Sometimes kombucha was being dispensed from the tap with plenty of fizz and foam at the pour, but the beverage didn’t seem as well carbonated as they would like.
This is actually a fairly common problem with beer dispensing as well.
It seems counter-intuitive. But an unbalanced dispensing system will produce pours that are both overly foamy, with a virtually flat beverage.
You might think that having excess foam would indicate over carbonation (and it can) but not always. In fact, if your dispensing system is unbalanced you’ll NEVER get a quality, well carbonated pour.
Basically, a draft system is dependent on a few factors to keep things flowing smoothly.
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Beverage Temperature
The temperature of beer, cider, soda, or kombucha being served from the kegerator
Beverage Carbonation Level
How much Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is dissolved in the beverage (measured in Volumes)
Serving Pressure
The amount of CO2 pressure applied to a fully carbonated keg actually serves TWO purposes. It provides the force necessary to dispense the liquid, but it is also critical in KEEPING the keg at the desired carbonation level.
Draft Lines
The length and inner diameter of the lines between the serving keg and faucet play a huge role in controlling carbonation
There are more factors, such as the vertical distance between the keg and the faucet, the style and quality of the faucet, and more.
But if your temperature, carbonation, serving pressure, and draft lines are out of balance, you will never get best results.
TEMPERATURE
Temperature comes into play all throughout the carbonating and serving process.
The lower the temperature of the beer or kombucha, the more easily it will absorb CO2 into solution.
As the liquid warms up, the dissolved CO2 will want to come OUT of solution.
So colder kombucha will carbonate more quickly. If you really want to speed things up, check out my article on burst carbonation.
CARBONATION LEVEL
Many popular beer styles are typically carbonated in the 2.0-2.5 volume range. For those who desire a spritzy, carbonated kombucha, a carbonation level of 3.0 or even higher seems more typical.
This is a pretty big difference. To maintain this level of carbonation, you will have to apply more pressure from your CO2 regulator than you otherwise would.
In order to control this higher pressure and carbonation level, your draft lines and faucet come into play.
DRAFT LINES
The purpose of your draft lines seems pretty simple. They provide a path from the keg to the faucet so that you can dispense a glass of kombucha.
But they also play a critical role in the quality of the pour, and making sure your nicely carbonated kombucha doesn’t come out a foamy, flat mess.
You see, draft lines provide restriction to the flow of your beverage. The amount of restriction is dictated by the length and inner diameter of the line.
The longer the line, the more restriction you will have. But the higher the inner diameter, the LESS restriction you will have.
The key is to have just the right amount of restriction to offset the high pressure required to keep that kombucha at the ideal carbonation level while it is being dispensed.
If you don’t have enough restriction, the liquid will be dispensed much too fast. This creates turbulence, which will release a lot of carbonation while you pour.
If your restriction is just right, the liquid will flow smoothly, and the carbonation will be much more likely to stay intact while you pour.
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Emily Gong
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