Help!

[suebland]

Hello everyone, I'm posting on behalf of my partner who successfully brews lager from kit form during his retirement. He stores it in a 25l pressure barrel but now that that weather has warmed up it is not pleasant to drink warm. Transferring it to bottles just makes it go flat.
Please can you advise if there is anything we can do to overcome this problem? Thankyou all.

 

[Clint]

Buy a big fridge.
Or..
Put wet towels round the keg.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Agree with @Clint . Second-hand fridge will do it.

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

As Clint said unless he wants to bottle condition instead of kegging and keep a sessions worth in the fridge?

 

[Agentgonzo]

Get some thick/heavy glasses and store them in the freezer (if you have space). Pour beer into those. Instant chill

 

[Clint]

I'd get a tall larder fridge. Before you buy measure your kegs then select one which you can get TWO kegs in!
Everyone knows kegs are pack animals.
But...you will probably need to replace any glass or flimsy shelves inside coz your barrels will be quite heavy. I'd use a bit of ply wood...marine if you can get it or varnish it or something as wood and beer don't mix.

 

[booza101]

That’s my plan also. Good point about shelf. Gona go measure current fridge in garage n make a wood shelf.

 

[Buffers brewery]

WARNING: The following thread is not suitable for those of a sensitive disposition or who have better things to do with their time and money

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/my-barrelator-build.90418/

 

[booza101]

F**k yeah! Where have you guys been all my life!!! am gona need a bigger fridge…

 

[MashBag]

Search 'Kegerator' (fridge with extras)

 

[Rodcx500z]

If you just want it for storage of pressure barrels, I bought this from curry’s it is an indesit tall larder fridge, take the gas out loads of room, I use it to ferment and store corny kegs it is hooked up to an ink bird controller

 

[Jim Brewster]

Transferring it to bottles just makes it go flat.

If you do bottle the beer, you'll need to add a small amount of sugar when bottling and the yeast will re-start fermentation and carbonate the bottles. But you'd have to give it a week or two in a warm place to do this. Then you can chill it ready to drink. You also need to use a bottle that can take the pressure, i.e. an empty fizzy pop bottle or an old beer bottle that you can re-seal with a capper. Don't use anything that can't take pressure or they'll more than likely explode. How much sugar to use depends on a few factors but something like 5 grams per litre should work roughly OK for a lager.

With it being a lager kit I would think the yeast is probably more ale like and so doesn't need specific cold fermentation temperatures and lagering processes.

 

[suebland]

If you just want it for storage of pressure barrels, I bought this from curry’s it is an indesit tall larder fridge, take the gas out loads of room, I use it to ferment and store corny kegs it is hooked up to an ink bird controller View attachment 85978View attachment 85979

Thanks for this advice but that looks WAAAAY too complicated!! We're not Walter White and Jesse Pinkman!! Happy brewing :)

 

[suebland]

I'd get a tall larder fridge. Before you buy measure your kegs then select one which you can get TWO kegs in!
Everyone knows kegs are pack animals.
But...you will probably need to replace any glass or flimsy shelves inside coz your barrels will be quite heavy. I'd use a bit of ply wood...marine if you can get it or varnish it or something as wood and beer don't mix.

Yes I was kind of asking a stupid question. I really should have asked if there are fridges made especially for the storage of a 25l barrel.
People are being very helpful.
Happy brewing :)

 

[suebland]

What great advice, thankyou! I will pass this on to my partner. We are still learning.
Happy brewing :)

If you do bottle the beer, you'll need to add a small amount of sugar when bottling and the yeast will re-start fermentation and carbonate the bottles. But you'd have to give it a week or two in a warm place to do this. Then you can chill it ready to drink. You also need to use a bottle that can take the pressure, i.e. an empty fizzy pop bottle or an old beer bottle that you can re-seal with a capper. Don't use anything that can't take pressure or they'll more than likely explode. How much sugar to use depends on a few factors but something like 5 grams per litre should work roughly OK for a lager.

With it being a lager kit I would think the yeast is probably more ale like and so doesn't need specific cold fermentation temperatures and lagering processes.

.

 

[suebland]

Search 'Kegerator' (fridge with extras)

Oh great, will do, thanks!
Happy brewing :)

 

[suebland]

I'd get a tall larder fridge. Before you buy measure your kegs then select one which you can get TWO kegs in!
Everyone knows kegs are pack animals.
But...you will probably need to replace any glass or flimsy shelves inside coz your barrels will be quite heavy. I'd use a bit of ply wood...marine if you can get it or varnish it or something as wood and beer don't mix.

Thanks for advice, everyone being very helpful to us newbies!
Happy brewing :)

 

[Rodcx500z]

Thanks for this advice but that looks WAAAAY too complicated!! We're not Walter White and Jesse Pinkman!! Happy brewing :)

You don't need the gas if you only use pressure barrels and sugar to carbonate,

 

[Birdsnestbrewery]

The problem with using a barrel and no CO2 is that the remaining beer will probably oxidise after a few days anyway (once you've started drinking it).
If you don't want to get into CO2 cylinders then your best option I reckon is bottle-conditioning. As @Jim Brewster said you can add sugar either to each bottle or as a batch before transferring, to carbonate. This should take 2 weeks then you can chill the bottles as needed.

 

[MashBag]

Bottling doesn't have to be a chore. I can do 40 bottles in an hour. You just need a good process and some practise.