Hand Pull Beer Engine

[peebee]

not to start an argument but I’ve picked up two second hand beer engines and they are superb. Both needed a bit of tlc but they are so simple and parts are readily available if needed. I have set up per @peebee excellent advice and the beer runs out way before any loss in quality. Both are quarter pint pulls and I just ditch the first pull on each session.

Thanks

Actually, if you go to the trouble you can seal off the hand-pump's nozzle between pours. You might still lose a few millilitres (beer left in the nozzle) but beer in the cylinder stays sound for days. I very rarely rinse out my pumps once a keg has been attached.

 

[peebee]

... (2” or 3” WG) ...

That'll confuse them

 

[CD]

That'll confuse them

Very true! Inches of Water Gauge is a scale used for very low pressure differences. Such pressures are usually measured with a water-filled ‘U’ shaped glass tube called a manometer where the difference in height of the liquid in each leg is recorded. One pound per square inch is about equal to 28 inches WG, so 2” or 3” is extremely small indeed. It is quite enough though to move the large rubber diaphragm found in cask breathers.

Here endeth the lesson.

 

[kelper]

W.G. is also known as wc - water column.

 

[peebee]

W.G. is also known as wc - water column.

Hoy! We can do without your toilet humour!

It is odd why pressure still frequently uses such arcane measures? PSI? Or does no-one care what PSI stands for. There's "Pascal" but hardly caught on (hardly surprising! 1Pa=one Newton per square meter ). I thought I was brave using mbar, but that is just another arcane measure.

 

[CD]

Well I’m Arcane, and I understand those measurements far better than modern ones. I think in Imperial not Metric because that is what I was taught at school. If a weather forecaster talks of so many centimetres of snowfall, I have to get my tape measure out to see how much he means.

I realised the world had gone mad of course when Rev Counters were changed from recording Revolutions Per Minute, to Minutes to the power of Minus One!

 

[Clint]

There aren't half some knowledgeable people on this forum...
Thanks for the very detailed answers to my question!
At the moment such stuff is beyond me.

 

[Vandalay]

Hoy! We can do without your toilet humour!

It is odd why pressure still frequently uses such arcane measures? PSI? Or does no-one care what PSI stands for. There's "Pascal" but hardly caught on (hardly surprising! 1Pa=one Newton per square meter ). I thought I was brave using mbar, but that is just another arcane measure.

In this part of the word for very low presure mesure we use mmHg (equivalent to Torr). One mmHg is 0.0193368PSI. One PSI is 51,7149mmHg.

By the way this is my vintage steampunk "guitar regulator" with an old brass propane regulator and a tensiometer gauge

 

[LeeH]

I’ve made a start!

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Well I’m Arcane, and I understand those measurements far better than modern ones. I think in Imperial not Metric because that is what I was taught at school. If a weather forecaster talks of so many centimetres of snowfall, I have to get my tape measure out to see how much he means.

I realised the world had gone mad of course when Rev Counters were changed from recording Revolutions Per Minute, to Minutes to the power of Minus One!

In that case, you may like know it was Mr Whitworth's birthday on Monday.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

A thought has just occurred to me having not had 100% perfect with a handpull in the past, do you guys up your hop additions to compensate for stripping of flavour when serving? I'm sure I read somewhere that Northern styles have a higher hopping rate due to the Northern sparklers stripping hop flavour out. Though I only ever used a Southern sparkler (if at all)

 

[DixeySJ]

Re ‘sparklers’ - I wouldnt use one. In a pub, I ask them to take it off. However, you may find a recipe designed for their use - see Greg Hughes Yorkshire Bitter, for example. I’m not sure what effect it has on flavour, but I want beer in my glass, not foam! esp. at today’s prices ...

 

[CD]

In that case, you may like know it was Mr Whitworth's birthday on Monday.

He designed the best threads in the world, far better than that metric rubbish and American compromise. IMO!

 

[kelper]

Re ‘sparklers’ - I wouldnt use one. In a pub, I ask them to take it off. However, you may find a recipe designed for their use - see Greg Hughes Yorkshire Bitter, for example. I’m not sure what effect it has on flavour, but I want beer in my glass, not foam! esp. at today’s prices ...

I wrote to Timothy Taylor's about using a sparkler with TT Landlord. The head brewer said a sparkler should be used.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

Re ‘sparklers’ - I wouldnt use one. In a pub, I ask them to take it off. However, you may find a recipe designed for their use - see Greg Hughes Yorkshire Bitter, for example. I’m not sure what effect it has on flavour, but I want beer in my glass, not foam! esp. at today’s prices ...

But if stripping of flavours does exist and you're drinking a beer that should be served with a head, you'll be drinking it unbalanced. Certain styles should be served with quite a large head. I know it's not served on a handpull, but I wouldn't want a flat heifeweißen!

 

[peebee]

He designed the best threads in the world, far better than that metric rubbish and American compromise. IMO!

Which introduces nicely one of my favourite gripes:

The tread on CO2 cylinders is often described as "W21.8-14" (amongst other compatible designations). The 21.8 is the diameter in millimetres. The 14 is threads per inch. And of course, the W is for Mr Whitworth. What he'd make of such crazy designations with his name attached is anyone's' guess.

 

[peebee]

Re ‘sparklers’ - I wouldnt use one. In a pub, I ask them to take it off. However, you may find a recipe designed for their use - see Greg Hughes Yorkshire Bitter, for example. I’m not sure what effect it has on flavour, but I want beer in my glass, not foam! esp. at today’s prices ...

Ah, but they do affect flavour! Some beers cannot handle them at all. I've had them change some of my beers to a glass of water (no taste, no body) but with a nice head. I always recommend trying a sparkler first before committing the entire batch to a sparkler.

 

[LeeH]

So, I have had this for a year or so. I have zero knowledge about hand pulling pints as I’m strictly a keg man.

What’s in and what’s out! I have 4 in total.

 

[kelper]

The white one at the bottom is the inlet. Can you figure where the goose-neck or swan-neck attaches? That will be the outlet.

Masons are still in business if you need advice or spares Harry Mason Ltd

 

[LeeH]

Check it out!

Top keg will be the the engine.

Bottom 2 are for conditioning/force carbing.