Draught beer.

[CD]

Is there anybody, apart from me, producing Draught beer at home, as opposed to Bottled and force-carbonated Keg?

 

[An Ankoù]

Yes. At least until my Hambleton Bard gas cylinders run out. I can't quite manage a 40-pinter without a bit of CO2 cover. Not if I'm going to be fit enough to put the next brew on in the morning.

 

[Slid]

I'm sure there are, else Wilko would no longer sell plastic kegs!
I had one from Boots ages ago (circa 1980?) and it was sort of OK, but kept running out of gas. A top up "soda syphon" CO2 cylinder did help.

Nothing wrong with the approach, especially if you drink slowly enough that the barrel can re-pressurise between draw-offs. Not for me, this time around, as I find PET bottles suit better. I don't mind the hassle of cleaning, sterilising and priming each one. It's an easy task that can be done listening to music.

 

[CD]

Just one then, out of how many members of this forum? Blimey, I wonder what Camra would think . . .

 

[An Ankoù]

Just one then, out of how many members of this forum? Blimey, I wonder what Camra would think . . .

Your indignation forces me to rethink some of the beers I bottle and dwell upon the number of empty PVs lying empty in the garage. I hope by draught, and your reference to CAMRA that you allow gas dispense (not force carbonation) unlike Graham Wheeler, in his last edition, who thinks we should have no pressure at all in a PV and let the air in like a cask. A bit hard to get through 40 pints over a few days, especially if you like to sample a few different ones during a session. Beer festivals have spoilt us. In any case, gone off CAMRA now they're sold out to Wetherspoons.

 

[An Ankoù]

What's your setup, Mike? How do you serve your beer?

 

[CD]

Graham Wheeler, who sadly is no longer with us, followed on from Dave Line in my enlightenment of beer making as far as books are concerned. He is right that draught beer should be served at atmospheric pressure, but like Camra, completely wrong about letting air get anywhere near beer until it lands in your glass! As for the way I now serve pint after pint of draught beer in perfect condition over the 2 weeks or so it takes me to drink 40 pints, I'm itching to tell you, but until my 20 year old grandson shows me how to post photos onto this site, it will have to wait. Not too long hopefully.

 

[An Ankoù]

Graham Wheeler, who sadly is no longer with us, followed on from Dave Line in my enlightenment of beer making as far as books are concerned. He is right that draught beer should be served at atmospheric pressure, but like Camra, completely wrong about letting air get anywhere near beer until it lands in your glass! As for the way I now serve pint after pint of draught beer in perfect condition over the 2 weeks or so it takes me to drink 40 pints, I'm itching to tell you, but until my 20 year old grandson shows me how to post photos onto this site, it will have to wait. Not too long hopefully.

I, too, cut my teeth on the late, great Dave Line. How things have moved on! Wheeler's method is sound and a great grounding for new brewers. His recipes, on the other hand.. even those compiled with Roger Protz leave a bit to be desired. Only yesterday I was trying to formulate a schedule for Tim Taylor's Best Bitter (Boltmaker). Had to look elsewhere.

 

[Drunkula]

I'm itching to tell you, but until my 20 year old grandson shows me how to post photos onto this site, it will have to wait. Not too long hopefully.

Have you added a balloon to the inside of your barrel, linked to a bike tyre valve and you can inflate the balloon with a bike pump without adding air.

p.s. I came up with this for funsies but it's actually pretty rad.

 

[CD]

Don’t laugh, but this is how I now dispense my beer. Basically I harvest some of the CO2 produced naturally during secondary fermentation and store it in a foil balloon piped into the pressure relief hole on a Hambleton Bard injector. As beer is drawn off the gas goes back into the pressure barrel, and when the balloon looks nearly empty I refill it with a few squirts from an S30 bottle.

If beer is kept at 13 C, is at atmospheric pressure, and has ONLY CO2 in contact with it, it WILL contain 1.1 pints of CO2 in every pint of beer, considered to be the optimum for draught beer, which fact is, ironically, given in the Camra publication ‘Cellarmanship’ by Pat O’Neill.

The result is identical to using a cask breather and beer engine without the expense and hassle, and I would defy anybody to tell the difference between the first few pints and the last few from the PB.

 

[CD]

Have you added a balloon to the inside of your barrel, linked to a bike tyre valve and you can inflate the balloon with a bike pump without adding air.

p.s. I came up with this for funsies but it's actually pretty rad.

