damn beer is overcarbonated

[vendejp]

at least thats what i assume.

its a keg setup... i force carbonated with 30psi, shaking the kegs till no more hissing, then turned the pressure down to about 6lbs.

the beer is so damn foamy coming out... ive released the pressure from the kegs to make sure that its at 6lbs (CO2 hissed in, so it is).

whats the problem here? any remedy? should i lower the psi and keep letting CO2 out of the keg?

even the beer lines get drained, i assume because of the decrease in pressure the CO2 fills the line.

help!

thanks

edit - ohh, one more thing... i didnt cut the bottom of the dipsticks tubes for the "out" on the cornys, but one keg seems ok, so i dont know if thats the problem. maybe ill cut off a 1/2 inch... i just didnt want to mess around with that.

[MagTheGrate]

more then likely overcarbonated.

the gas hissed in because most of the co2 was still suspenced in the beer, the headspace didn't have any.

imho, what you should do is unhook the gas, bleed off the pressure, let it sit for an hour, bleed off the pressure again. continue this till the beer is pouring correctly, then hook the gas back up and set it at 6-10psi.

-Mag

[kevin]

I haven't a keg system yet so I still bottle. But is the carbonation better in the keg than the bottle? I have a ale that I bottled back in September and I found that if I chill the bottle slightly I get good carbs but if I put it in overnight or longer then the carbs are reduce.

[ray m]

I am in no way trying/meaning to offend anyone when I say this, but I have read a TON of threads on the plights & perils of using kegs. I have inescapably come to one unanimous conclusion after reading every thread----that it seems that dealing with these kegs is one HUUUUGE pain in the ass. Maybe I am missing something here, 'cause I have just chosen not to be even remotely interested in utilizing something that seems to bring many of you fellow brewers nothing but grief. Indeed, I envy you guys for sticking with it and successfully using these "apparati"---I guess I am confessing that I don't think I have the slightest bit of patience for dealing with these things. Enlightenment on their merits would be appreciated.:) Maybe you guys can change my mind!! Just don't send the Realbeer community "enforcer" to my house!!

[kevin]

I agree with you Ray it, I guess that is one reason I have been holding off on purchasing a keg system. I use 22oz bottles and it goes by pretty quick.

[ray m]

I guess that's why I chose to use the Tap-a-Draft system. I cannot say enough about it...it's awesome. Right, Fuji??

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by ray m
I am in no way trying/meaning to offend anyone when I say this, but I have read a TON of threads on the plights & perils of using kegs. I have inescapably come to one unanimous conclusion after reading every thread----that it seems that dealing with these kegs is one HUUUUGE pain in the ass. Maybe I am missing something here, 'cause I have just chosen not to be even remotely interested in utilizing something that seems to bring many of you fellow brewers nothing but grief. Indeed, I envy you guys for sticking with it and successfully using these "apparati"---I guess I am confessing that I don't think I have the slightest bit of patience for dealing with these things. Enlightenment on their merits would be appreciated.:) Maybe you guys can change my mind!! Just don't send the Realbeer community "enforcer" to my house!!

I just have to say that I have NEVER, EVER, EVER had one minutes problem using my kegs. They are a big time saver compared to bottling, too. Also people only post on here about problems not about how easy their kegs are to use, right?

Kevin you just used too much pressure during carbonation depending on the amount of carbonation you were shooting for and the temp of the beer.

Go read this page about force carb pressure.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/instructions/co2.htm

[brewmonkey]

Actually just the opposite is true IMHO Ray. They just need some TLC and proper care and they are a dream!

No more scrubbing bottles, capping etc.... Those are headaches of the past. I love my kegs and have used them since about my second batch when I decided there had to be something easier then bottles.

Usually the ones who claim to have lots of problems, have them because they do not care for the kegs before, during and after. They are cheaper over the long run, they do not usually break when you drop them (had one do this) and if you have some of the smaller 2.5/3 USG ones, they are easily posrtable and will fit inside a 10 USG Gott for travel, packed in ice, in the upright position.

[ray m]

That is true, Eddy....therefore I am only getting one side of the story---just seems to me that when problems are posted, they are numerous and there are a lot of nuances about the kegs that must be in harmony with the universe for them to work right. What I need is to observe for myself someone using/filling/working with the kegs for me to understand. I guess that they are not as evil as I have been led to believe. And Brewmonkey, there is something to be said about proper care & maintenance---things break down if not cared for. My biggest fear (yeah, I'm sceered) and apprehension about these things is the concept of proper pressurization, seating of lids, and something about the dip tubes. I won't understand until I see a keg set-up first hand. Think I'll stick with my tap-a-draft:)

[vendejp]

thanks mag, im trying that.

i think that i just have a few bugs to work out with the keg system (since its new). its like doing one big bottle rather than 48.

the first time i bottled it didnt go too smoothly either because of sanitizing and filling each one, then capping, etc.

it should be easier and go smoothly once i actually know what the hell im doing.

[MagTheGrate]

brewmonkey's got it right. do a little preventative maintenance, keep the seals in good shape, and kegs are the way to go.

one more thing just to stir the pot.... anyone who tells you that co2 is different from a keg then in a bottle doesn't remember their high school chemistry. co2 is one molecule of carbon with two molecules of oxygen, not much room for error there! :)

[fuji6100]

I guess that's why I chose to use the Tap-a-Draft system. I cannot say enough about it...it's awesome. Right, Fuji??

Yeah! I love mine. If I had an extra $500 or so laying around (HA!) I would love to get into kegging, but it is just not possible right now. About every time I think I will have the extra, something comes up and I need something more important.

Until then, Tap-a-draft rocks my socks.

[toneyc]

Oh, yeah, I gotta tell ya, I *love* my corny kegs!!! I bottled my first 3 or 4 batches, somewhere around umpteen jillion bottles worth. I second the above, take care of your kegs and they will perfom flawlessly.

One thing to consider, your beer may not be overcarbonated. What size and how long is the beer line are you using? If you're using 1/4 inch line that is fairly short, that may be the problem. The best combination seems to be 3/16 line about 4 feet long. There is, of course, some tuning involved. Higher pressure will need a longer beer line to drop the pressure at the serving head enough to prevent foaming.

:)
Toney.