If you've got a kegerator setup at home or in the office, you know the satisfaction of a well-poured draft — and the frustration of watching half your glass disappear into foam. The good news is that foamy pours almost always trace back to one of four fixable things. Here's how to work through them, in order.
Temperature Is Almost Always the Culprit
Start here before adjusting anything else. Most draft beers pour cleanly when the liquid inside the keg is between 36 and 38°F. Once the beer warms past that — even by a few degrees — dissolved CO2 starts escaping the moment the tap opens, and foam replaces beer in the glass.
The common mistake is trusting the thermostat setting on the kegerator. What matters is the actual liquid temperature, not the air temperature in the cabinet. Use a thermometer if you're not sure. And if you've just received a new keg, let it sit in the kegerator for at least 24 hours before the first pour — a keg that's been in motion needs time for CO2 to reabsorb.
Style matters, too. Lagers are happiest around 38°F; most ales are fine in the low 40s; stouts and porters can go up to the mid-50s for their full flavor to come through. Running one kegerator for multiple styles? Keep it at 38°F and you'll satisfy almost every beer in the lineup.
CO2 Pressure: Finding the Right PSI
Once temperature is stable, check your regulator. For most American ales and lagers at 38°F, a setting between 10 and 12 PSI keeps carbonation balanced without over-pressurizing the flow. Too high, and the beer rushes out of the faucet and agitates into foam; too low, and carbonation slowly bleeds out of the keg over days.
Higher-carbonation styles — wheat beers, Belgian ales, some fruit beers — may call for 14 to 20 PSI to hold their natural carbonation. Nitrogen stouts are a different system altogether, typically dispensed with mixed beer gas at 35 to 38 PSI through a stout faucet. When in doubt, check the brewery's recommendation or look up the beer's target carbonation volume.
Changed your pressure recently and still getting foam? Give the system 15 to 20 minutes to equalize before drawing another pint.
Beer Line Length and Diameter
Beer line creates resistance that slows the flow from the keg to the faucet. Without enough resistance, beer moves too fast, agitates, and releases CO2 before it reaches the glass. For a typical home kegerator, 4 to 8 feet of 3/16-inch inner-diameter vinyl tubing is standard. If your lines are shorter or wider than that, the pour will be faster and more turbulent than it should be.
While you're checking the lines, inspect every fitting — coupler, hose clamps, quick-disconnects, the shank behind the faucet. Any small air leak in the system introduces bubbles that read as foam in the glass. Give each connection a firm hand-tighten and look for anything that seems loose or cracked.
Dirty Lines Make Every Problem Worse
Beer line buildup — yeast residue, mineral deposits, bacteria — creates rough spots inside the tubing. Those spots are nucleation points where CO2 breaks free from the beer prematurely. The result is both off-flavors and extra foam.
For a home kegerator, cleaning the lines every one to two months is a reasonable schedule, and at every keg change as a matter of habit. Office taps and commercial setups should be cleaned every two weeks — they see more volume and more temperature fluctuation. A basic line-cleaning kit handles the job: run a caustic cleaner through the lines, rinse well, and you're ready to pour.
Getting Set Up, or Ready for a New Keg?
We've been helping San Francisco homes, bars, and offices pour great draft beer since 1959, out of our shop on Mission St. in the Excelsior. Whether you need a keg of local craft beer from Fort Point, Anchor, or Almanac, want to browse our full keg selection, or need help sourcing draft equipment, we're here for it.
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What temperature should a kegerator be set to?
Most draft beers pour best when the liquid in the keg is between 36 and 38°F. Ales can go slightly warmer (low 40s), and stouts are often served up to the mid-50s. When in doubt, 38°F works for nearly every style.
What PSI should I set my kegerator to?
For most American lagers and ales at 38°F, 10 to 12 PSI is a reliable starting point. Higher-carbonation beers like wheat ales and Belgians may need 14 to 20 PSI. Stouts on nitrogen typically run 35 to 38 PSI with mixed beer gas. The right pressure depends on both the beer style and serving temperature — if one changes, the other usually needs adjusting.
How often should I clean kegerator beer lines?
For home use, every one to two months is a good baseline — and whenever you change a keg. Commercial and office systems should be cleaned every two weeks. Clean lines make a real difference in both taste and foam levels.