cornie pressure - what went wrong?

[wetdog]

I put my Old Speckled Hen into a cornie 2 weeks ago. I set the pressure to 20psi and left it like that.
now I've come to drink it, I've set the pressure to around 2/3psi but all I'm getting is a glass of froth
I'm using one of norms taps, the one you can swap from cornie to cornie. So what's happend here, and how can I prevent it in the future?

[harry_mac]

Did you vent some of the CO2 from the keg before Before drawing the first pint? If you don't do that then the beer will still be under high pressure until after the first beer or 3.

Cornies are new to me too, but I understand the right way to reduce CO2 pressure is to disconnect the CO2, vent excess pressure from the keg, redcuce the pressue on the regulator, then reconnect at the lower pressure.

e2a: if you disconnect before reducing pressure it also prevents anything being pushed back into the regulator (probably only CO2, but possibly liquid if the keg's overfilled).

[wetdog]

I tried veting all the CO2 from the cornie but once I reconnected the line even at 2/3 psi it still came out as froth. I guess too much CO2 has been disolved in the beer over the last couple of weeks

[Parva]

Let me guess, you're using about a foot of 3/8th beer line from disconnect to tap? Get yourself about 6ft of 3/16th line and the JG fittings to use it (all available at BarleyBottom), problem solved. I used to have the very same problem and increasing the line length is the only real answer and whilst you could do it with 3/8ths line it'll take a much longer length and it's far easier to reduce to 3/16ths line. JG fittings = ~£2 x2 and line is about 20p per metre, get 5 metres to be sure and just cut it down until it's right.

[garwatts]

Let me guess, you're using about a foot of 3/8th beer line from disconnect to tap? Get yourself about 6ft of 3/16th line and the JG fittings to use it (all available at BarleyBottom), problem solved. I used to have the very same problem and increasing the line length is the only real answer and whilst you could do it with 3/8ths line it'll take a much longer length and it's far easier to reduce to 3/16ths line. JG fittings = ~£2 x2 and line is about 20p per metre, get 5 metres to be sure and just cut it down until it's right.

I've got the same problem. I've got Dalex flow control taps and over 6' of 3/16" beer line and still getting loads of froth. I'm serving it at 2/3 psi I suspect that the beer has absorbed too much CO2 due to the beer being much colder in this weather? I am currently decanting it into a large jug but it is still frothing up when I pour it The other thing is I have 4 kegs on the go and none of them are clear I'm hoping it's just chill haze.....

3/6" beer line 30 metres was £4.50 from Paul at http://www.barleybottom.co.uk

[wetdog]

Let me guess, you're using about a foot of 3/8th beer line from disconnect to tap? Get yourself about 6ft of 3/16th line and the JG fittings to use it (all available at BarleyBottom), problem solved. I used to have the very same problem and increasing the line length is the only real answer and whilst you could do it with 3/8ths line it'll take a much longer length and it's far easier to reduce to 3/16ths line. JG fittings = ~£2 x2 and line is about 20p per metre, get 5 metres to be sure and just cut it down until it's right.

No Im not actually using any beer line. I bought a chrome tap from norm which has a black disconnect fitted to it so you just put it straight onto the cornie out post. I thought the idea of these taps was so you could swap them from cornie to cornie and didnt need any beer line

[Parva]

Ah well, there's your answer then. The only thing you can do is really drop the pressure right the way down. I decided against getting one of those taps for that very reason.

[Dr. Dextrin]

I'm having much the same problem with my plastic keg at the moment. It's because it's cold and there's more dissolved CO2.

[jubby]

I put my Old Speckled Hen into a cornie 2 weeks ago. I set the pressure to 20psi and left it like that.
now I've come to drink it, I've set the pressure to around 2/3psi but all I'm getting is a glass of froth
I'm using one of norms taps, the one you can swap from cornie to cornie. So what's happend here, and how can I prevent it in the future?

I use those taps and serve at similar pressures. Anything up to 10psi is ok (at 10C) as long as you open the tap fully, don't be tempted to crack it open a little.

You will have to wait a few days for the carbonation produced by that 20psi to dissipate, then you'll be fine.

In my opinion, beer conditions better with lower pressures although i can't explain why. I just force carbonate to 30 psi at kegging to seal everything and then disconnect the gas and leave it. This tends to leave a couple of psi after the C02 has been absorbed, but that's at a steady 10 degrees C.

[wetdog]

I suppose I knew it wouldn't be as easy as I'd hoped and like the rest of the brewing process, it seems there is a learning curve so I'll try something different next time.
Having said all that, when I do get some beer out of it, the difference after using plastic barrels all these years is truely amazing