filling pin cask

[paulg]

I believe that you should leave a space above the beer when filling a cask, but how much?
perhaps one of the experienced cask users on here would like to comment

[stuey]

Approx 1 inch below bottom of shive hole.

[paulg]

thanks stuey ive been over filling then.I was filling to the bottom of shive hole.I have only ever had one blow out and that was over primed.I had one blow out a keystone yesterday but the beer was casked too soon as I had to go to uk unexpectedly,it was fine until I noticed a slight weep form the keystone.I tried to hammer it in further MISTAKE keystone shot across the room sending beer everywhere,I id manage to fit new keystone but dont know how much I lost,hopefully as the beer was going out no air could get in, anyway will tap it and drink it when my current cask is empty .

[stuey]

No probs If you tend to use the same variety of yeast each time so know its habits and also predict your finishing gravity you might be better crash cooling when two points over and racking to cask without priming. Condition cool at12 degrees. You will get a more predictable condition without over pressurising. Is it a plastic pin? They are prone to weeping from the keystone largely due to manufacturing defects and de keystoning damage. Best left alone unless the weep is particularly bad. You could try driving the keystone all the way to the bottom of the recess with a dowel or correct size socket bwfore you fill. We have almost phased out the 100 plastics casks we inherited thank fully!

[paulg]

thanks for the advice stuey
I currently use different yeasts some times wlp002 or wlp 022 ,or dried sa-04 or notty
I have 3 plastic pins and this is the first time I have had a problem in maybe 15 brews.I think the main reason was because of racking too soon due to unforeseen circumstances.may just invest in some metal casks next year.This is only for my own consumtion but as an expat in greece I miss my real ale.
The idea of chilling at 2 points above final gravity is good but as yet I dont trust my final gravity given in beersmith so prefer to wait and then prime with a little sugar

[stuey]

Beersmith wont give you the accurate info you need about your potential attenuation. Your best plan if you can spare the wort is to take a small portion (enough to do a gravity check) and pitch a good quantity of yeast in it then ferment it out to completion at 25 to 30 degrees. This forced ferment will tell you what attenuation to expect from that yeast with that wort from that grain bill.

[stuey]

Your dried yeast will attenuate lower generally.. They are hungry chompers most likely due to the drying process and will often attenuate lower than a similar wet strain.