Keg Volume

If you are getting too much foam it is because the keg was most likely shaken up before hand.. or just bumped around, etc.

Usually after you tap it and pump it a few times, let some beer out to bleed the foam out - shouldn't take very long. Then it shall pour good.

Foam is just beer.. regardless if it is foam... As for be> How much actual beer is in a typical keg of beer? The keg supposedly

There are quite a few reasons for foam, but after nine days you should be able to eliminate the bumped around and not cold yet reasons. These are usually the most common reasons early.

Are you noticing the foam with all you beers or just this keg? If it is just this keg, you may want to adjust the the pressure. You should also check to make sure you lines are clean. If you have not cleaned your lines in a while that may help. Use a cleaning kit like these

Here is a pretty good guide on other possible causes of foamy beer

I used to work for a bar that would weigh the kegs as they came in (and regularly weighed them after they were tapped). If they came up light, they went back. If they came up light repeatedly, the bar stopped buying them.

Phil

This is my first keg.

I have the pressure at 12 psi, which worked just fine up to this point.

Update: Now the beer is running as before, with little foam. I am beginning to suspect a dirty glass. I run the beer down the inside wall of the glass so if there is any grease or dirt, it will mix in with the beer and possible cause the beer to foam excessively.

I am going to weigh all the kegs from now on.

What is the density of beer? I used to know the specific gravity when I made homebrew, but I have forgotten. Water is 8 lb / gal so beer should weigh a bit more. For purposes of a standard density, BudMiller is as good as any - although I would never drink that swill .

A pint weighs one pound, a very convenient coincidence.

Phil ====visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:

Only if it's American. And that's water. Technically speaking, beer with its dissolved solids, will weight slightly more. Not enough to make any appreciable difference in a pint, of course.

-Steve

OK, so who wants to go all Mr. Science on the subject? Start with the finishing gravity of the beer (say, 1.008 for a typical NAIL, and 1.012 for a typical 4.5%-5% craft ale?), then adjust for volumes of CO2 (2.7 for NAIL, 2.2 for the American ale). Better yet, just give a general formula so we can plug in the starting and finishing gravities and volumes of CO2 and get a number out of it.

I want that report on my desk first thing in the morning.

Get a goddamned scale and weigh it, and stop ruining my sleep!

Yeah, that's a smart thing to expect from the English major. You'll probably end up with beer being the density of lead yet in a gaseous state. But it'll have impeccable grammar, some big words, and some clever turns of phrase.

-Steve

That's because they are both 16 ounces.

But that is water. Beer weighs more.

But what about a keg's worth - 15.5 gallons?

I'll settle for an average figure.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

--Benjamin Franklin

That'd work for me.

I think you've just described Sam Adams Triple Bock.

Do the math yourself. It ain't that hard.

-Steve

You can't do it, eh?

I tried but I ran out of fingers. Even taking off my shoes didn't help.

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004, Bob vociferated:

}How much actual beer is in a typical keg of beer? The keg supposedly }has a volume of 15.5 gallons, but is that how much actual beer you }get? } }We tapped our first keg of Shiner Bock last Saturday and it seems to }be getting empty (excess foam). There is no way we could have gone }thru 15.5 gallons in 9 days. Maybe the excess foam is spurious and the }keg is only half empty, which is about what it should be if there were }15.5 gallons to begin with.

}What is the weight per volume for beer? Water is 8 lb / gal, so I }assume beer is close to that. I am going to weigh the next keg I get.

Beer is ~8-1/3 to 8-2/3 lbs. per US gallon, depending on what kind you've got.

}Are there any clever ways to determine the level of the beer in a keg }other that to lift it to see how heavy it is? For example, if you }trained a hair drier on the keg in a vertical strip down the side, }would the resulting frost patch (if any) reveal the level? Or maybe }you need to spray water on the side of the keg to see the level. Or }how about tapping the keg with a small object to listen for some kind }of difference in sound. How about placing a tuning fork end on the keg }to see if there is a difference in pitch?

You could drill a small hole in the side of the keg and keep drilling lower and lower until you hit brew. ;-)

Or you could use a standard size glass/cup, say 16 oz., and have a tick-off sheet that people make their mark on everytime they draw a brew. Drunk people tend to forget to tick-of every time, but you'll still get a rough idea of how much beer is left.

Dr H