Help on my home single line set-up

[Craft Soup Guzzler]

Hi guys,

Thanks in advance if anyone has any feedback on this. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to show my set-up, but I'll do my best to explain it and hope that's enough.

I am currently running a single line lager set-up, using a one line maxi chiller, and co2 gas along with single gas bottle-mounted regulator. As I serve my lager at events, I turn up and put everything into position, giving it about three hours stationary before I start using it. I cannot seem to get a good pint out of this set-up. The beer seems to massively over-foam, and when I track the beer down the lager line, it seems to be coming out of the keg foaming, so I'm a bit stumped.

The keg is chilled in a pub cellar until the morning of use, so I'm sure the temperature is rising inside the keg, but it is at no point getting very warm. At points I have kept the keg in cold water to try and maintain temperature better. We keep the co2 pressure at approximately 1.2 bar, but have tried a few different pressures, and nothing seems to help too much. The maxi chiller seems to serve its purpose, with the water bath getting ice cold after a while. We also have a flow regulator directly under the tap, at the end of the lager line, but even at its slowest, it doesn't seem to pour a pint particularly well.

We do serve these pints in plastics, which I know isn't ideal for carbonation, but it may be worth adding that the lager can often come out tasting under-fizzy.

Other things to note are that the set-up is cleaned well after use so I would struggle to believe it is down to the maintenance of it. We also don't have any kind of pressure release, if that's a thing. And lastly, from working in pubs, this set-up doesn't have any kind of fob regulator, but in my research, I've been told this wouldn't be necessary, unless someone else thinks otherwise.

Hopefully plenty for an enthusiast to get their teeth round, let me know if I've missed or butchered anything.

 

[Rodcx500z]

How long is the line, 1.2 bar is give or take 17.5 psi, i serve my beers at 8 to 10 psi

 

[Craft Soup Guzzler]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Line from keg to tap is hard to say, as I don't know coil distance inside chiller, if that is what you are referring to. We don't have a python, rather an insulated 3/8" tube, and that runs about 1 metre from keg to chiller, then into chiller, then about 1.5 metres from chiller to tap. So in total 2.5 metres of insulated line.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Hi guys,

Thanks in advance if anyone has any feedback on this. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to show my set-up, but I'll do my best to explain it and hope that's enough.

I am currently running a single line lager set-up, using a one line maxi chiller, and co2 gas along with single gas bottle-mounted regulator. As I serve my lager at events, I turn up and put everything into position, giving it about three hours stationary before I start using it. I cannot seem to get a good pint out of this set-up. The beer seems to massively over-foam, and when I track the beer down the lager line, it seems to be coming out of the keg foaming, so I'm a bit stumped.

The keg is chilled in a pub cellar until the morning of use, so I'm sure the temperature is rising inside the keg, but it is at no point getting very warm. At points I have kept the keg in cold water to try and maintain temperature better. We keep the co2 pressure at approximately 1.2 bar, but have tried a few different pressures, and nothing seems to help too much. The maxi chiller seems to serve its purpose, with the water bath getting ice cold after a while. We also have a flow regulator directly under the tap, at the end of the lager line, but even at its slowest, it doesn't seem to pour a pint particularly well.

We do serve these pints in plastics, which I know isn't ideal for carbonation, but it may be worth adding that the lager can often come out tasting under-fizzy.

Other things to note are that the set-up is cleaned well after use so I would struggle to believe it is down to the maintenance of it. We also don't have any kind of pressure release, if that's a thing. And lastly, from working in pubs, this set-up doesn't have any kind of fob regulator, but in my research, I've been told this wouldn't be necessary, unless someone else thinks otherwise.

Hopefully plenty for an enthusiast to get their teeth round, let me know if I've missed or butchered anything.

I have heard of this before although never had it myself. The culprit turned out to be a leaky seal on the beer out post that allowed CO2 in the headspace of the keg to directly enter the beer line while beer was also able to be pushed out. The kind of thing that will drive you mad! Hopefully this is your issue and you can get it sorted.

 

[Craft Soup Guzzler]

Thank you so much for that, could be right, I'll have a look at it and see. If any other theories, please do let me know.

Could the problem be to do with using just CO2 and not a 60/40? Is that a common problem? Although having a combination of immense fobbing and marginally flat beer also confuses me.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Thank you so much for that, could be right, I'll have a look at it and see. If any other theories, please do let me know.

Could the problem be to do with using just CO2 and not a 60/40? Is that a common problem? Although having a combination of immense fobbing and marginally flat beer also confuses me.

I don’t think your problem is CO2 vs mixed gas. Certainly avoiding over carbonation is one of the main reasons for using mixed gas in a pub but only if you’re using high pressure to push beer along very long pythons or up several floors. This isn’t an issue for you.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Line from keg to tap is hard to say, as I don't know coil distance inside chiller, if that is what you are referring to. We don't have a python, rather an insulated 3/8" tube, and that runs about 1 metre from keg to chiller, then into chiller, then about 1.5 metres from chiller to tap. So in total 2.5 metres of insulated line.

I’ve just noticed you’re using 3/8 beer line. 3/8 line has almost no resistance so I suspect the pressure is too high and the line resistance is too low (you may still have a problem with seal around the dip tube).

Try a pressure of between 12 and 15 psi (0.8-1 bar). Use 3/8 line to the chiller and from the chiller to the tap use 2m of 3/16 beer line. Keep the beer as cold as you can and expect a bit of waste if there is much of a wait between pouring beers as the line and tap warm up.

If you carbonate the keg in the first place, carbonate it at the pressure you intend to serve it.