New to kegerators - foam issues

[S54-368]

First off, I want to thank everyone on the forums for the vast amounts of information that I've found thus far. I recently converted my old refridgerator into a kegerator. My setup is as follows:

5' of 3/16" ID beer line
Beer is pouring at 36-37deg
Pressure set at 13psig
Running a keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

I'm having some odd issues lately. When I first tapped the keg, I had the same settings as listed above and was getting nearly perfect pours with exception of the first pour of the night. I've now gone through a good 2/3 of the keg and I can't make a single pour that's not 1/2 foam. The first pour is horrible, and if I let it sit for more than a half hour the best I get is a 1/3-1/2 pint of foam.

I've been trying everything to fix the issue, lower/raise pressure, lower/raise fridge temp, and nothing seems to help. I even tried draining the keg pressure and re-pressurizing it thinking that maybe it was over-carbonated.

Now when I lowered the pressure I definitely saw bubbles forming in the highest point of the beer line. That was fixed by increasing pressure over 12psig. I've tried making small adjustments in temperature and pressure, but neither seem to be doing any good whatsoever. I still see the same 1/2 pint of foam.

Is there some crazy phenomena that happens at the end of a keg that causes excess foam? This is my first keg that's gone through the kegerator, so I have no past experience.

I have a test background so I'm starting to question the accuracy of the measurement devices. My next plan of action is to double check temperature with a Fluke meter and TC that I'll borrow from work, and to replace my pressure gage. I'm have a gut feeling that it could be a problem with the pressure gage.

[bonefish]

You can set correct pressure using the "flash light" method found in Scott's Blog.
http://www.micromatic.com/keg-beer-b...e/carbonation/

The temperature of the beer has to be monitored daily. It's easy to get it too cold, and over carbonate.
SEAN

[pvs6]

If your keg is exposed to too much pressure or is on line for too long you will experience problems caused by over carbonation. Over carbonation symptoms appear when the carbonation level of the beer increases because the pressure is set too high.

Mild over carbonation symptoms usually closely resemble those caused by beer going flat in the lines. The difference is that they will appear when the keg is nearly empty (the last 1/3 or so). Remember that as the temperature of the beer drops, it needs less pressure to maintain the proper carbonation level. Because of this, you may see these problems if your beer is stored on line at temperatures less than 35 degrees F. The ideal temperature range for keg storage is 35 to 40 degrees F. Beer in direct contact with the gas picks up the CO2 first. It takes a lot of time for the gas to absorb deeply into the beer so over carbonation usually is most evident at the end of the keg. If you tap a fresh keg and it is very foamy, there is a 99.9% chance that the problem is not over carbonation.

[S54-368]

So I just completed the "flashlight" test and my CO2 gage is now reading ~16psig. I was always a little suspicious of the gage because I would not get direct movements in the needle when I changed the pressure, the needle almost jumps a psig at a time when I adjust the pressure.

Now my next beer will be the first one I pour with the newly set CO2 settings. I hope that the foam level will decrease, I don't see any bubbles (large or small) rising out of the tap, or see any accumulating in the 5' of line.

I'm also thinking that the first 1/2 of the kegs life was kept at around 35degF. I just recently bumped the temp down and I'm seeing pours ~36-37deg. Maybe the lower temperature and screwy pressure gage could cause overcabonation.

Either way, it's not a huge deal that I'm getting the foam. I'm pretty much the only person drinking out of it, so I usually just run two glasses... Use the first for the pour with the foam, pour a good second glass, stuff the first in the fridge until I drink the current beer, and repeat.

[Scott Zuhse]

Conduct a leak test for your pressure system. The low pressure gauge will be unstable if your system has a pressure leak.