PB dispensing solution

[Aphid]

Having received a basic Youngs PB with my initial Microbrewery kit I, of course, want to make use of it, although 95% of my brews are bottled as I prefer. My problem is that the beer that I get to drink from from the PB, although clearly well carbonated from the secondary conditioning, ends up looking and tasting quite flat. Nearly all the carbonation is lost to the elements as I try to dispense from the tap. A huge foamy gush that is almost impossible to control. And with the gush goes all the nice carbonation that I value.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem. It's most deflating! :sulk:

 

[photek1000]

Sounds like there is too much pressure in the barrel and that is producing mainly head on your beer.

You would either have to pour very slowly until the pressure goes down slightly or release a little of the pressure out of the barrel.

I had the same issue when I first started using my PB, but releasing a bit of gas put it right.

 

[wfr42]

I open the tap just over halfway and put a small head in the glass and then close the tap until it stops frothing and complete the fill.

It is not a quick process pouring from a PB.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOq6N59HTjo[/ame] is a good guide.

 

[Aphid]

Sounds like there is too much pressure in the barrel and that is producing mainly head on your beer.

You would either have to pour very slowly until the pressure goes down slightly or release a little of the pressure out of the barrel.

I had the same issue when I first started using my PB, but releasing a bit of gas put it right.

So unscrew the top a little then re tighten? I remember my Woodfordes settled down as I got through it. I have tried opening the tap just a little but it's a fine line between a feeble dribble and gush!

 

[Aphid]

I open the tap just over halfway and put a small head in the glass and then close the tap until it stops frothing and complete the fill.

It is not a quick process pouring from a PB.

Thanks for the YouTube link and suggestion. As I have mentioned above, there isn't much breathing space between opening the tap to a measly trickle to a veritable foamy gush. Nowhere near opening the tap half way for me.

I have tried adding 20cm ish of suplus plastic tubing to the end of the tap. Maybe that might help when I pour myself a pint later. Will certainly try the dribble technique as best I can, even venting a little of the gas. One things for certain. I'm not going to get hammered drinking from a PB! :lol:

 

[Aphid]

Kind of getting there. The long plastic tube plunged into the slowly pouring/trickling beer seemed to help. Also released a little pressure by easing the lid open a touch and quickly re tightening.

Cheers, guys! It's beer o'clock.... :drink:

Oops! Doesn't looking at the picture sideways makes you feel drunk?

 

[photek1000]

Looks like a good pour to me

 

[Mungri]

Will have to try your tubing idea myself.
Having the same problem with a Woodfordes Nelsons revenge. Comes out so fast, it was blowing the beer all over the place.
Very little carb left in the brew after pouring though.
It's been the keg for 19 days, so not very long.
On the positive side it tasted much better than I expected. Reminded me of a Liverpool Organics Honey Blonde iv'e had.
Got some of the Nelsons bottled. Might try one tonight, to see what the difference in carbonation is.

 

[Aphid]

Will have to try your tubing idea myself.
Having the same problem with a Woodfordes Nelsons revenge. Comes out so fast, it was blowing the beer all over the place.
Very little carb left in the brew after pouring though.
It's been the keg for 19 days, so not very long.
On the positive side it tasted much better than I expected. Reminded me of a Liverpool Organics Honey Blonde iv'e had.
Got some of the Nelsons bottled. Might try one tonight, to see what the difference in carbonation is.

Let me know how you find the pour with the plastic tubing. The idea was to make it long enough to reach the bottom of the glass so that the pour is bottom up, as it were. Seems to have helped somewhat.

The St Peter's Ruby Red was warm conditioned in the PB for a couple of weeks and has been in my 'cold' garage for almost two weeks since then. Having decided to try it 'early' I was pleasantly suprised by how clear and drinkable it was. My previous and only use of the PB, for a Woodfordes Wherry, took longer to clear. Wish I has bottled some of the brew for comparison as you are planning. Great idea. As far as I am concerned, and in my limited experience, the results are much better by bottling. So far 12 kits, all bottled bar two, and two currently fermenting in the beer fridge.

