The Disappearing Keg...

Is it just me or does the beer seem to drain a whole lot faster from the keg than it ever did when I bottled?

I used to brew a bottled batch and it would last forever.  Now when I tap into one of my kegs it is spitting out foam before I know it.

In reading a variety of sources this appears to be an experience common to all keggers.

Is there some kind of strange warp in the space-time continuum associated with kegging?  Do the laws of physics no longer apply?  Is it more of a road runner effect -- i.e. the gravity does not take effect until you look down and see that you have stepped off the cliff?

Thoughts?

Brad

Actually it has to do with the rate of evaporation -- beer in kegs simply evaporates faster than beer in bottles. It's a little-known, but nevertheless sad fact of nature.  :-[

Likewise, beer from a great recipe is also known to have a higher evaporation rate than beer from a lesser recipe. Although the physical principles that dictate the exact rate difference have not been finalized, the effect is nonetheless true.

Hope that helps!  

Given the reason is questionable, I'd have to agree with the phenomenon!  I had a neighborhood party last weekend to help break in my new kegging system...at last year's party, I had as many people drinking Coors Light as drinking my homebrew.  With the two-tap kegging system, my nitrogenated stout disappeared first and the red ale barely has any left either (both taps were basically full at the start)!  Personally, I think the reason is people just like to pull a beer instead of pour a beer.  You have to admit, there's something beautiful about a beer out of a keg!  ;D

Must be time to brew...what a shame!  

I have noticed just the opposite. My homebrew lasts longer from the keg.  I finally realized why this was!

It was my wife's Ohio State Bottle Opener! It plays the fight song every time you open a bottle.
Don't misunderstand, I'm a fan , but on a lazy hot Saturday afternoon, I get very tired of the song!
Even worse, she hears the song and says, "Hon, while you are in there, Get me one too!"

The tap is silent! So I sneak a pint on my own more often!!  See ...... It lasts longer!

Preston

I would agree that it's more fun to pull from the tap.  I remember my wife's grin as she came up with her first beer from my keg system in hand. "This is really cool!", she said.