Bottom of the barrel

[PaulStat]

Couldn't make my mind up which section to post this in, eventually decided it didn't really matter.

Anyway I'm within my last few pints of AG#1 and the beer is probably a couple of inches off of the bottom of the barrel. Last nights pint tasted 'funny' I don't know how to describe the taste, not bad, but definitely different from earlier pints. So how far off of the bottom should you keep drinking? All the way?

[Andy]

Until it tastes "funny"

With my cornies I can get all the way to the last 1/2 pint, at that point it gurgles and some sludgy beer comes out. That goes down the sink.

Typically when the beer goes hazy then you're picking up dead yeast/debris at the bottom of the keg and it's time to stop.

[Madbrewer]

What barrel is it? FWIW I find elevating the back half of the barrel with a VHS cassette thus tilting it forward when resting the barrel initially awards me with another pint out of the barrel that I otherwise probably wouldn't have got. (HB Placcy barrel)

[boingy]

What barrel is it? FWIW I find elevating the back half of the barrel with a VHS cassette thus tilting it forward...

I feel that for the benefit of the younger forum members I should point out that you can get a similar effect by using two DVD cases in place of the VHS cassette. Likewise older members could use, say, 8 gramophone records (although old 78's are a bit thicker)

[PaulStat]

What barrel is it? FWIW I find elevating the back half of the barrel with a VHS cassette thus tilting it forward when resting the barrel initially awards me with another pint out of the barrel that I otherwise probably wouldn't have got. (HB Placcy barrel)

This one is just a budget barrel from wilkos, not sure if I still have any VHS tapes, i'll have a look

Should also note that for the first time last night it didn't form a nice head when poured

[Damfoose]

What barrel is it? FWIW I find elevating the back half of the barrel with a VHS cassette thus tilting it forward...

I feel that for the benefit of the younger forum members I should point out that you can get a similar effect by using two DVD cases in place of the VHS cassette. Likewise older members could use, say, 8 gramophone records (although old 78's are a bit thicker)

Eight track any good or are they to thin singaly and to thich double stacked......

[delboy]

What barrel is it? FWIW I find elevating the back half of the barrel with a VHS cassette thus tilting it forward when resting the barrel initially awards me with another pint out of the barrel that I otherwise probably wouldn't have got. (HB Placcy barrel)

Of course the quality of the pint improves if you use a betamax tape

[Madbrewer]

yeah but it's a hard pint to get hold of - not many varieties either

[Lillywhite]

Of course the quality of the pint improves if you use a betamax tape

And now you tell me. Threw a lot of those down the tip 3 weeks ago.

I knew there was a use for them!

[boingy]

Betamax would produce a pint that is technically superior but incompatible with all your mates.

[Garth]

Betamax would produce a pint that is technically superior but incompatible with all your mates.

Hah!, very good Boingy

[fraserjaxx]

I find that if you plan your drinking carefully to include the 'bottom of the barrel' pints at the end of the session you are pi**ed enough to drink whatever is available.I can often be found late at night tipping my keg to extract the final pint and drinking it through my teeth to sieve out the hop seeds etc !!!

[yashicamat]

Maybe this is a daft question, but have you been either letting air into the top or adding CO2 as the level fell (and the pressure inside)? Reason for me asking is that if any air glugged through the tap into the beer, this could have caused it to oxidise or possibly even develop a mild infection?

I find I can get almost all the beer out of my barrels. When I'm within a few pints of the bottom, I'll use a couple of jugs, unscrew the cap and slowly watch it as the jug fills (a bit like pouring a giant bottle conditioned beer). Then I'll switch to the other jug at the last minute so that if any yeast slips through, it doesn't wreck a whole jugful of beer.

The only beers I've found that can become undrinkable for seemingly no apparent reason are the ones I've dry-hopped. I find the hops seem to start adding slightly unpleasant flavours after a long time, although it's possible it's not them by themselves but some other reaction going on.

[johnmac]

I find a squarial perfect for tilting barrels