Maxi cooler

[joe1002]

I'm not sure what the gauge is telling me. Beer comes out like a full pint of froth. Once settled beer tastes flat also?
It's a keg of amstel delivwred today from a brewery.

It's cold tho!

That's telling you how much co2 is in the bottle. You need to know how much co2 you are putting in the keg via a secondary regulator. Also keep the keg cool, my bet is its fobbing out of the keg and before the chiller, the chiller won't rectify that.

[Alexdc12]

Thanks I've ordered a secondary regulator. How can I keep the keg cool it's in a summer house. I though that was the idea of the maxi x
Cooler?

[Fil]

you still want to keep the keg as cool as possible to minimise the work the chiller has to do otherwise you may need to plumb the line back thru a 2nd and 3rd product coil to achieve the chill necessary. and warmer the beer is sat the higher the pressure you will need to maintain to keep the beer conditioned (see kegging charts..) and the higher the serving pressure.... i will get to that later..


if your beer arrived today it was probably well agitated, think tin of beer shaken up by everyone in the room but you.. which could be a significant factor with your 'foam out' pouring. let it sit a good 24 hours to settle down after all the rolling and manhandling in the sun on its way to you.

Secondly to pour a pint without a foam out you need to provide a pour that minimises the effects of change on the beer, any dramatic change in status such as pouring cold beer into a warm glass, pouring through a kinked line or with badly fitted jg joints, and crucially a significant instant change in pressure on release from the tap. the last one is a gotcha .. most of us use some sort of simple restriction to minimise the pressure difference at the tappoint, you can use flow control taps and inline devices, tho the simplest solution is a simple length of 4-6ft of 3/16" od microline. this thin beerline has a significant pressure reducing feature which helps balance off the keg pressure you maintain to hold the condition in the beer and allows you to pour a pint without all the foam

[Alexdc12]

You just jogged my memory! There is an adjustable valve on the beer line you can twist to adjust the flow!
Other points are well noted. I will try again tomorrow. In terms of temperature at the tap there are no complaints it is a nice cold brew.

[Alexdc12]

Also the seal on the keg looked suspect. It was glued together?

[joe1002]

Thanks I've ordered a secondary regulator. How can I keep the keg cool it's in a summer house. I though that was the idea of the maxi x
Cooler?

The maxi will cool it yes but if the co2 is coming out of solution before it gets to the chiller cooling it isn't going to put it back in. You will be able to see whether the co2 is coming out of solution before the chiller (if you have clear beer lines anyhow) as it will look like foam rather than beer.

[Alexdc12]

Yes I have clear lines. It just looks like beer flowing through the pipes. No foam.
Thanks to everyone for their help must be right annoying with all my questions!

[Alexdc12]

Thanks I've ordered a secondary regulator. How can I keep the keg cool it's in a summer house. I though that was the idea of the maxi x
Cooler?

The maxi will cool it yes but if the co2 is coming out of solution before it gets to the chiller cooling it isn't going to put it back in. You will be able to see whether the co2 is coming out of solution before the chiller (if you have clear beer lines anyhow) as it will look like foam rather than beer.

Just noticed you are in Essex too!

[Alexdc12]

you still want to keep the keg as cool as possible to minimise the work the chiller has to do otherwise you may need to plumb the line back thru a 2nd and 3rd product coil to achieve the chill necessary. and warmer the beer is sat the higher the pressure you will need to maintain to keep the beer conditioned (see kegging charts..) and the higher the serving pressure.... i will get to that later..


if your beer arrived today it was probably well agitated, think tin of beer shaken up by everyone in the room but you.. which could be a significant factor with your 'foam out' pouring. let it sit a good 24 hours to settle down after all the rolling and manhandling in the sun on its way to you.

Secondly to pour a pint without a foam out you need to provide a pour that minimises the effects of change on the beer, any dramatic change in status such as pouring cold beer into a warm glass, pouring through a kinked line or with badly fitted jg joints, and crucially a significant instant change in pressure on release from the tap. the last one is a gotcha .. most of us use some sort of simple restriction to minimise the pressure difference at the tappoint, you can use flow control taps and inline devices, tho the simplest solution is a simple length of 4-6ft of 3/16" od microline. this thin beerline has a significant pressure reducing feature which helps balance off the keg pressure you maintain to hold the condition in the beer and allows you to pour a pint without all the foam

I have a Beer Flow control valve on the line, could it be the case that this is open too much allowing a greater pressure to pass through?
Also i looked at kegging charts and have more questions! How do i know the volume of my beer? I have a keg of Amstel. This is going to be key in knowing which PSI i need to set the secondary regulator at i guess? The fact my keg is at room temperature i guess is going to affect these calculations?
I am using 70/30 mixed gas is this correct? I thought i was supposed to use 60/40 but the setup i got came with 70/30

[MarkF_2703]

The secondary reg is going to adjust the amount of CO2 you use to force the beer out, known as serving or dispensing pressure, can vary on temp of keg and what level your keg is carbonated to.

If you got it from the brewery I suspect it is already carbonated up, what you need to do is play around until you can pour with the right amount of head foam. Set the secondary reg at around 6-10 psi, close the flow rate valve right up, then tweak the valve open a little at a time, it may be a slow pour.

Also top tip, with your CO2 cylinder the tap needs to be fully open or shut, if it is not fully open the valve will leak, I read about that after I went through my first one in about 3 months.

When it comes to force carbing your own kegs then there are various methods and charts out there to help, I use the week long method at a setting dependent on keg temp and what I want to carb to.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/keg-carbo ... alculator/

[Alexdc12]

The secondary reg is going to adjust the amount of CO2 you use to force the beer out, known as serving or dispensing pressure, can vary on temp of keg and what level your keg is carbonated to.

If you got it from the brewery I suspect it is already carbonated up, what you need to do is play around until you can pour with the right amount of head foam. Set the secondary reg at around 6-10 psi, close the flow rate valve right up, then tweak the valve open a little at a time, it may be a slow pour.

Also top tip, with your CO2 cylinder the tap needs to be fully open or shut, if it is not fully open the valve will leak, I read about that after I went through my first one in about 3 months.

When it comes to force carbing your own kegs then there are various methods and charts out there to help, I use the week long method at a setting dependent on keg temp and what I want to carb to.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/keg-carbo ... alculator/

Thanks Mark. I shall have a play tomorrow when the secondary regulator turns up.
Do i need to worry about carbonation if i am only buying kegs from a brewery? I don't intend on making my own lager at the moment.,

[MarkF_2703]

Nope, its all about how much you need to force the beer out now, thats trial and error, it could be the first few pints you don't need anything if its still foaming, if you think of it in terms of a barrel you have 2nd fermented with sugar to carb it up, eventually that pressure runs out and you may need to top up with CO2 to dispense. I have been force carbing for over a year now and I am still experimenting

Also temperatures and line lengths, but with a flow control you should be able to control things.

[Alexdc12]

Thanks mark, in terms of Gas i am worried now as the setup i got came with 70/30 mixed gas, I have read that Lagers should have 60/40 and using 70/30 may make the lager flat. Is that true or not?

[MarkF_2703]

Dunno, wouldn't worry about it I just use CO2.

[Alexdc12]

Closed the flow control valve down and a much better pint is produced now!

Stupid question but I assume the secondary regulator will go directly after primary regulator before the gas goes into the keg?