PSI for Shock Top?

[gmendoza]

Anyone know the proper PSI for Shock Top beer? I bought my first 1/6 keg last night and plan on tapping it this evening. I've never done this before so I want to make sure I know what my steps should be when I tap it and what PSI is common for this type of beer.

Thanks.

GM

[djc]

You need to read around here a bit, the number you need is not the psi but the v/v or volumes of CO2. Then you need to know the temparature of your second pour, and a force carbonation chart. There are links to the charts here, read any of the foam threads and you should find the links to the chart. Shock top is an A-B product so the v/v should be 2.7. With that and the temperature you should be able to find your pressure in the chart.

[redhawk]

Yes, ShockTop is 2.7 v/v. I set mine at 13 PSI with a second pour temp of 38 degrees and it was fine the whole time.

[gmendoza]

Thanks for the info! I've been reading a lot on the v/v and PSI. So, when I get home tonight with the co2 tank, what's the first thing I should be doing? Connecting it to the coupler and then tapping the keg? Anything I should be looking for? I've read a lot about pouring the first glass and chugging it, then checking the temp on the second glass.

[djc]

Connect and tap, then open the regulator. Stay low until you figure out the temp, then get close to the suggested psi. Make sure you use a calibrated thermometer and get the second pour temp as you suggested. You are likely to get foam, take the temperature in the beer not the foam. Don't go crazy trying to adjust the psi all over the place, it will take a good 24 hrs for the variation to have an effect. After another day make another adjustment if you need to. If you don't have a tower cooler you will likely always have a glass of foam to start off. With a tower cooler you will have a little shot of foam to start and then be fine. Remember foam creates foam so even if your flow is all beer if it is going into a glass of foam, it will do the same.

[KillianBoy]

gmendoza,
Since your hooking tank up, make sure connection between tank and regulator is tight, black washer is on tank connector. Attach coupler to keg (don't pull down handle), turn tank valve full on, open valve at regulator, pull pressure release on coupler (you should hear a hiss, if you don't something is wrong), then pull handle and lock in down position, PSI for Shock Top at 38.0 degrees is 13.3, so 13 is a good start point . I usually pull a few ounces and then let everything stand for a couple of hours, if keg already acclimated, then a few minutes to let beer settle in beer line and faucet. Then test with digital thermometer as mentioned in forum, and adjust PSI according to temperature you find, let PSI adjust overnight and see if PSI is where you set it and beer pours perfect.
KB

[dave12466]

I wrote to Shock Top about the v/v ratio and I received this response back this morning.
I hope this helps out.

This is Janet from Shock Top getting in touch. I appreciate your interest in the right keg pressure for our beer, and I would be happy to provide some tips to help you enjoy the best-tasting Budweiser draught possible!

To start, the temperature of the beer should be between 36 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. Beer kept colder than that can lose taste and character, while warmer beer can taste flat, look foamy, and develop bacterial growth. Also - you will want to make sure the keg is kept cold for 24 hours before tapping.

The pressure of the CO2 system should be set at 12-14 PSI. This setting will maintain the proper level of carbonation in the beer, as well as ensure a proper flow rate of about one gallon per minute. Another way to render proper flow would be to make sure that your lines, faucet and the tapper itself are thoroughly cleaned regularly, and that the lines are free of kinks.

[djc]

Which works out to...wait for it....wait for it....2.7 v/v.

[bmwallie]

I am also having the same issue. I am brand new to this and just got a kegerator and a 1/6 of Shock top. I am using a Edgestar BR1000SS. Every glass i pour is coming out an entire glass of foam, even if it is back to back pours. The temperature of the beer coming out is at 38 degrees. Initially I set the psi at 10, 3/4 foam. so I turned it down to 8 psi, and the same result. So last night I cut off the CO2 and purged the keg. I then set it at 12 psi and left it sit for the night. I tried pouring another couple glasses after getting home from work, took the temp, still 38, but now the entire glass poured as foam. What am I doing wrong and how should I go about solving this.

[djc]

The information here in any of the threads about foam are probably relevant. It isn't the Shock Top. Is the 38 the second pour in the same glass, using a calibrated thermometer? At 38 and 2.7 you should be around 13. What does the beer line look like after it sits for a while? Gaps? The pressure is too low.

[pvs6]

This is a conversion unit just the refig with a pre knocked out tower hole in top right? Did you do the components add on yourself? Tell us the make up of what you added. Fist thing to check is the beer line touching or close to the cold plate. But line diameter and length, Tower set up, tapper bought so fourth. This will need a tower cooler without question. Also is the unit indoors or out.

[bmwallie]

djc- Yes it was 38 on second pour and in same glass using a calibrated thermometer. After sitting for a while it just looks like beer, no bubbles at all.

pvs6- I believe so, Im not very familiar with most of this yet. I did not add anything to it, I just used all the stock components that came with it. The line is a 3/16 diameter line, and is around 5 feet long. The beer line is up against the keg. It is an indoor unit.

Could the issue be that I am using just CO2 and not a Co2/Nitrogen mix? Reading around I did see that a 60%/40% CO2/Nitrogen mix should be used for this type of beer.

[djc]

Shock Top is not a nitro beer, wherever you saw that is wrong. So if you take a flashlight and look at the beer lines there are no bubbles moving around and no pockets of CO2 after it sits for a while? If that is true, then this isn't a balance problem it is an agitation issue.

[bmwallie]

Good thing I did not get the mix then. No, I don't see any bubbles or pockets in the line with a flashlight after it sits for a while. An agitation issue?

[bmwallie]

I can hear gurgling noises in the keg if thats any clues