Polypin Question

[dennisking]

If you don't prime the top of the polypin will immediately start caving in and creasing the polypin and this is what tends to cause pin holes to form and splits in the PP.

Since I have been using the hand pump I've not bothered priming so the pin does deflate but never had creases or splits, some of the ones I am using are maybe 3 years old.

 

[TRXnMe]

From what I undestand of polpins they will withstand a reasonable amount of presure, but I've not seen any figure for 'reaonable'...

All the stuff I've read about polypins suggests removing all the air from them and serving via a beer engine. no priming required.

If you must add sugar, try half the usual weight of sugar, a beer engine (hand pump as I think of them) will add froth to the pint, but you do need some CO2 to 'backfill' a collapsible vessel. The comments, and my personal experience of buying full polypins, suggests they can handle some sort of pressure.

 

[phettebs]

My first attempt to use the polypin failed. I'm still not sure why but the beer ended up being rather oxidized. I think I never got a good carbonation so I never vented. Therefore, any oxygen in there at filling time stayed there the whole time.

Now, I'm on my second round with much better results. The pin swelled after priming and I had to vent every few days. My hope is that drove off any leftover oxygen. It is now lightly carbed and tastes fantastic. The beer I brewed was Felinfoel's Double Dragon. Here it is:

I'll keep this thread updated with any changes but this seems headed in the right direction!

Baz

 

[Springer]

Good news then, congratulations. Pins are a much underated medium. Processing one pin is much easier than 10 bottles, but the result is different I suppose. Been doing bottles and pins recently but got a cornie going a couple of weeks ago
I like of mixture on the stock list, but am off to Murphy's this week to get a few more pins
How full did you fill the pins Baz? I presume the upturned picture has had some beer removed ?
S

 

[phettebs]

Actually no, that has had no beer removed. I think they are 5.5 US gallons and I have just a bit under 5 in there. What I did was add the priming sugar to the pin, rack the beer into the pin, then press down on the top with the spigot open to try to force as much air out as I could. In that pic, it had inflated due to the CO2 generated from the priming sugar. I had also purged it several times before flipping it to serving position.

Baz

 

[dennisking]

Although I tend not to prime I expel any air after filling.

 

[phettebs]

I've been REALLY struggling to leave this one alone Dennis. I've only had a couple pints out of it. I'm going to keg my Eden Ale any day now and then get that and the pin into my 53F kegerator freezer for serving.

 

[BrotherMalice]

Very similar principal to Polypins but these collapse on themselves as they empty, so less chance of drawing in air when near the bottom.

http://www.baginboxonline.co.uk/contact.html

Simon has always provided a 1st class service and product, I swear by them

Chrisp

I have some of these waiting for my 1st brew of the year (1 of which will be making its way to the spring thing )

Looking forward to getting them full soon but I cant see me being able to brew for another few weeks yet, was hoping to get a snow day so I could get a brew on, sedly this didnt happen

I have quickly scanned back through this thread but I havnt noticed if I need to do anything special with them (sanitation wise) or if this product is re-usable? - Anyone with more knowledge than me please let me know.

 

[dennisking]

Sanitize as you would any other vessle.

 

[rpt]

As these polypins are clear, do they need to be kept in the dark to avoid skunking?

 

[BrotherMalice]

I would think so, got boxes with mine though, will use them.

 

[Springer]

Don't know how long skunking takes, but I thought more than a few weeks. :hmm:
All I can say is that have just finishished the last pint in a pin filled on 28th December, it was fine.
Has been exposed, no box or fancy stuff, they disappeared ages ago, :lol: and left in daylight. I was trying to see how long the last pint would last, not touched it for a week or more, but tonight couldn't be bothered to go down to the brewery stock, so end of experiment, :lol:
S
P.S. :hmm: Pins, much under rated.

 

[dennisking]

Don't know if it's because they are not crystal clear but I've never had a problem.

 

[oz11]

Skunking can take only around 5 minutes in bright, direct sunlight. This I read somewhere. If I find it I will add a link.

Okay, I found it but don't think I can link to it. It was in CAMRA's Beer Magazine Autumn 2012, from an article by James McCrorie, a founder of the CBA (Craft Brewing Association). Won't paste the whole thing but he says:

"
For more than 100 years, brewers
have known that exposing beer to light,
particularly in the range of 350-500
nanometres, approaching (and in) the
ultraviolet spectrum of light, affects certain
hop components in the fi nished beer. In
most places this is known as the light-struck
effect. However, because the new chemical
that is formed, mercaptan thiol (or MBT), is
the basis of the defensive odour given off by
skunks, American brewers and beer drinkers
call affected beer ‘skunked’. To make matters
worse, MBT has an extremely low taste
threshold, which means the smallest amount
in beer is noticeable.
This photodegradation is minimised by
the use of dark brown glass bottles, which
fi lter out this dangerous light. Green or clear
bottles give little or no protection"

"Obviously, the strength of the light affects
the process, but even here MBT takes no
prisoners. Direct sunlight will cause the
reaction in just fi ve minutes, fl uorescent
light a few hours and normal, incandescent
lighting a little longer."

If the posting of this causes any copyright issues I will remove it post haste!

 

[evanvine]

An interesting read. :thumb:
Where does the "B" in MBT come from? :wha:

 

[Springer]

Thanks for that Oz, very interesting like E said.
Fortunately I don't appear to have light in the range of 350-500 nanometres in my kitchen, or I used hops with the right/wrong hop components and was lucky on this occasion. :shock: :lol:
Seriously, it might make the use of brown bottles worth more of a think, but again I have never had a problem. :hmm:
Perhaps I don't age my stock enough. :lol: (5 minutes :shock: , never drink it that quickly)
S
P.S. Was down at a well know supermarket earlier, don't like to advertise for them but didn't buy burgers and noticed most beer was £1.99 a bottle, my stock has been revalued tonight, assumming it don't get skunked. :lol: ............:cry: if it does.