I love my cask breather

[Wez]

CAMRA may not like 'em, but I love my Cask Breather (from Paul at Barley Bottom :thumb: )

I'm now serving beer from a cornie through a beer engine with the same carbonation and head every time :thumb: no worries about the beer going off here, definately worth the investment.

My set up now is

c02 cylinder > cask breather > corny gas in post

corny gas out post > check valve > beer engine > mouth > belly > toilet :grin:

:drink:

 

[Smod]

Are cask breathers used in "Real Ale" pubs with CO2???

I know "Real Ale" shouldn't be forced by CO2 but if we have a solution where instead of casks taking in air and beer going off we can replace it with CO2 WITHOUT forcing it to help preserve beer what's the problem?

If Landlords beer would last longer they would stock more Ale. If they can't sell it before it goes off they won't buy it.

I don't know whether CAMRA approve or not or whether it's practised in any pubs, but I know I couldn't drink all my brew in a cask quickly and would want it to last as long as possible.

By using CO2 are we not brewing or serving "Real Ale"???

 

[Wez]

can of worms officially opened :grin:

 

[damfoose]

It's Thursday I do 210 miles a day for work I get up at 05:00 every day and get home at around 20:30 so im going to be bland :x
I like real ale I agree with CAMRA on some points but they are to up their own A$$ about how beer should be served kept made its beyond a joke, For the big pub / buisness yeh they can afford to do it the way they do as they get through beer fast . For the home brewer who makes 5 / 10 gallons a time that lasts for longer than it will take to go off they can shove their ideas where the sun dont shine. If we as home brewers can get some where near using CO2 under low pressure whats the problem CO2 is CO2 does not matter if yeast makes it or you just bung a low pressure layer over the top of the beer to keep it drinkable. If we were to follow the CAMRA stance then we would have to brew every other day pretty much making a one gallon brew so we dont let the beer go off who has the time for that ! I really think its about time some people woke up and really had a think about things then compaired how things actually worked. :x :x :x :x :x :x :x
Sorry im always this way out towards the end of the week due to the hours I work and I dont really suffer some things in quietness when im this way out.

 

[Wez]

Top Rant :thumb: the long hours sound a bummer, but you've made good sense there

Anymore for anymore? :grin:

 

[damfoose]

Sorry it just narks me a little ..... its friday morning and ive only got 105 miles to do now ater a days work. Brewday tomorrow if my gas arrives and I can get the brewery sort of finished to be able to brew. :party:

 

[Aleman]

I'll join the rant. . . . beer if served with CO2 (Even using a Cask aspirator to keep a blanket pressure) cannot be called real ale! . . . And yet you can mass produce crap (Say Tetley) filter it bright, put it in a vertical cask (common known as a 10 gallon keg!) serve it using a hand pump, and keep it 'on' for 10-14 days whereupon its stale . . . and can call it real ale and get a cask marque. . . .


I've had friends who are Camra members tell me I don't make real ale . . . . . the reply is something along the lines "I MAKE MY BEER WITH BREWING BARLEY, FINEST HOPS, BREWING YEAST, FERMENTED 'OPEN' TRANSFERRED INTO CASK, AND WHEN CLEAR, WITHOUT FININGS, I SERVE USING TOP PRESSURE TO KEEP A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF CONDITION IN THE BEER . . . IN WHAT WAY IS THAT NOT REAL . . . . . NOW **** OFF DOWN THE PUB AND PAY THREE QUID FOR A PINT OF INFERIOR CRAP, CAUSE YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYMORE OF MINE!!!!!

:nono: :twisted: :nono: :twisted: :nono:

 

[A T]

Now that's what i call a good rant :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[Phil]

Nicely done Aleman.

I agree 100%.

/Phil.

 

[Dunfie]

Top answer Aleman. :clap:

I have loads of respect for CAMRA as an organisation and what it has achieved over the years to help and promote real ale but they are unfortunately hindered as an organisation by being peppered with some members who are complete tossers.

