Overflow while kegging

[ivanb]

Hello folks, how do you solve issue of beer overflow due to Star San foam when kegging?

Prior to kegging - I put Star San in Corny keg, shake it so sanitizer gets in contact with all surfaces inside the keg. Lot of foam is made that way. After i shaked it - I empty the keg from sanitizing solution and lot of foam comes out - but also lot of it stays in the keg.

while transfering beer from fermenter to keg - keg is filled from down up. Beer is collecting Star San foam on the top of it. When beer comes close to top of the keg - you can see foam on the top but it is impossible to see how much is there foam on the top and where is beer exactly. When beer comes close to top of keg - foam is starting to go out from opening of the keg - and lot of it comes out, but we still don't know where foam ends and where beer starts. If i remove foam from the opening, i still can't see if keg is full or i should still rack some more beer. If I want to push it as much as possible to take advantage of every drop - then it can overflow out of keg - and I need to remove too much beer from the top.

Is there any smart way of knowing this?

Or after sanitizing it to leave it for some time so foam disappears before transfering beer?

 

[fury_tea]

If you mean a corny keg, and you haven't cut your dip tube, you can fill the keg to the top with no rinse sanitiser and let it sit for 5 mins, then attach the gas but on the liquid out post put the disconnect with nothing attached to it to push all the sanitiser out. That way it will be full of co2 as well.

 

[MashBag]

.. Or not use starsan.

TFR and a brush is much better imo

 

[conorm]

I put a litre of boiling water in and shake it all about and vent/ drain via the dip tube. In fairness only done this once but it's a method I've used for my fermenters for years, I now never use sanitising agents (mechanical cleaning then heat sterilising). I also have a steam mop with a jet nozel that's good for lines and small components.

 

[Rwilts]

I have weighed the keg whilst filling previously, when the weight is reached I stopped filling. Good for closed transfers .

Alternatively there was a 'hack' I saw recently utilising colour changing sheets stuck to outside.

 

[Brew_DD2]

.. Or not use starsan.

TFR and a brush is much better imo

As a sanitiser?

 

[MashBag]

As anything

 

[marshbrewer]

I wouldn't use tfr to clean my car, let alone a cornie keg

 

[Tanglefoot]

I usually cold crash prior to kegging, has the added benefit that you can see the
level as it fills due to the condensation.

That's after filling with Starsan, hooking up to co2 and emptying with a Pluto gun. After filling give it a couple of blasts on the prv to get rid of any oxygen and job done.

 

[Davegase]

Alternatively there was a 'hack' I saw recently utilising colour changing sheets stuck to outside.

This popped up on YouTube this morning from Gash down under.

 

[Rwilts]

Was actually a month ago by

 

[JockyBrewer]

Hello folks, how do you solve issue of beer overflow due to Star San foam when kegging?

Prior to kegging - I put Star San in Corny keg, shake it so sanitizer gets in contact with all surfaces inside the keg. Lot of foam is made that way. After i shaked it - I empty the keg from sanitizing solution and lot of foam comes out - but also lot of it stays in the keg.

while transfering beer from fermenter to keg - keg is filled from down up. Beer is collecting Star San foam on the top of it. When beer comes close to top of the keg - you can see foam on the top but it is impossible to see how much is there foam on the top and where is beer exactly. When beer comes close to top of keg - foam is starting to go out from opening of the keg - and lot of it comes out, but we still don't know where foam ends and where beer starts. If i remove foam from the opening, i still can't see if keg is full or i should still rack some more beer. If I want to push it as much as possible to take advantage of every drop - then it can overflow out of keg - and I need to remove too much beer from the top.

Is there any smart way of knowing this?

Or after sanitizing it to leave it for some time so foam disappears before transfering beer?

If you sanitise your kegs in advance and leave them closed they're not going to get unsanitary again. Leave them upside down for a few hours (or days!) and then you can open the lid to quickly dump out the last of the sanitiser.

Alternatively you can use postal scales to keep an eye on the weight of the filling keg. I put the keg on the scale, tare it and then start filling. I know to stop filling just under 19kg.