COLD beer and disp. pressure

[drake]

I have an old kenmore kegerator for my personal enjoyment, and my beer of choice is Yuengling traditional lager.

I've read on this site that the optimum beer temp is 38 degrees F, and optimum dispensing pressure is 12-14 psi. But I prefer my beer COLD - like 34 degrees (measured in a glass of water in the kegerator). But at that temp I have to crank my regulator way down - until it reads between 2 and 4 psi, or all I get is foam out of the tap.

My question is: could that reading be right, for 34 degrees, or is my regulator broken?

[Scott Zuhse]

With beer having CO2 gas, the colder the product, the easier it will be for absorption of the CO2 - resulting in overcarbonation. At 34 degrees, you should lower your pressure approximately one pound for every two degrees below 38. Try pressure at 10 to 12 pounds.

Be aware that your flow rate will be slower and you will not be able to take advantage of the optimal flavor of the beer. Cold temperatures mask the full flavor of beer, particularly Yuengling. Be certain that you are utilizing a calibrated thermometer and instead of taking a temperature of a glass of water, try reading the temperature of a glass of beer dispensed directly from your kegerator (preferably the second beer dispensed in the same glass).