Polypin Management

[arturobandini]

Hey Dennis.

Did a trial run this afternoon with the Polypin,Chiller and Handpump and worked great. I didn't have any trouble with the chiller, though this may be specific to mine, and each pull was a 1/4 pint as is standard on my Worthside. The added security on the check valve, which is secured very close to the tap via a length of hose, means I can switch off the tap when I've pulled my last pint and clean the hoses out.

I wasn't sure how much sugars to add for a decent cask priming so I plumped for about 25g for 23 litres, no idea why. I ballsed it up anyway as I pulled through way too much sediment due to sloppy syphon technique. Fortunately I syphon into a secondary FV with a tap so I've decided to dry hop this and leave it to settle out before racking off into the Polypin.

Beer Engines are funny things. You can wait for ages and not see them at a decent price on eBay and then you miss some absolute bargains. I was very fortunate in that Scooby was trading in his Worthside for an Angram, the creme de la creme, so he passed on his Worthside at no profit to himself.

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread...
But is a 'cubitainer' the same as a polypin?

I bought said cubitainer, but it looks identical to Dennis' (helpful) photo's....



Mine appears to be Italian made as it has food grade in Italian embossed in one corner and HDPE which I assume is the type of plastic used in the in the manufacture of it...
It also came in a plain white cardboard box....

Slainte!

[Horatio]

Hi Manx Guy,

As far as I know they are the same thing. Mine always came in a wood effect cardboard box.

[Dennis King]

Any chance of a photo

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

every chance of a photo once I've worked out how to post it....


Slainte!

[Andy]

Like this ?

[Manx Guy]

Yes, just like those!

But mine cam with a tap... (not the cap, like the one out of its box)


Thanks!

[Philipek]

Curses!
Where I'm from you can get the cubitainer with a cap but no cap.

My dad bought me an Angram for my Birthday and I picked it up when I was over in the UK visiting.

A lot of my homebrewing decisions are motivated by laziness and stinginess. I'm not the biggest fan of bottling and capping - lots of work, the cubitainer/polypin seemed ideal. I don't really want to shell out a 500 - 1000 bucks on a couple of cornies, CO2 canister tubing regulator etc.etc. Hooking up the beer engine would not only look amazing but also make pouring a pint that little bit better for a lazy person - I wouldn't have to press down on the cubitainer.

Alas, no cap with tap available in Canada as far as I'm aware. The Polypin and beer engine gathering dust on top of the bookcase. I might ask my dad for a cap with a tap for a St. Scolastica's day present.

[Invalid Stout]

After a couple of less than successful attempts which led to me drinking a lot of flat beer, I think I've got the hang of this. The two tricks I have discovered are to prime more heavily than you would for bottles, and to condition (and serve) it in the fridge. Keeping it cold means the generated CO2 will stay in the beer rather than sit in the ullage above it, and priming heavily is just something I discovered empirically. When I primed at the same rate as for bottles, it didn't seem to carbonate enough. I don't know why. You can always vent off the excess.

[Dennis King]

After a couple of less than successful attempts which led to me drinking a lot of flat beer, I think I've got the hang of this. The two tricks I have discovered are to prime more heavily than you would for bottles, and to condition (and serve) it in the fridge. Keeping it cold means the generated CO2 will stay in the beer rather than sit in the ullage above it, and priming heavily is just something I discovered empirically. When I primed at the same rate as for bottles, it didn't seem to carbonate enough. I don't know why. You can always vent off the excess.

The beauty of this system is you can end up with beer in the condition you want with a bit of trial and error. Just be careful, if you over prime they can burst, belive me.

[Horatio]

if you over prime they can burst, belive me.

Too right! Although mine didn't burst as such. For some stupid reason I left it for three days while I went away, when I returned it had developed a small pin-prick hole and had been jetting a thin stream of beer at the wall! The wallpaper had a large beer soaked patch and a lovely stain that ran all the way down to the floor and a nicely soaked carpet! The missus was not best pleased to say the least!

[Invalid Stout]

It's at about 9ºC, so if I remember my high school physics correctly the internal pressure should be dramatically less than if it were sitting at room temperature, no?

[Dennis King]

I keep mine in the garage which gets cold in winter and have still had the odd problem but as you can see from the 1st photos I have taken it to the extreme

[mshergold]

I'm very interested in using a polypin for ale through a handpump and have a couple of questions. The beer would have to be conditioned in the kitchen and then stored in the cellar due to space issues and the fact the cellar is nice and cool. I plan to adapt a fridge to serve from in the summer.

1. Is a polypin sturdy enough to be dragged on a sheet across 5' of kitchen floor and then manhandled down 4 steps (I'm guessing it is as breweries sell polypins of beer!). Also, would it be like trying to move a giant jelly?
2. Does anyone know of something I could use as a 'bund' to place a polypin in in case it springs a leak.
3. Is it possible to easily draw a pint up 7' or 8' (at a guess, I'd say my cellar floor is 4' below the kitchen floor, although the polypin would probably sit on an old kitchen cupboard which is about 3' high) then up to the pump clamped on the kitchen worktop through, say, 15' of beer line using a handpump without gas?
4. If 3 is possible, what would I need to attach my beer line to a polypin and will the polypin collapse sufficiently to keep the beer fresh without my having to ever give the polypin a squeeze?

Thanks for reading.

[Dennis King]

Quick answers
1. I have no problem moving them around, I ferment on the landing where the temp. is just right, barrel it they carry down stairs to garage no problem and I`m 55 years old. Does wobble a bit but never a problem.
2. leaks can be a problem, its once in a blue moon, never found a way to bung them.
3. See no reason why it can`t travel that distance
4. It will collapse as you use and stay fresh for at least a few weeks. no need to squeeze just set up on a tilt to extract last few pints