Stout Issues

[Perfect Pour Services]

I have a bar that is having some issue with some of the stouts.

The system is a 40 tap air cooled system. There are 2 wines on taps 1 & 2. 4 stouts on 3-7. 34 ales/lagers on 8-40. The walk-in cooler is directly behind the box that houses the taps on the wall. The lines come through a hole in the wall which also allows for a 4" conduit to run the length of the tap box. This 4" conduit has holes to allow blowing of cold air supplied by the walk-in cooler with the 273 CFS fan. Each line is no more than 18ft from the keg. The wine and stouts being the shortest.

They are not having any issues with the ales/lagers. The stouts however are not working as they would like. 1 of the 4 stouts pours fine. Pour half a glass and wait 45 sec for it to rain down and then finish pouring to achieve a head of a half inch or so. The other 3 products take much longer to settle out and end with a much larger head. We are running a 70/30 blend from cylinders at 30-35psi with a MM stout faucet. I've checked the other 3 products to make sure that they are Nitro stouts, and they are.

I'm not sure on temp of the tap box as its sealed really good and we're hoping not to have to open it if we don't have to. But the walk-in cooler is 37* and the lagers/ales are all pouring well and they are father in the tap box away from the entrance hole. Also, I would think that if temp was a contributing factor, the stouts would be least effected because they are Nitrogen primarily.

Am I missing anything that would make a stout pour badly? I know the kegs all call for a 75/25 blend, but the 70/30 they are using shouldn't make that much difference, should it?

Thanks in advance for anyone's insight.


Cheers!

[DCullender]

To clarify on the gas, 70/30, 70% CO2 or Nitrogen? Assuming 70% nitrogen, but as the standard has changed recently to listing CO2 first. Yes, the 5% could cause a problem if the kegs sit on the gas long enough. If the gas is in canister than you should have the blend checked. Canister blends are done by weight. What gas is being used on the lagers/ales?

Dennis

[Perfect Pour Services]

Lagers/Ales are on 100% CO2. The blend is 70% N, so yes I wrote it in the wrong order. I should have written 30/70. The blend is coming from a cylinder. I am not fond of cylindered mixed gas but the client chose their gas. I'll have them try a 25/75 blend. Thanks for the reply.

[spdbump]

See if you can talk the customer into a blender panel and then order a custom mix for the stouts through Mcdantium. Then you can also put the co2 beers on the mix also.

[Perfect Pour Services]

Update:

We tried changing the gas to 25/75 blend. Its still cylinder and yes I'd like for them to be on a blender but client doesn't want to do it. We have tried two different types of stout faucets. One being MM's and the other tap-rite's all stainless. Both had no better results. Tried putting the product line that carries the stout on another coupler and product that is currently working. Had no problems, which leads me to think that the line itself is not the issue. Then tried using an ale/lager faucet (the MM 304 faucet). Poured quick but clear. This leads me to think that the faucet is the culprit. Problem is that it happens to all 4 of their stout lines and all four different products and with both types of stout faucet. Any ideas why the stout faucet is causing excessive foaming but the ale/lager faucet allows for clean flow? I understand too that the stout faucet is supposed to cause the cascade effect but here I see just foam and it take 10 min to settle into half a of pint of beer.

[spdbump]

Check to make sure the diffuser and the screen are still in place in the faucet tip .

[Perfect Pour Services]

The location ended up turing over almost all four stouts around the same time and the fourth soon after. When they did move to a new product, they all four poured perfectly with no changes applied to the system. I knew I should have insisted on new kegs being used. I was not in town when they got their gas delivery and opening.

Cheers!