Hello from Barnsley

[Keef32]

Hi.

Long time beer drinker, first time poster

I've brewed a few batches in the past but everything got put away in the move, it's back out now and I have acquired an old boots pressure barrel which is in perfect condition.

Going to start an out the tin stout today to get back into things..

Might need some advice on how to use the barrel once I get round to it

 

[An Ankoù]

Welcome Keef.
Don't let this lot put you off Boots' pressure barrels. Properly refurbished, they can be great. Have you got any kind of gas injector attachment for the lid?
Hope the stout goes well.

 

[Keef32]

Welcome Keef.
Don't let this lot put you off Boots' pressure barrels. Properly refurbished, they can be great. Have you got any kind of gas injector attachment for the lid?
Hope the stout goes well.

Thanks.

I haven't got one yet, was just going to buy one of those that hold the bulbs, can't work out how I would know if more pressure is needed? (Probably a stupid question)

 

[An Ankoù]

Thanks.

I haven't got one yet, was just going to buy one of those that hold the bulbs, can't work out how I would know if more pressure is needed? (Probably a stupid question)

They work fine but eat up the bulbs towards the end of the barrel. Priming the barrel with a few tablespoons of sugar should allow you dispense about a third of it and then get you mates round for a session to finish the rest, or reprime the barrel. Spending a few hundred quid on kegs and gas and regulators will give you a better dispense system, but in fifty years I haven't made that investment, might have something to do with coming from Mexborough.

 

[Keef32]

They work fine but eat up the bulbs towards the end of the barrel. Priming the barrel with a few tablespoons of sugar should allow you dispense about a third of it and then get you mates round for a session to finish the rest, or reprime the barrel. Spending a few hundred quid on kegs and gas and regulators will give you a better dispense system, but in fifty years I haven't made that investment, might have something to do with coming from Mexborough.

I've got some carbonation drops, so drop the right amount in the keg and then fill and seal and it should work?

 

[An Ankoù]

I've got some carbonation drops, so drop the right amount in the keg and then fill and seal and it should work?

Don't waste your dosh on carbonation drops- they're more suited to bottles as they come out at 3g each, I think. Use ordinary white table sugar (not the low calory stuff which contains artificial sweeteners) Carbonation drops are just sugar! There's another kind of gas injector which uses a bottle of gas from Hambleton Bard, but I'm out of the country and don't know if they're still available. There's also a Sodastream adapter you can get. I hope others closer to the action can advise you better on this nearer the time. BUT, the little sparklets bulb system will work just fine, it's just not the most cost-effective way.

 

[Keef32]

Don't waste your dosh on carbonation drops- they're more suited to bottles as they come out at 3g each, I think. Use ordinary white table sugar (not the low calory stuff which contains artificial sweeteners) Carbonation drops are just sugar! There's another kind of gas injector which uses a bottle of gas from Hambleton Bard, but I'm out of the country and don't know if they're still available. There's also a Sodastream adapter you can get. I hope others closer to the action can advise you better on this nearer the time. BUT, the little sparklets bulb system will work just fine, it's just not the most cost-effective way.

I'll bear that in mind for next time, thanks.

I'll see how this turns out and then look at the bottles or soda stream gas option

Thanks for the help

 

[An Ankoù]

I'll bear that in mind for next time, thanks.

I'll see how this turns out and then look at the bottles or soda stream gas option

Thanks for the help

You're welcome.
Beer in a pressure barrel will stay good for months. The key thing is to keep the pressure in the barrel greater than the pressure outside. So when the beer from the tap begins to slow down, you need more gas. If the flow stops and you get a glug of air going back through the tap and then the beer sort of glugs out as the air goes back in through the tap then you've got 2 or 3 days to finish it even if you pressure it up afterwards. Contact with the air spoils the beer. A commercial cask of real ale has a shelf life of about 3 -4 days once the beer has started to be drawn off since "real ale" (so called) doesn't use any kind of top pressure.
Happy brewing. Time for breakfast.

 

[Banbeer]

Welcome to the forum, happy brewing.

 

[Neil Whittaker]

I'll bear that in mind for next time, thanks.

I'll see how this turns out and then look at the bottles or soda stream gas option

Thanks for the help

Welcome :-)

Before you go down the route of soda stream gas, find your nearest gas supplier and ask how much a 6kg bottle of C02 is. The up front cost will save you so much time and money in the long run.

I'm in eckington, chesterfield and my local place is called "gas and Hire". £50 deposit on the bottle, £17 for the gas.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Tess Tickle's Brewery]

Hi Keef! I went to school in Royston! Just wanted to tell you that, I know nothing about beer!

 

[Keef32]

Cheers everyone.

Born and bred in Sheffield butt moved here a couple of years ago.

Thanks Neil I will check that out

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum..

 

[Neil Whittaker]

What part of Sheffield? Woodseats myself, before I moved to Eckington. Sheffield also has an awesome brew club with very nice people.

 

[Keef32]

What part of Sheffield? Woodseats myself, before I moved to Eckington. Sheffield also has an awesome brew club with very nice people.

Longley I'm from, moved over to Worsbrough in 2019, best decision I've ever made haha.