Light Pilsner with smoked malt

[mysterio]

Do you mean on the black QD end or the tap end? I have a tap and a black QD barb which accepts 3/16 line, I don't use any 10mm line.

If anyone can chime in with a better answer than that please do, I'm not very good with my JG fittings and all the different diameters, barbs, push fits and so on. You definitely need 3/16" id line though. If you can tell me what your tap accepts and what the black disconnect accepts I can maybe tell you what you need.

[Cheshire-cheese]

Ah, I'll have a look out for those.

[bosium]

Hey CC,

You need to get some beer line reducers. I'll let you in on a couple of tips that I got from ADM when I first got my kegging sytem.

My keg system (from Norm) came with 3/8" (10mm) John Guest disconnects, but I have some little reducers like this (thanks Jim!) http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/images/corny8.jpg.

It converts the output to 3/16". Then you can put a fair old bit of 3/16" line in between the tap and the keg to balance the flow. 3/8" line is quite thick and strong and doesn't bend well, but the 3/16" line is great. You can coil it up if you need to and it's much easier to get the length you need to balance the pressure in your system with.

Have a look at this link for more info on balancing:
http://www.franklinbrew.org/brewinfo/balance.html

[Cheshire-cheese]

Thanks, I've bought a couple of 3/8 to 3/16 john guest connecters to enable me to include a good length of 3/16 line into my set up. I'll give that a go. Thanks again everyone for the advice

[Cheshire-cheese]

Used about 5ft of 3/16 beer line and still fobbing. Do you think a longer 3/16 line would help?

[mysterio]

It should be much better than it was though? Try another foot or two.

[Cheshire-cheese]

I've been using an in-line damper, I may omit this and see what difference it makes, just in case.

[bosium]

Yep, definitely don't think you need that. I only use about two feet of line between my kegs and my taps but I think my keggerator taps have a fair bit more resistance than most. Also it will depend on how high the taps are mounted above the keg as gravity will also retard the pressure in the line some.

Of course, your beer may be overcarbonated, which would explain why you can't get anything but foam out of the keg. Did you follow the set-and-forget method, or did you do the 30psi for a few days method - because that can easily cause overcarbonation..

[Cheshire-cheese]

High pressure, unconnected for a few days but my aim was for a really fizzy pint for the missus. The only thing is: after the foam has settled, the resulting pint is not very fizzy

[bosium]

Hehe ok well I think you'll need to reduce the carbonation then. Try relieving all the head pressure and letting it equalise again, then 'burp' the keg like this fairly often and it should eventually get it down.

Another technique I have tried which works instantly is you hook the gas line up to the liquid in port and open the release valve. Then bubble CO2 gas through the beer. This will pretty much instantly relieve the overcarbonation, *but* it will also stir up all the crap on the bottom of the keg, so only do this if you lagered til it fell clear and then racked to a serving keg (ie no sediment on the bottom of your keg).

[Cheshire-cheese]

It has worked Although it seemed counter-intuitive that an over carbonated drink would be flat to drink, reducing the pressure has allowed the lager to be poured with less fobbing / frothing and I can now feel the bubbles tickling my tongue as I drink it cheers!

[Cheshire-cheese]

Success! I have got the thumbs-up from the missus and it is now fizzier than I'd normally go for. After I drank a glass it induced an earth shattering belch, which has to be a bench-mark (belch-mark?) for fizzy lager.

[bosium]

Success! ...After I drank a glass it induced an earth shattering belch, which has to be a bench-mark (belch-mark?) for fizzy lager.

Nice!