer on tap. A Czech Pils, which turned out quite nice.

He bleeds the pressure off to zero. Then comes back an hour later, and the pressure reads 10 psi.

The kegerator is a Beverage Air, commercial outdoor rated unit.

[Village Taphouse]

Do you know the method of carb?  If force-carbed, how long and at what pressure?  How cold was the beer?  How long are the draft lines?  What kind of draft lines?  There are a lot of variables for sure.  Getting a draft system to pour just right doesn't seem like a big deal but there are plenty of ways for things to go wrong especially if you don't have a lot of experience with it.  The good news is that he/you will probably get it pouring nicely with some tweaks.  Lowering the pressure on the CO2 tank may be the first stop.   

[TXFlyGuy]

Do you know the method of carb?  If force-carbed, how long and at what pressure?  How cold was the beer?  How long are the draft lines?  What kind of draft lines?  There are a lot of variables for sure.  Getting a draft system to pour just right doesn't seem like a big deal but there are plenty of ways for things to go wrong especially if you don't have a lot of experience with it.  The good news is that he/you will probably get it pouring nicely with some tweaks.  Lowering the pressure on the CO2 tank may be the first stop.

30 psi, for three full days, at 34 degrees. The beer lines are standard size. Perhaps 5 feet in length.

When he pours a pint, it's mostly foam. And he says it is flat. I tell him that is from the excessive foaming, which will give you flat beer.

[Village Taphouse]

Do you know the method of carb?  If force-carbed, how long and at what pressure?  How cold was the beer?  How long are the draft lines?  What kind of draft lines?  There are a lot of variables for sure.  Getting a draft system to pour just right doesn't seem like a big deal but there are plenty of ways for things to go wrong especially if you don't have a lot of experience with it.  The good news is that he/you will probably get it pouring nicely with some tweaks.  Lowering the pressure on the CO2 tank may be the first stop.

30 psi, for three full days, at 34 degrees. The beer lines are standard size. Perhaps 5 feet in length.

When he pours a pint, it's mostly foam. And he says it is flat. I tell him that is from the excessive foaming, which will give you flat beer.

Oh yeah, overcarbed beer for sure.  Plus, 5' lines are on the short side.  You could potentially make them work but you would have to lower the serving pressure.  Have him try the 25psi-for-48-hour process a few times.  I bet the beer is better but the short lines may still require some tweaking.  Cheers.

[MNWayne]

Two issues here.  1. beer lines are too short.  2. The burst carb technique is too variable, try to "set and forget".  When I addressed both issues my pours improved.

[denny]

Bubbles in the line is usually a sign of overcarbonation.

[TXFlyGuy]

Yes...pretty sure over carbonated! Not real sure on the beer line length. It is a new double faucet tower, with standard size lines that came with the tower.

[denny]

Yes...pretty sure over carbonated! Not real sure on the beer line length. It is a new double faucet tower, with standard size lines that came with the tower.

There's an article on draft set up on the main AHA site.  You might want to direct him to that.

[goose]

My lines are 10 feet long using Bevelex 3/16" tubing and the faucets are about 10" higher than the kegs.  I serve at around 8 PSI and foaming is minimal on all beers except for my IPA's.  When serving them, I just bleed of a bit of pressure and they pour fine.  My .02

I plan on replacing them with the stuff Rob Stein recommends here in the near future as it appears to be a better product.

[coonmanxdog]

30 psi for 3 days sounds like way too much carbonation. I used to do force carbonation but now I prime my kegs and get better results. But when I did the force carbonation I started at 5 psi and worked my way up to say 20 psi, increasing the pressure every couple of hours. I used a carbonation stone as well and never left it on the gas for more than a day. Now I simply add 5/8 cup of light malt extract dissolved in one cup of water that has been brought to a boil to the keg before siphoning the beer in and then seal it up and forget it for about a week and a half to two weeks. Hardly any sediment and the carbonation is spot on. I would recommend this method to anyone but if you want to do force carbonation you simply have to make sure not to overcarbonate. There is a carbonation table in the book "Brewing Quality Beers" by Byron Burch. An old book but a lot of useful info in it and it can be had for a few bucks on Ebay. Best of luck. Force carbonation is a bit tricky until you get it down.

[TXFlyGuy]

30 psi for 3 days sounds like way too much carbonation. I used to do force carbonation but now I prime my kegs and get better results. But when I did the force carbonation I started at 5 psi and worked my way up to say 20 psi, increasing the pressure every couple of hours. I used a carbonation stone as well and never left it on the gas for more than a day. Now I simply add 5/8 cup of light malt extract dissolved in one cup of water that has been brought to a boil to the keg before siphoning the beer in and then seal it up and forget it for about a week and a half to two weeks. Hardly any sediment and the carbonation is spot on. I would recommend this method to anyone but if you want to do force carbonation you simply have to make sure not to overcarbonate. There is a carbonation table in the book "Brewing Quality Beers" by Byron Burch. An old book but a lot of useful info in it and it can be had for a few bucks on Ebay. Best of luck. Force carbonation is a bit tricky until you get it down.

Never tried priming a keg before, always force carbed. What temp do you let the keg rest at with the priming? Can you prime with plain sugar?

[Iliff Ave]

30 psi for less than 24 hours does it for me.