Help!?!

[stupid_squaddy]

Long time reader, new member. Having bottled for a while I just bought a budget keg from Wilko's after pouring a few pints it appears to be pulling air through the tap. Is this as I thought (air through tap) or CO2 from inside the barrel. The keg is bubbling vigourusly when the tap is opened. No co2 system is fitted.

[stupid_squaddy]

Any response would be helpful as I'm convinced I've ruined the brew so am currently trying to drink the entire barrel alone

Anyone? I about to KO 3/4 way down!

[Ditch]

People aren't responding because most of them are in bed

That's absolutely Not what ye want happening when ye pour a pint, mate! Next person to answer will probably explain it much better than I'm able, but; There's basically a vacuum forming above ye beer. Burst of CO2 would fill that void and protect the beer, whilst pushing into it and pushing the beer out through the tap.

As it is, 'Physics' is trying to compensate, by pulling Air in, Through and Into ye beer. 'Air' = Oxygen. Oxygen + Beer = Oxygenation. Oxygenation + Beer ....? Divide by hours before ye subtract Beer by Sink!

Keep drinking! And for god sake get an S30 valve and bottle of gas!

[stupid_squaddy]

Thanks Ditch being a squaddy drinking it now is no problem other than the fact typing is hard! As for S30 what would be the components/prices i need for the barrel. i've always bottled and ignored barreling but after buying this, the pleasure of the tap has bitten me!

[Ditch]

Good for you, mate. Get it down ye neck - ably assisted, I'm sure, by a mate or two It's the week end anyway. Just be sure to point out that ye decided to demonstrate the beauty of HB by first submitting them to " How it used to be ". I.e; Drinking just about Anything, as long as it did ye some good!

Then get an S30. That's the universally bog standard brass thing with an external thread. Drill a hole in that cap or, for the sake of a quid or two, buy one fitted and save the full cap as a spare, for emergencies. Be sure to get the brass with the pin inside. Bit like a tyre valve on a motor. That's the baby for the little 'bomb' of CO2 available ~ and refillable ~ through ye LHBS.

A one second burst (say " Kangaroo ") is usually sufficient to make ye beer burst out so damn hard and frothy ye damn near die of impatience, if not thirst, waiting for that head to subside! That should keep you happy and ye beer safe for a good session. Just don't open the tap any wider than needs be.

Again, I'm sure more expert voices will add to this in the next twelve hours, and probably giving far better advice. But I suspect you're more like me and just want to get at it!

[alefric]

Ditch is spot on........just another thought, if your keg has a 4" neck you can probably buy a lid with an S30 valve fitted......as for costs i don't know about lid or valve but CO2 cylinder is about £16 then about a fiver to exchange.

[Lillywhite]

Ditch is spot on........just another thought, if your keg has a 4" neck you can probably buy a lid with an S30 valve fitted......as for costs i don't know about lid or valve but CO2 cylinder is about £16 then about a fiver to exchange.

£8.79 from these people and fits the Wilkos keg:-

http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/catalog/de ... COR2017256

[boingy]

An alternative is to buy the CO2 injector from Wilko's:

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0022563

It comes with a new cap for your barrel and uses small one-shot CO2 bulbs:

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0022562

They probably stock these in the shop where you bought the barrel.

In the long term it works out as an expensive way to buy gas but some people prefer the simplicity. You just push the bulb on to the cap and it injects the whole lot in one go. You'll probably use 2 to 4 bulbs per 5 gallon batch.

[stupid_squaddy]

Thankyou Ditch Going the S30 way as it works out cheaoer in the long run. Bulbs just seem a less enjoyable way to burn money!

[Lillywhite]

Best price that I've found for a standard S30 valve and pre-drilled 2" Cap and I ordered another one yesterday morning post free.
Their service is first rate.

http://www.beer-kits.co.uk/fullpage.asp ... P000009154