Using a pub cask

A forum to discuss the various ways of getting beer into your glass.
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Jim
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Jim » Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:01 pm

Andy wrote:I didn't laugh too much :) Open taps are great fun aren't they :)
I won't do it again, anyway. Well probably not.

Re my little gas leak, I've tried putting ptfe tape round the cask breather spigot and it seems better. On test now to see how well it holds pressure (well about 4psi of it anyway!)

EDIT: Almost forgot to say - the beer tastes great. :=P
NURSE!! He's out of bed again!

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Blackaddler
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Blackaddler » Sat Dec 07, 2013 8:33 pm

I imagine that anyone who's ever tapped a cask has done that at some time or another...

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Jim
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Jim » Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:38 am

Gas leak appears to be sorted. The pressure actually rose overnight, so I vented a bit off (we don't want the tap popping out, do we!? :shock: ).
NURSE!! He's out of bed again!

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barney

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by barney » Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:42 am

Well done with the video, You made it look easy; its given me lots of confidence to try my own.

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Doingatun
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Doingatun » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:23 pm

Jim wrote:The video is now up! Try not to laugh. :lol:
Well I tried...honest :lol:

I fancy this set up, think I'd better ad a pair of of wellies to my list, I bet I'd do the same every time.
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greenxpaddy

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by greenxpaddy » Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:39 pm

2 gravity points off FG is too much. You may get a popper. Get to FG and prime to 1.2 vols CO2

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fego
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by fego » Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:38 pm

Thanks for sharing this Jim - always nice to see others at work. Shame about the spillage but we've all been there....
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paulg

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by paulg » Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:27 am

A question about priming green paddy says allow to get to FG and prime for 1.2 vol co2.
However I usually crash cool my beer before transferring to keg (soon to be cask).~The calculator asks for temperature of beer ,do I enter fermentation temperature or crash temp ie 18 degrees or 3 degrees.If it is 3 degrees the calculator says

US - Gallons / F / Ounces
Metric - Liters / C / Grams
Amount Being Packaged:20 (Liters)
Volumes of CO2: 1.2 (see table below)
Temperature of Beer: 3 (C) (see below *)

CO2 in Beer:
1.54 volumes
Priming Sugar Options:
Table Sugar: -27.0 g
Corn Sugar: -29.6 g
DME: -39.6 g
(Use one of the above options) so no sugar required if 18 degrees
Priming Calculator:
Units: US - Gallons / F / Ounces
Metric - Liters / C / Grams
Amount Being Packaged: 20 (Liters)
Volumes of CO2: 1.2 (see table below)
Temperature of Beer: 18 (C) (see below *)

CO2 in Beer:
0.92 volumes
Priming Sugar Options:
Table Sugar: 22.8 g
Corn Sugar: 25.0 g
DME: 33.5 g
(Use one of the above options)
* Temperature of Beer used for computing dissolved CO2:
The beer you are about to package already contains some CO2 since it is a naturally occurring byproduct of fermentation. The amount is temperature dependent. The temperature to enter is usually the fermentation temperature of the beer, but might also be the current temperature of the beer. If the fermentation temperature and the current beer temperature are the same life is simple.

However, if the beer was cold crashed, or put through a diacetyl rest, or the temperature changed for some other reason... you will need to use your judgment to decide which temperature is most representative. During cold crashing, some of the CO2 in the head space will go back into the beer. If you cold crashed for a very long time this may represent a significant increase in dissolved CO2. There is a lot of online debate about this and the internet is thin on concrete answers backed by research. We are open to improving the calculator so please let us know of any sources that clarify this point.

As I crash for about 3 days at the most and my fermenter is closed by an airlock will the beer absorb much extra co2 during the crash,I dont want to over prime
What do others do Please
paul

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Blackaddler
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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Blackaddler » Mon Dec 09, 2013 12:08 pm

After reaching FG, chill to 7C for about 48 hours.

Rack to cask, with 5gms priming sugar [no finings], and [usually] warm condition for about a week.

Then cold condition until required [if possible].

Over time, I've gradually reduced the amount of priming sugar that I add to the cask. I occasionally found too much pressure building up in the cask, especially at warmer times of the year. It depends on storage facilities to a large extent. In the summer, I don't think that priming is really needed, but I like to add a little anyway. In winter, maybe a little extra would help? Something I might have to experiment with.

Anyway, it's something I've been giving a bit of thought to, recently. Last month, at our beer festival, I noticed that when I was tapping casks, quite a few had a lot less condition than I'd have liked/expected. This was at the beginning of November, and have since noticed a few other beers [also from micros], which are similarly lacking in condition. It leads me to think that as the average ambient temperature here in the South has dropped, the yeast isn't waking up, due to lack of warm conditioning at the breweries. They're drinkable, but not nearly as good as a properly conditioned beer.

