Foamy Beer

[Foster]

I have just bought a haier kegerator from someone else and am having issues of foamy beer.

I put on brand new lines that measure 6 feet. My flow feels a little fast but no bad. I have a keg of high life at 38 degrees and 12 psi. There are no air bubbles in my line and line is beer not foam. I took off D coupler and cleaned it well, checked the washers and all is fine. Has been in kegerator for 24 hrs and still gives me FULL glasses of foam.
I even try filling a pitcher of beer and the whole thing is foam except maybe a 1/16 inch at bottom.

I have read a lot posts on here and tried many of the things that others had problems with

any ideas? thx

[bonefish]

Reduce your pressure setting, then turn off the Co2. Continue pouring beer. Then Does it ever pour better? If it does, try to maintain that setting. this may not be "by the book", but I've done it.
SEAN

[Scott Zuhse]

"By the book" allows home dispensers to optimize the enjoyment from the investment made in the keg.

If you lower your pressure to acquire a "working system", you will probably end up with flat beer. Take the faucet off and disassemble. inspect for any growth inside the shank and the faucet itself. Also, at 38F, Lite requires 14 PSIG.

[Foster]

I know what u are saying and I have cleaned everything and replaced all parts that were dirty. It flows really fast at 12 psi or higher and believe that is why I get foam. If i turn it down to 10 PSI I get slow pour and a perfect head. My tube is 6ft long do I need to increase it to slow the flow naturally. Going in and out fridge keg at 41-43 degrees now.

Any other ideas plz say. Having ppl over soon and dont want to look like a loser with a glass 1/8 beer and rest foam.

[Foster]

I find that if I pour more than 1 beer at or near same time it gets better the longer I go. If that helps anything. I.E. filling 2 pilsner glasses one after another

[bonefish]

You'll find a lot of innovative methods to cool the tower on this forum. Buy a pitcher, and don't throw beer away.
SEAN

[jumper]

It gets better after the 1st pour? I'm guessing the tower isn't cooled then? That would be my main suspect after what you've described.

[Scott Zuhse]

When the beer comes out of the faucet foamy, the flow is perceived as a fast flow. When it began to clear, I assume you determined that the flow was fine.

First, calibrate your thermometer so that you can be absolutely certain you are working with the right temperature. Second, cool the tower. Third, if you begin to pour foam into your glass - STOP! Dump and start over. Keep doing this until your beer clears. You need to realize that it is physically impossible to pour clear beer on top of foam in a glass. And remember, the faucet only has two positions - opened or closed. Halfway and you are done.

Last, stop screwing with your beer line and pressure. This is not voodoo, magic nor will twitching your nose help you. Dispensing draught beer is based on physics. Pure and simple. It is universal and if you do not apply the right PSIG based on the temperature (constant from the keg to the faucet), elevation or beer type, it will not perform any in Timbuktu then it would at your home.

[Foster]

So they build these things with problem in the tower cooling. That kinda sucks. So I will need to make modifications to it to help cool the tower and that might solve my problems?

[Scott Zuhse]

"They" are the refrigerator manufacturers who have little clue as to dispensing draught beer. These inexpensive refrigerators have a difficult time maintaining constant temperature at the keg and all of the way to the faucet.

This is why they are inexpensive compared to the commercial units that are solid in the temperature maintenance arena.

[Foster]

So my tower cooled now my plate building a little frost and my fridge not getting to cold. Way I can prevent and help this? I am using small computer fan with low heat

[woody'swife]

fans, towers? Sounds like you guys are talking about computers. I guess I am having the same problem, I have miller lite myself. i have it in a regular refridgerator, that has been used as a kegerator in the past (same keg), but too much foam. What exactly is a tower? am I supposed to have additional cooling in the fridge? i have my keg, co2 tank and all tubing in fridge, only the last 6-8 inches isn't in the fridge, mine is piped through my pool house wall. (the kegerator is right next to the wall, like i said only 6-8 inches isn't the same temperature) this couldn't possibly be messing up my flow can it? any suggestions? having a party this saturday, and a ton of beer to be drank.

[Foster]

Yes that 6-8 inches u have needs to be cooled or u will recieve a lot of foam. the tower we talk about is like the ones u see at bars. U do not have this. But u should see if u can find away to cool that 6-8 inches of line. If not u will get lots of foam for the first couple beers til that section cools down.