Controlling foam - King Keg.

[Phil_MG]

Heya guys!

Fair while since I've been here but I'm getting back into brewing and started a festival kit in the FV yesterday, my question today is to do with kegging though!

I've got a king keg and tried a couple of different taps on it now, with the same issues - far too much foam when pouring. I know it's down to excess pressure but I wondered how others controlled this when confronted with it. I'm unable to afford a full corny set up at the moment but hope to do so in a few months or so.

I tend to do the usual secondary in my king keg with top tap (floating pick up in side). When I've used up that pressure to force out the beer I use the small 8g Co2 bulbs to push the remainder out (usually after halfway ish). Although I'm guessing this method is ok for aerating the beer itself, but it's useless for pouring and just blasts the beer out and turning it into shaving foam.

Would it be feasible to do the usual secondary fermentation to aerate the beer, then release the pressure momentarily and then somehow rig up something with a proper pressure regulator which at a much lower pressure then force the beer out slowly? I'm aware with this option I may well have to convert to S30 gas tubes but that's not too much of an issue really as I've got one kicking around somewhere.

Are there any products available which are compatible with my current set up?

Cheers in advance for any help

 

[BIGJIM72]

Best thing I have found off the shelf,just don't open tap fully

http://www.hamstead-brewing-centre.co.uk/itm00577.htm

Or this was my other solution

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=38621&hilit=+king+keg

 

[Phil_MG]

Hmm yes I've looked at those sparkler taps myself before and wondered if they'd be any good.

The other thing I've thought about is working out a way to attach something like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Argon-CO2-Sin ... 2a1a7ab1e9

to the top of the keg lid, then the inlet of the regulator converted to S30 style?

That way I could just connect up and leave the Co2 connected to the regulator, set the pressure high enough just to dispense and then off we go?

The issues being what size connectors do I need to convert it all over.

 

[BIGJIM72]

The sparkler taps are a damn sight easier to use than the drum tap for sure & you can pour a decent pint without too much trouble ( don't open fully & you are laughing).

I have had some success with dalex taps as well. I use an s30 cylinder with the beer line & font-only issue is getting the right degree of tightness on the bulkhead (tight enough to seal but not so tight as to create a gas leak)

KKs get a lot of stick & to my mind most of the trouble comes from the tap-either leaking CO2,fiddly to take apart & put back together, or too much head.

If they would ship with a decent tap as standard then so many issues could be solved in a single stroke.

 

[bobsbeer]

There is a member on here who posted a picture of his setup. He had 3 king kegs all fitted with quick lock type fittings in the lids for the gas and ran them all from a standard co2 bottle rigged up to primary and secondary regulators. If I remember he did use the KK taps to serve. I can't remember who it was though.

 

[BIGJIM72]

Think it was evanvine-his pic comes up in the link on my above post

 

[Fil]

pouring from a pb is a knack/art its never the same 2 pours in a row as your always altering the status quo within the pb with each pint u draw,

with each pour your trying to balance the internal pressure with the taps resistance and as its never a constant pressure in the keg its an art :)

and no 2 pb's are the same either, im kack handed and am the slowest to pick up any knack but eventually mastered all the pbs i used bear with it become one with the beer (ok its late and im sampling..)..

no matter what tap u fit and no doubt some are better than others, your still gonna have to face the same basic problem/feature of a pb, its state changes with each pint poured and each addition of co2, so there is no one way to pour the consistant pint.