pat macks brewing caps??? opinions wanted please

[timbo41]

yeah dont quite get the look..bit noel coward what what!

[patmack]

Pat Mack here,

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but I've only just seen this topic (it ranks quite highly on google when searching for "home brewing caps" which is probably a good sign of my poor website SEO skills). I thought I'd sign up to the forum and reply to a few things as some of the comments tickled me a little bit.

Firstly, I am very aware that my attire in the home brewing caps video is quite eccentric. To be quite honest the video as a whole was meant to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. The original idea was to make the video for some friends of mine who couldn't believe/understand how easy making your own alcohol could be. The ridiculous robe, weird voice overs and me throwing things about in the video is all just a bit of fun. (I have been told to make a new, more serious video by many people and one day i might actually get around to doing that).

However I hope that none of the sillier elements of the video have detracted from the viability of the actual product. The home brewing caps are a great beginners kit for people new to home brewing. And like a few of you have said they are also great for seasoned home brewers who want to test out new recipes on a nano brewing scale. I get a lot of emails from customers who are very happy with the caps and they often tell me that the caps were the reason for the start of their new home brewing hobby. So i feel a little bit of pride for having introduced people to this great hobby.

With respect to the alternatives out there (such as using a balloon or condom) the home brewing cap differs slightly in it's potential capabilities. The home brewing cap can essentially remove an entire step from the brewing process, namely the secondary fermentation and priming steps. The advantage over using a balloon or condom is that the cap can maintain an internal bottle pressure of between 20 and 30 psi meaning the brew will carbonate in the primary fermentation stage removing the need for a priming process. And if 20 psi is too pressurised for a beer brew you can manually release additional pressure to avoid creating an over gassed beer. This is another reason why the home brewing caps are good for new beginner brewers because removing the secondary fermentation stage also removes the need to transfer between bottles which massively reduces the chances of contamination and a spoiled brew. Obviously when you're proficient brewers such as yourselves the risk of contamination is very low but for beginners it can be a make or break situation in terms of confidence and willingness to try to brew again.

Anyway, thanks for your comments (some of them were helpful) and i'd be glad to answer any questions if anybody has any.

[Ink]

Gotta be honest, these look a lot like something I proposed with a lucozade sports cap glued to a 5lt bottle lid.

[cellone]

My first ever 'Ghetto Turbo Cide'r was brewed in an old Westons 2l scrumpy cider dj and I used the finger cut off a rubber glove as the airlock.
I pricked a pin hole in it for the co2 to escape, so when it was erect and full of co2 it was fermenting, when it went flacid the fermentation was done.... free and simple indicator.

This has to be done just for the fk of it.

[cellone]

Gotta be honest, these look a lot like something I proposed with a lucozade sports cap glued to a 5lt bottle lid.

Who would say it was anything else?

[THE TACKER]

Well just returned to the forum after a too long a break due to I'll health but I'm fit and back. With regards to Pat Mack's caps I'm just in the process of giving one ago just for the hell of it,Blackberry and Apple cider? We'll have to see,its now in the fridge after fermenting for 5 days I'll be transferring into 500mil bottles later today or tomorrow then we'll see what we get. Drinkable liquid or vinigar who knows

[Brewhunter]

I've used a similar cap to these back when I didn't have much equipment
I used it to make paraglider's wine recipe, they did the job ok

[THE TACKER]

A quick update on the Cherry and Apple cider using pat Mack's caps, well all things said I was pleasantly surprised at the result manage to get about 1 3/4 litres a little cloudy but that was my fault,tasted pretty good to ME I'll leave the other couple I've got left ( gave one to the neighbour brew that is) and see how that helps.

[Fil]

reminds me of when i brewed ginger beer in 2l pop bottles in the early 90's had just split from the then g/f and had a drawful of condoms i then had no immediate use for (poor me Ha, hindsight = lucy escape) so ended up using em on 2l pop bottles of ginger plant Ginger beer loose caps and condoms secured with a lazy band or oring over the neck bulge.. with orings the condoms would extend to a humerus effect
when the jonny would start to sag, i would pull off drop in priming sugar and seal the cap oh and once sealed the bottle necks would get a wash as the jonny lube would make a lil slippery...

Top job Pat for making it a lot simpler..

[Pinto]

reminds me of when i brewed ginger beer in 2l pop bottles in the early 90's had just split from the then g/f and had a drawful of condoms i then had no immediate use for (poor me Ha, hindsight = lucy escape) so ended up using em on 2l pop bottles of ginger plant Ginger beer loose caps and condoms secured with a lazy band or oring over the neck bulge.. with orings the condoms would extend to a humerus effect
when the jonny would start to sag, i would pull off drop in priming sugar and seal the cap oh and once sealed the bottle necks would get a wash as the jonny lube would make a lil slippery...

But was the final brewed product ribbed for your pleasure ?

[THE TACKER]

Well I gave it a go with an Apple and Cherry (2ltr). Started on Saturday, after 5 days bottled and put in the fridge. Now there was about 1/2 glass left so I tried that and was very surprised with the results very pleasant. Tried one out of the fridge the other day I was impressed very nice drink. So they work, can't vouch for acl% but it touched the spot, would I do more of it, maybe, but not on a regular basis( OK for small trials) may well give the 5ltr one a go,
ch

[FeughPig]

Looks like I am re-opening an old thread. Hopefully some others may still be interested in the topic. I have just returned to full grain brewing after many years and I am astounded by the amount of innovation over the last couple of decades. I can see a use for these caps that doesn't appear to have been commented upon.

Brew your normal volume of beer. I usually aim for 20 litres.
Bottle some using Pat Mak's and send the rest to your fermentation vessel.
When certain primary fermentation is completed, fire your Pat Mak bottles into the fridge to cold crash and clear.
Drink your Pat Mak bottles while you wait for secondary fermentation and bottle conditioning of the remainder of your brew.

We all know our brews improve with time but, be honest, how many of us can resist drinking it as soon as it's clear?
Looks like a win-win.
I have ordered some and will update my post as to my findings. Fingers crossed.

Cheers

[shepp]

Why not just use the finger off a rubber glove?

[FeughPig]

Hi Shepp,

A finger of a glove won't carbonate the beer at the same time as primary fermentation and complete the whole process "in bottle". The caps don't seem to be designed just to act as fermentation locks/indicators of fermentation progress. As an all in one solution it appears quite elegant and well engineered. Does it work? I will have to wait and see.

Ross