Pub casks at home: my thoughts so far

[Kyle_T]

So you two (Kyle and Barneey) are to blame then?

Seems fair to me (without roping Kyle in), since I met Barneey I blame him for everything I lose, break, leave on a bus or causes an argument. Mainly because it is his fault.

Yep, sounds good me

As for the cleaning, I used to use a salt brine solution but I found over time that the taste of the salt would carry over into the wood.

You don't need to jet wash the outside but you can if you wish, you can also give it to brewery to clean instead of using steam but that only works if they are willing to clean it for you, other than that I steam it for 15 minutes using said method of a wall paper stripper.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

Not sure if on this thread or another. Someone mentioned about making a cask breather from a gas regulator used on a gas bottle. Anyone know about this ?


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[orlando]

Not sure if on this thread or another. Someone mentioned about making a cask breather from a gas regulator used on a gas bottle. Anyone know about this ?

I have one that someone made for me. I think it just had the inlet part "modified" (sawn off) so it could take a JG fitting, add some tubing, ignore the straight connector, to it and a cask breather "peg" and that's it.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

So that bit with the fitting on the left. Is that where the usual big brass screw but would be?


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[Kyle_T]

Same purpose, different kit:

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

And then just gas lines from either side in that one then. Is there some pretty decent saw needed though to alter these things?


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[orlando]

So that bit with the fitting on the left. Is that where the usual big brass screw but would be?

Yes and a decent hack saw should do it.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

I'll have a look into this. Want to try get a beer engine set up in the new year.


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[Kyle_T]

Beer engines usually fare better with an aspirator over a gas regulator.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

How much are they?


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[orlando]

How much are they?

£35 should secure a good one, much more than a propane regulator though.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

Indeed. Wound propane do the trick though? Looking in a beer engine from a sankey keg. So just to keep a bit of co2 on top is all.


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[orlando]

Indeed. Wound propane do the trick though? Looking in a beer engine from a sankey keg. So just to keep a bit of co2 on top is all.

I have an aspirator but have so far only used a propane regulator so can't advise on the difference. The PR certainly does what you want as it only introduces a small amount of CO2, just to replace the volume of beer drawn off.

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

That's pretty much all I'm after achieving.


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[Kyle_T]

Aspirator s and propane breathers work in two different ways, a propane breather will inject a constant supply of CO2 and roughly 1/2 psi whether the beer is being drawn off or not, if your beer engine fails to have a check valve or NRV in place it will push the beer through the beer engine whenever the tap is turned on, aside from this appears to me to extend the condition life of the beer better.

An aspirator works by using vaccum to lift a valve when the handle is pulled and allow beer to flow whilst injecting and blanket pressure of CO2, enough to fill the head space but not enough for saturation.