Urgent help required! Foamy beer coming out of tap!

[JRTurner1234]

Hi All,

I've just set up my keg and the beer is super foamy coming out of the tap! I'm having a bbq in a couple of hours time so would love to sort this before then!

Clues:
- There appears to be lots of bubbles forming in the beer line.
- I've tried burping the keg and setting the pressure at different levels from 2psi to 20psi
- When I put a tap directly on the keg, the problem doesn't exist
- the gas line going into the keg is 3.5 feet and says 3/8" x 0.265"
- the beer line coming out of the keg is 4.5 feet and says 0.375" x 0.265"

I've attached some photos.

Any help much appreciated!

Thanks,
Jamie

 

[Hoddy]

So I notice you have flow control taps. So even with a low pressure in the keg and the flow set really low you are still getting just foam coming out?


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[JRTurner1234]

Yup!

 

[Hoddy]

When you say "you out the tap directly on the keg" what do you use?

A different disconnect and hose and party tap?


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[JRTurner1234]

I put one of these directly on top of the keg:

https://www.brewuk.co.uk/faucet-chrome-brass.html

 

[Hoddy]

So that to me says you've got an air leak and your "drawing in" air as your using the tap. I would say it's most likely on one of the hose connections on the disconnects.

You can test this by pressuring by using your co2 and soapy water to find the leak.

Either that or the beer is warming rapidly in this heat in the hose and co2 is separating.


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[Dutto]

I have what looks like the same design of Tap.

There is a little plastic "gizmo" that fits into the space between the tap and the screw-on connection. It acts as an attenuator and reduces the amount of foaming.

I used it twice without the "gizmo" and at the present time I have it fitted.

The difference is amazing! Without the "gizmo", even 10psi pressure on the Growler delivered a beer that was 50% foam whereas with the "gizmo" fitted it just has a normal head!

Hope this helps! :thumb:

 

[foxbat]

I have what looks like the same design of Tap.

There is a little plastic "gizmo" that fits into the space between the tap and the screw-on connection. It acts as an attenuator and reduces the amount of foaming.

I used it twice without the "gizmo" and at the

Where did you buy yours from? I ask because I haven't seen one on ebay that comes with an external flow reducer. This is a picture I borrowed from an ebay listing that shows all the component parts that mine came with:

 

[divrack]

I think the tube might be a bit wide and short. Not used the flow reduce taps though but have heard mixed reviews.
Tried venting the keg to a low pressure before serving? Not ideal, but ok for an emergency. A leak that size seems unlikely and you would expect has going out not coming in. A bad connection might be blocking the flow causing foaming I suppose. My my bet is that the flow control isn't great and it's just too short wide and hot tubing that's causing decompression of the liquid and gas to come out.
I've got 7mtrs of thin line for anything over 2vols.

 

[stz]

What is the carb on the beer? What is the storage temperature? If you've only got 4.5ft of 3/8" for beer line buckle up buckaroo, you are in for a fobby ride no matter what you do.

 

[Hoddy]

I put one of these directly on top of the keg:

https://www.brewuk.co.uk/faucet-chrome-brass.html

So did you solve the problem?


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[JRTurner1234]

Hi All,

Thanks for your input yesterday.

I did mange to solved the issue. The problem was that the beer was not cold enough.

I chucked the keg in a bucket with loads of ice and that solved the problem!

Thanks,
JT

 

[Dutto]

Where did you buy yours from? ..........

I got mine with the Dark Farms Growlers. The "gizmo" is a small bit of white nylon plastic that looks for all the world like a fat jelly-bean and fits into the gap between the connector and the seat of the tap itself.

In the Flexi-Tap that I used on the MK's there was a long solid plastic attenuator that did a similar job.

 

[Shaft]

Starting this thread up again. I have just added a second tap to a BEKO fridge set-up, with 2 corny kegs and c02 all internal to the fridge. 2m 3/8 pipes all round (I should trim them really as they only need to be like 50cm.)

Same tap style to the one above for both, and have a splitter on the co2, and ran it at 20psi for what was meant to be 2 days before dialling it down to 10psi. However being away for Xmas, I accidentally left it on 20 for about 5 days. Seemed ok, if a little foamy and too carbonated for the beer style for first few pints, then I dialled it down to 10 and since then I've been getting just foam. I've tried the flow adjustment on the tap, but doesn't seem to help. Am curious as to the attenuator mentioned above as didn't spot anything like this. Looking for suggestions. Beer is very cold and settled, and pipes were clean this keg.

Any suggestions welcome!!

 

[Dutto]

Er ... it think all depends on where the check-valve is on your system. i.e. The pressure shown on the regulator may not be registering the pressure in the keg; and as the 20psi will have soaked into the brew whilst you were away, until the pressure is dropped back down to "normal" the foaming may continue.

If it is possible, a length of tubing from the tap down to the bottom of the glass may help reduce the foaming. Failing that I have had to pull the brew into a two litre jug, wait for it to settle and then transfer it to a glass.

Enjoy.

 

[Drunkula]

You need to do the heavy restricting before you get to you flow control taps - boring incoming!

My keg of 1.7 vols carbonation porter at the moment is at 5 psi. The other day I tried it with 1.2 metres of 3/8" tube for a laugh and it was like a fire hose snaking about. Even with the flow controller it was a shambles. Then I put in the 2 metres of 3/16's I've got and it takes over 2 minutes to pour a pint, but that's actually better because the carbonation stays in the beer. For beers at 2.3 vols that same length of 3/16s with my flow controller is perfect.

And this is at my compromise temperature of 7c between great British 13c cellar and the rest of the empire.

Shaft, get some thin middleman choker pipe.