Polypin Management

[Baldbrewer]

Just ordered 4 x 5L poly pins and won a worth side beer engine on the bay so now looking forward to getting my AG#3 TTL in the pins.
My father in law likes his beer from cask so he's getting a poly for Christmas
The other 3 I shall use for engine testing!

[arturobandini]

Just kegged a Wheelers ESB using WLP002 and it smelled absolutely terrific.

I never get good clarity in my beers partially because I brew for 60 minutes only and more probably because I slow cool my wort overnight in a bath of cold water as opposed to more popular quick crash cooling using plate, counter flow and immersion cooling methods....but this beer was crystal when going into the Keg. I am assuming this is down to WLP002 because I've never used it before and not seen a beer so clear before.

Anyway, here is the keg alongside what 500ml bottles I could get from the 23litre batch I brewed up.


Around 19 litres went into the pin and I squeezed a good amount of dead air from the pin but seems a little space still left. I batch primed in a bottling bucket with 80g sugar and 24 hours later the keg is already starting to swell. Once it has puffed up fully I am going to move it to a cooler place for the co2 to dissolve into the beer before packaging up and storing for Christmas drinking.

[darkonnis]

There is lots of things that contribute to clarity in beer. I too boil for 60 minutes usually but I have found that leaving it in the FV long after it has finished helps lots. I then crash cool this, then transfer to a bottling bucket, then take it from there. Nice clear beer with 2 pinheads worth of yeast in the bottom, or non at all if i go to town on the crash cooling.

[arturobandini]

I'm one of those guys who doesn't really give a ~%^$ about the clarity of my beer and I think the effort to make it any better would be too much for me with my current setup and time constraints when I actually do get to brewing.

That isn't to say I don't respect people who do get excellent clarity in their beer, I definitely do, I just understand the reasons why mine is rarely clear and make no effort (currently) to correct it. If anybody balks at drinking a pint of my brew which carries a slight chill haze (to be honest it is 10 times out of 10 chill haze) then they know where the offy is.

The Keg has ballooned up and is rock hard now, this Fullers yeast can be deceptive. I've moved it to the colder part of the flat for the gas to dissolve into the beer and as tradition dictates it will sit there for two months before it makes a journey up north and is cracked open on Christmas Eve.

[Dennis King]

If got rock hard in a couple of days I would be a bit worried. It's a long while to Christmas and although some CO2
will be absorbed I personally I would store it on it's end and vent some gas out over the next week or so, better than having a bust.

[arturobandini]

cheers Dennis, I'll go and have a look at it now and see it has calmed down some in it's cool place. My intention is to stick it in the garage in a couple of weeks where it will sit till Christmas

[Baldbrewer]

Poly pins now here yay! Can I fill them as is or should I clean and sterilise as per bottle/kegs?
Cheers

[Dennis King]

Clean and sterilise. When I finish a pin I wash out with soda to get rid of gunk and rinse well then sterilise just before use.

[Baldbrewer]

Thanks Dennis

[Baldbrewer]

Here we go then, little bit of sugar to put a little positive pressure in them

[Tippler]

Like a lot of members, I have followed this thread with great interest; thanks to everyone who has contributed. If I understand correctly, there are basically two sorts of "polypins": the fairly rigid self-supporting ones, and the bag-in-box type. I have been in contact with a seller of the bag-in-box ones and I get the impression that they are actually a bit on the flimsy side and really need the box to keep them intact. So can anyone recommend a supplier of the more robust ones which I could reckon on using a few times without upset?

[oz11]

Murphy's...see a couple of pages ago:



Re: Polypin Management

Postby darkonnis » Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:38 pm
Yeah? these: http://www.murphyhomebrew.com/equipment/cat_25.html ?
Or like those atleast?

[greenxpaddy]

There is another great use for polypins....

You know when you really should do something with that beer in the primary but you can't fit in a full bottling session...stick it in a polypin until you can bottle. It will actually be a better bottle sooner if you do this!

[arturobandini]

Crumbs!

The pin has been resting tap facing up since Dennis told me to vent some of the spare gas and I just flipped it into pouring position to tape up for transport and......beer soaking through the cardboard and onto the carpet!

Quick inspection shows a hair line leak in the seam at the front of the pin. Is this now a right off? Anyone have any suggestions for remedy?

Is it possible to transfer to a clean pin and re-prime?
Is it possible to transfer into sanitised bottles and re-prime?

Should I just make a superhuman effort to quaff 20 odd litres myself before it goes off?

All suggestions gratefully received.

[Dennis King]

That's bad luck, did it expand to much? this has happen to me twice. Both times I transferred to another pin, using tubing, try priming but I never got much pressure just had to drink it faster.