As usual, there are too many factors to say what's right for each beer or brewery. Start with an average figure, keep it simple, and adjust accordingly, next time.
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paulg

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by paulg » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:18 pm

I have a fridge/stc1000 so can warm condition at say 18 degrees and then transfer to my other fridge at 12 degrees ,as I brew only 1 corny /pin at a time ( I usually brew 25 litres and bottle any extra) i can ferment /cold crash /warm condition before moving to my other fridge this will take say 21 days ,in the mean time i am drinking the previous brew.My cellar fridge is a smaller version of a cokacola style fridge so I think I can fit 2 pins in it ,If I used cask widge setup 2 on the bottom level and maybe one above conditioning.I can currently fit 4 cornies on the bottom level and bottles above it.

interesting you say no finings, do you find with cold crashing the the yeast from secondary conditioning drops clear ok .I have just ordered some satchets of harris beer brite as I was concerned about Issenglass needing to be kept temperture controlled and post from the uk taking upto 3 weeks to arrive .you cannot get issenglass locally and when i ordered wyeyeast from Athens in the summer it arrived in 3 days but was like a balloon as it was not in a cold box and the temperatures were above 40 c.

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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by Blackaddler » Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:33 pm

It sounds like you've got things pretty well organised.

Finings aren't really an issue for me, as most of my beers are dark [say 2 out of 3].

Occasionally, I'll have a pale beer that's not crystal clear, but then I normally have some wheat in there anyway. It still tastes good.
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SiHoltye

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by SiHoltye » Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:51 pm

Cask is better than corni IMHO

greenxpaddy

Re: Using a pub cask

Post by greenxpaddy » Tue Dec 10, 2013 1:28 am

paulg wrote:A question about priming green paddy says allow to get to FG and prime for 1.2 vol co2.
However I usually crash cool my beer before transferring to keg (soon to be cask).~The calculator asks for temperature of beer ,do I enter fermentation temperature or crash temp ie 18 degrees or 3 degrees.If it is 3 degrees the calculator says

US - Gallons / F / Ounces
Metric - Liters / C / Grams
Amount Being Packaged:20 (Liters)
Volumes of CO2: 1.2 (see table below)
Temperature of Beer: 3 (C) (see below *)

CO2 in Beer:
1.54 volumes
Priming Sugar Options:
Table Sugar: -27.0 g
Corn Sugar: -29.6 g
DME: -39.6 g
(Use one of the above options) so no sugar required if 18 degrees
Priming Calculator:
Units: US - Gallons / F / Ounces
Metric - Liters / C / Grams
Amount Being Packaged: 20 (Liters)
Volumes of CO2: 1.2 (see table below)
Temperature of Beer: 18 (C) (see below *)

CO2 in Beer:
0.92 volumes
Priming Sugar Options:
Table Sugar: 22.8 g
Corn Sugar: 25.0 g
DME: 33.5 g
(Use one of the above options)
* Temperature of Beer used for computing dissolved CO2:
The beer you are about to package already contains some CO2 since it is a naturally occurring byproduct of fermentation. The amount is temperature dependent. The temperature to enter is usually the fermentation temperature of the beer, but might also be the current temperature of the beer. If the fermentation temperature and the current beer temperature are the same life is simple.

However, if the beer was cold crashed, or put through a diacetyl rest, or the temperature changed for some other reason... you will need to use your judgment to decide which temperature is most representative. During cold crashing, some of the CO2 in the head space will go back into the beer. If you cold crashed for a very long time this may represent a significant increase in dissolved CO2. There is a lot of online debate about this and the internet is thin on concrete answers backed by research. We are open to improving the calculator so please let us know of any sources that clarify this point.

As I crash for about 3 days at the most and my fermenter is closed by an airlock will the beer absorb much extra co2 during the crash,I dont want to over prime
What do others do Please
paul
When the beer cools it picks up whatever gas is on the surface into solution. That should be CO2. So use that temperature in the calculator

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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by steambrew » Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:15 pm

Hi all many years ago we had problems clearing a Whitbread Trophy Bitter in the wood a quick way to clear the rep told us use the white of a egg it works has anyone else used this =D>

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Re: Using a pub cask

Post by jmc » Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:13 pm

steambrew wrote:Hi all many years ago we had problems clearing a Whitbread Trophy Bitter in the wood a quick way to clear the rep told us use the white of a egg it works has anyone else used this =D>

Egg-white was traditionally used to clear wine
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