gwoodin
New Member
Correct level of carbonation in beer is important, perhaps more than is generally appreciated.
If you have ever tasted beer from a polypin of bright beer, you will notice that it is flat, and consequently has low flavour. Filtered (bright) beer has no secondary fermentation as no yeast is present.
Carbonation is an important factor in flavour profile.
There is a difference between the way beer is carbonated in Cask-Conditioned beer in the pub, and how beer is commonly dispensed at home, (homebrew).
At the pub, prior to going on sale, the cask is vented, meaning the pressure in the cask is reduced to 1 atmosphere, approx. Continuing secondary fermentation will add CO2 to the liquid, but above the surface of the beer it will escape via the soft peg to the atmosphere.
At home, the commonly used plastic cask is sealed, and secondary fermentation builds up CO2 both within the liquid, and in the headspace above. This pressure is used to dispense the beer, without allowing air in.
Your home-brew may well have more flavour than pub beer because of this difference.
In the pub, as the cask empties, more and more CO2 in the beer escapes into the headspace and then via the peg into the cellar atmosphere. This is why beers newly 'tapped' taste better than those toward the end of the cask.
A good source of info is: Cellarmanship - Patrick O'Neill ISBN 1852492082
If you have ever tasted beer from a polypin of bright beer, you will notice that it is flat, and consequently has low flavour. Filtered (bright) beer has no secondary fermentation as no yeast is present.
Carbonation is an important factor in flavour profile.
There is a difference between the way beer is carbonated in Cask-Conditioned beer in the pub, and how beer is commonly dispensed at home, (homebrew).
At the pub, prior to going on sale, the cask is vented, meaning the pressure in the cask is reduced to 1 atmosphere, approx. Continuing secondary fermentation will add CO2 to the liquid, but above the surface of the beer it will escape via the soft peg to the atmosphere.
At home, the commonly used plastic cask is sealed, and secondary fermentation builds up CO2 both within the liquid, and in the headspace above. This pressure is used to dispense the beer, without allowing air in.
Your home-brew may well have more flavour than pub beer because of this difference.
In the pub, as the cask empties, more and more CO2 in the beer escapes into the headspace and then via the peg into the cellar atmosphere. This is why beers newly 'tapped' taste better than those toward the end of the cask.
A good source of info is: Cellarmanship - Patrick O'Neill ISBN 1852492082
