Bottle or Barrell

[neil007]

hello chaps,

i need sort my first brew out this w/e. I have a barrell and I have bottles. Which tastes better? Will my barrel last 6 weeks once I start drinking?

I see the CO2 is an option - i wondered why are CAMRA so anti CO2 dispensing?

cheers
neil :mrgreen:

 

[jamesb]

hello chaps,

i need sort my first brew out this w/e. I have a barrell and I have bottles. Which tastes better? Will my barrel last 6 weeks once I start drinking?

Which tastes better is a matter of personal opinion. Bottled beers for the most part I find too highly carbonated. I prefer barrelled (ok, cornie kegs). Bottled beers will take longer to be ready for drinking but will last longer, barrelled beer will be ready sooner but will need topping up with gas to last 6 weeks otherwise the beer will oxidise.

It's also easier to clean a barrel than 40 bottles

I see the CO2 is an option - i wondered why are CAMRA so anti CO2 dispensing?

Now that's a can of worms. Not letting beer breathe will affect the flavour - some beers definately need to be exposed to the air for a bit for a better flavour. A beer kept under CO2 will taste the same all the time (ok, I'll forget about the conditioning over time for this one).

For the record, I'm a member of CAMRA but I have no problem with cask-breathers. I use gas dispense at home but in the pub I'd rather have hand pulled cask beer.

 

[BrewStew]

i'm a camra member too but i serve my beers force carbonated and via gas pressure. i dont really care how it's served aslong as it tastes good!

i think camra are the way they are because they define a real ale as one that's been kept and poured traditionally without the use of modern gas fed systems.

as for your barrel question, JB's answered it perfectly :thumb:

 

[jamesb]

A bit OT but isn't it funny how most CAMRA members views aren't the same as the views of the CAMRA executive. Especially with regard to some of the high profile campaigns.

Mike Benner (chief exec) had a few of our branch members give him both barrels at the regional meeting last weekend - I think it was about the full pint campaign receiving more attention than the more important problems that the pubcos are causing.