 

[Mungri]

Made quite a difference Aphid. Without the tube beer was just leaving a tiny tingle on the tongue.
Put the tube in as you suggested and got a better carbonation. This level is fine for me.
Opened a bottle and this was much fizzier.
On a scale of 1 to10, I would put it as follows.
Straight from the keg tap 1
Keg tap with tube attached 4
Bottled 7
Thing is, they were like two different beers from the keg to the bottle. Both really nice considering how young it is. I preferred the keg beer using your tube method.
The bottle had a slight yeast after taste, the keg didn't. I thought it would be the other way around as people say it takes longer to clear in the keg.
I'm well pleased with both given it's my first brew for a long, long time.

 

[Aphid]

Made quite a difference Aphid. Without the tube beer was just leaving a tiny tingle on the tongue.
Put the tube in as you suggested and got a better carbonation. This level is fine for me.
Opened a bottle and this was much fizzier.
On a scale of 1 to10, I would put it as follows.
Straight from the keg tap 1
Keg tap with tube attached 4
Bottled 7
Thing is, they were like two different beers from the keg to the bottle. Both really nice considering how young it is. I preferred the keg beer using your tube method.
The bottle had a slight yeast after taste, the keg didn't. I thought it would be the other way around as people say it takes longer to clear in the keg.
I'm well pleased with both given it's my first brew for a long, long time.

Thanks for the feedback, #Mungri, and pleased that you found the tubing idea helpful.
I guess that the key, initially, is to be selective about which ales are conditioned in a PB and which are not. The Woodfordes Wherry was fine as has been the Ruby Red I am currently drinking. That said, there is no doubt in my mind that bottling provides a much better, more enjoyable level of carbonation, as you yourself have indicated. Maybe with more conditioning time the yeast taste from your bottles will disappear. Not had that issue myself - touch wood.
In the future, I have every intention of bottling some of my next PB beer for a direct comparison. That won't be for a while though. Too many other beers to enjoy at the moment. Such a hard summer ahead! :

 

[SteveHatton]

Sorry to jump on this post. I've got my first porter in a FV today and plan to use a PB in a fortnight. Everything I've done previously has been IPA so bottled.

The american mocha porter is a 30pint brew so is going to leave a fair head space in the PB. Shall I bang some CO2 in this when filled, or only after a few pints after carbonation?

 

[Rodcx500z]

Having received a basic Youngs PB with my initial Microbrewery kit I, of course, want to make use of it, although 95% of my brews are bottled as I prefer. My problem is that the beer that I get to drink from from the PB, although clearly well carbonated from the secondary conditioning, ends up looking and tasting quite flat. Nearly all the carbonation is lost to the elements as I try to dispense from the tap. A huge foamy gush that is almost impossible to control. And with the gush goes all the nice carbonation that I value.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem. It's most deflating! :sulk:

Hi Aphid, I find that if I use 90 to 100g of sugar I have really foamy ale like you describe, so I started using 80 to 85g and found it much easier to pour a pint I mainly put bitter and mild ales in my pb,s, pale ales ipa lager and the like goes in bottles

 

[foxy]

Having received a basic Youngs PB with my initial Microbrewery kit I, of course, want to make use of it, although 95% of my brews are bottled as I prefer. My problem is that the beer that I get to drink from from the PB, although clearly well carbonated from the secondary conditioning, ends up looking and tasting quite flat. Nearly all the carbonation is lost to the elements as I try to dispense from the tap. A huge foamy gush that is almost impossible to control. And with the gush goes all the nice carbonation that I value.

Has anyone found a solution to this problem. It's most deflating! :sulk:

Sounds like you aren't getting the temperature down for the co2 to dissolve into the beer, what temperature are you serving at?