 

[steve_flack]

Another old chestnut is that CO2 from secondary fermentation is different to CO2 from a cylinder. I even read in an old copy of 'Beer' the other day some arse from White Shield saying the bubbles were smaller with bottle conditioned beers...Bollocks I say, CO2 is CO2 and the laws of physics apply just the same to CO2 regardless of where it came from.

Now, I'm happy to admit that beer bottled on the yeast can have some advantages - reduced oxidation and lack of pasturisation off-flavours for starters, but I've had enough ropey commercial bottle conditioned beers to know it's not all roses. Yeast can also cause off-flavours in a beer once it starts dying and spilling it's guts.

 

[Smod]

Imagine this.

You put a cask in a cellar and fill it at atmospheric pressure with CO2 (all the air will be on top as CO2 is heavier) and then serve the beer.

As the cask is emptied it draws in the surrounding atmosphere (CO2 and not under pressure).

Would this be classed REAL ALE or not? :hmm:

There is no attempt to use CO2 to force anything as it is completely at atmospheric pressure and drawn in as beer is taken out.

 

[Vossy1]

Nice post Alemen :lol:

Told you you'd like it Wez :drink: :drunk: :thumb:

 

[Aleman]

You put a cask in a cellar and fill it at atmospheric pressure with CO2 (all the air will be on top as CO2 is heavier) and then serve the beer.

As the cask is emptied it draws in the surrounding atmosphere (CO2 and not under pressure).

Would this be classed REAL ALE or not? :hmm:

There is no attempt to use CO2 to force anything as it is completely at atmospheric pressure and drawn in as beer is taken out.

:nono: :nono: :nono: Not under CAMRA rules as the CO2 is not naturally produced by fermentation :twisted: I've often wondered about collecting CO2 from a FV in say a big bin bag and attaching that to my Cask . . . . . Nothing unnatural about that . . .

Like Steve I love the idea that CO2 from Bottle conditioning is different/obeys different physical laws than CO2 from a cylinder . . . I've has someone try and tell me that the bubbles in Champagne are smaller than the bubbles in cava :wha: :shock: :rofl:

 

[Wez]

Yep V it's the dog's balls.

I'm not planning on pouring anyone from CAMRA a pint, so i'm gonna stick to calling it Real Ale in my house

:

I'm glad I mentioned it :party: we've not had a good rant thread for ages :thumb:

 

[Frisp]

I take it the cask breather is preset to just allow enough C02 into the corny to keep a blanket of C02 on the ale.

So you would keg it bright, carbonate it to your desired level, then keep the temperature steady in your keggerator and let the breather do its work?

If teh cask breather is keeping the top pressure low wont the carbonation of the beer diminish as the pressures try to equalize....... or am I still a bit fuzzy from throwing all that whisky down my neck last night?

 

[Wez]

I'm not 100% sure how it works, I think that it allows the volume drawn to be replaced with c02. Maybe one of the other guys can give an explanation :thumb:

I've actually primed my cornies so it's naturally carbonated initially.

 

[Frisp]

certainly looks like a top gadget. Are you saying that your ale remains nice and lively all the way down the cornie

 

[Wez]

yep, certainly seems to be at the moment :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

I'm not 100% sure how it works, I think that it allows the volume drawn to be replaced with c02. Maybe one of the other guys can give an explanation

There's no need, that's basically it :thumb: A cask breather is also known as a demand valve and works as above, maintaining about 1psi over the beer (sometimes referred to as atmospherice pressure).
The key to serving pressure is how it is dispensed. Using enodis taps I've got away with serving at 10psi, but using a beer engine I haven't been able to use more than 3 psi without getting a pint of foam.
Personally the cask breather has been a life saver for me, I detest highly carbonated real ale and don't like to wait forever to serve at a low pressure from an enodis tap.
I've also found that my beer tastes livelier and smoother when dispensed from a from a beer engine, dispite the lower carbonation level in the beer :