Nice try, but no cigar. See above.

 

[Drunkula]

Ahhh, Brulosophy does that when they're cold crashing to stop air getting drawn in through the airlock.

 

[mickthetrick]

View attachment 18459



Don’t laugh, but this is how I now dispense my beer. Basically I harvest some of the CO2 produced naturally during secondary fermentation and store it in a foil balloon piped into the pressure relief hole on a Hambleton Bard injector. As beer is drawn off the gas goes back into the pressure barrel, and when the balloon looks nearly empty I refill it with a few squirts from an S30 bottle.

If beer is kept at 13 C, is at atmospheric pressure, and has ONLY CO2 in contact with it, it WILL contain 1.1 pints of CO2 in every pint of beer, considered to be the optimum for draught beer, which fact is, ironically, given in the Camra publication ‘Cellarmanship’ by Pat O’Neill.

The result is identical to using a cask breather and beer engine without the expense and hassle, and I would defy anybody to tell the difference between the first few pints and the last few from the PB.

you know i mentioned this method a couple years back to a fellow brewer and he looked at me is i had two heads. i have not done it but i see with no doubt that it will absolutely work. why waste the co2 from the ferment when you can harvest it and use it to good effect. bravo and good to see you use it.

 

[An Ankoù]

View attachment 18459



Don’t laugh, but this is how I now dispense my beer. Basically I harvest some of the CO2 produced naturally during secondary fermentation and store it in a foil balloon piped into the pressure relief hole on a Hambleton Bard injector. As beer is drawn off the gas goes back into the pressure barrel, and when the balloon looks nearly empty I refill it with a few squirts from an S30 bottle.

If beer is kept at 13 C, is at atmospheric pressure, and has ONLY CO2 in contact with it, it WILL contain 1.1 pints of CO2 in every pint of beer, considered to be the optimum for draught beer, which fact is, ironically, given in the Camra publication ‘Cellarmanship’ by Pat O’Neill.

The result is identical to using a cask breather and beer engine without the expense and hassle, and I would defy anybody to tell the difference between the first few pints and the last few from the PB.

That is very ingenious. I'm going to try it. Can't get gas for an S30 over here and haven't adapted Sodastream yet. Might not need to, now.

 

[CD]

That is very ingenious. I'm going to try it. Can't get gas for an S30 over here and haven't adapted Sodastream yet. Might not need to, now.

I may be able to help you there. I came up with the idea 9 years ago, and described it in ‘Brewers Contact’, the newsletter of the now defunct Craft Brewers Association, under the heading ‘Noddy to The Rescue’, as he was pictured on my balloon! Thinking others would be interested, I knocked up 10 ‘Noddy Kits’ containing the special adapter a pal of mine machined for me from 1” x 1/8” brass strip, screw, pipe etc, and offered them for 20 quid, plus a fiver for a balloon if needed.

To my surprise I didn’t get any feedback whatever, and concluded that all craft brewers must be of the highest-up-the-wall, my bottle is better that your bottle, sort of people. Anyhow I still have a few of the connectors left, and you are welcome to one if there is any way we can exchange e-mail addresses behind Sirs back.

 

[CD]

Like this:

 

[CD]

********. I'm trying to send a photo but failing miserably

 

[simon12]

Cheers for this I am trying to think how I could do something similar for casks.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

********. I'm trying to send a photo but failing miserably

Are you using the "upload a file" button bottom right?

If that doesn't work try - https://postimages.org/

If you can get the picture to upload to the above site copy the "Direct Link" and click the small picture icon right of the smiley icon above where you type here and paste the postimage link into it.

 

[An Ankoù]

I may be able to help you there. I came up with the idea 9 years ago, and described it in ‘Brewers Contact’, the newsletter of the now defunct Craft Brewers Association, under the heading ‘Noddy to The Rescue’, as he was pictured on my balloon! Thinking others would be interested, I knocked up 10 ‘Noddy Kits’ containing the special adapter a pal of mine machined for me from 1” x 1/8” brass strip, screw, pipe etc, and offered them for 20 quid, plus a fiver for a balloon if needed.

To my surprise I didn’t get any feedback whatever, and concluded that all craft brewers must be of the highest-up-the-wall, my bottle is better that your bottle, sort of people. Anyhow I still have a few of the connectors left, and you are welcome to one if there is any way we can exchange e-mail addresses behind Sirs back.